The Miner’s Wives

The miner’s strike of 1984-85 wouldn’t have lasted long without the full support of the miner’s wives. Not only did they organise soup kitchens and supply routes for essentials but many of them also stood on the picket lines along with their husbands. They saw their men coming home bruised and bleeding after being charged by mounted police and decided enough was enough.

Gambling that the police wouldn’t attack women in the full view of television cameras they went to the very heart of the conflict. Day after day they stood firm and even occupied coal board offices at one point. Although the strike ended in defeat it resulted in hundreds of women becoming politicised and determined to take control of their lives.

I’ve been inspired by their stories and when Swansea Print Workshop were asked to do collaborative project with Swansea University to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the South Wales Miners’ Library, my ears pricked up. SPW printmakers were invited to create work in response to the rich resource of the library, established in 1973.

The miner’s wives were an obvious subject for me so I set to work creating a series of lino prints and a screen print about what was to be for many the defining moment of their lives. The first three in a series of lino prints are now available for sale and can be seen below.

The prices below do not include postage and packaging or any import duties for non UK addresses. 

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