The Chopwell Lockout

The Chopwell Lockout

Chopwell, in case you’re not familiar, is a small, former mining village in the west of Gateshead and it is this mining connection that earned it the nickname Little Moscow. In fact, there are still streets in the village named after Marx and Lenin. In June 1925, miners were locked out of the mine after they refused the owners’ offer of less pay and worse working conditions. Chopwell was already well known for its strong left- leaning politics and had some strong, very vocal union leaders who had been inspired by the revolution in Russia. The Chopwell lockout preceded the General Strike in 1926 and continued more than six months after it finished. In total it lasted 17 months and during that time, the community came together to support one another. Soup kitchens were set up and care packages came from across the world, including from Russian miners. On its 100th anniversary Digital Voice have co-produced a podcast from a treasure trove of first-hand accounts of those who lived through those difficult times. They come from the oral history archives at Beamish Museum, Gateshead Libraries and the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive. It is a fascinating story of the incredible community spirit and belief in social justice; the fight for workers’ rights and a hope for better conditions for all; from working class people who saw what was happening in the Russian revolution, educated themselves, and joined the class struggle. The miners and their families suffered 17 months of hardship to fight that fight.   This podcast is co-produced by Digital Voice with Chopwell Community Centre and funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund and presented by local people passionate about their political heritage, Helen Neasham and Joe McNestry.