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What was happening in Wales in 1926?
A general strike took place in the United Kingdom from 4 to 12 May 1926. Many workers went on strike to support the miners in their fight for pay and conditions. In this exhibition we also display books which were published by female authors, and through maps of Wales and the world we see Wales within a wider context. We mark the centenary of Portmeirion – the Italian style village designed by Clough Williams Ellis – and family photographs offer an insight into the fashions of the day.
1926 Strike
The British Gazette, 1926
The General Strike affected production and distribution of daily newspapers, so the British Gazette was established by the Government as its official news source. A rival newspaper, the British Worker, was produced by the Trades Unions Congress which reported from the viewpoint of the strikers.
Miners' demands to end the coal strike
The note in the hand of David Davies MP, later Lord Davies of Llandinam (1880-1944), lists possible terms for ending the coal strike. Davies was a major shareholder and chairman of the Ocean Coal Company.
Here's a transcription of the note:
Ocean Coy Possible terms for re-opening colleries Eight hour day Wages – terms offered by S[outh] W[ales] Federation. What percentage reduction does this involve on present wages? Suppose 10% Same percentage reduction on all officials’ salaries, directors’ fees etc. Arbitration – conciliation committee, arbitration tribunal. Pit committees elected by ballot. (over page) Employee shares Representation on Board Publication of accounts Reply to letters from Mining Assoc. and S[outh] W[ales] M[ining] Assoc. Amendments to cal bill arbitration machinery Commission’s Report clause Legality of compensation Strike money – payments to seceding members Representation on Assoc Rule of Assoc
Special Constable Certificate
During the General Strike, the Government called for volunteers to act as Special Constables to assist the regular police and undertake roles usually carried out by those on strike. Certificates, such as this one awarded to Arthur Stanley Davies of Welshpool were issued to those who had enlisted.
Idris Davies, The Angry Summer, 1941
A draft of The Angry Summer, a poem reflecting on the coal strike and the General Strike of 1926 by Idris Davies (1905-1953). Davies was a coal miner in Rhymney at the time of the strike and wrote this draft in the summer of 1941.
Here are some other archives that relate to the 1926 General Strike.
Photographs
The exhibition includes a selection of photographs by the Pwllheli-based photographer, Guy Hughes. The nitrade slides date from November to December 1926 and portray some Pen Llŷn residents taken from his studio.
- Mr G Griffith, Post Office, Llangwnnadl, November 1926
- Miss Ella Thomas, Abersoch, December 1926
- Mrs Roberts and little girl, Cartrefle, Edern, December 1926
- Roberts family, 2 children, Argraig, Pwllheli, December 1926
Portmeirion
Portmeirion 100
Portmeirion village was designed by the Welsh architect Clough Williams-Ellis (1883-1978), with the building work beginning in 1926. Williams-Ellis’ enthusiasm for Portmeirion is portrayed in his correspondence to journalist Jan Morris (then James Morris), where he confesses his ‘dread of the dull’. The Whittington Press book (c. 2008) captures Portmeirion’s Baroque landscape, while the other work (1985), bears the ‘No.6’ logo from the TV show ‘The Prisoner’ (1967-1968), which was filmed in Portmeirion.
Other items on display in the exhibition include a bust of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis by Hans Feibusch (1898-1998), ca. 1978.
Women's Literature
Wel! Wel! Comedi, Betty Eynon Davies, Margaret Price and Kate Roberts [1926]
A one act comic play first published in 1926. It was co-written by Betty Eynon Davies, Margaret Price, and Kate Roberts, also known as the ‘Queen of our Literature’.
‘A Country House’, Dorothy Edwards. The Best Short Stories of 1926. London: Jonathan Cape, 1927
Dorothy Edwards (1902-1934) was a Welsh short story writer and novelist from Glamorgan who wrote in English. She was associated with the Bloomsbury Group in London.
Here are Lovers, Hilda Vaughan. London: Heinemann,1926
Hilda Vaughan (1892-1985) was a Welsh writer who published more than ten novels, two short story collections, and several plays over her lifetime. This is her second novel, offering a sharp social commentary on class and Welsh-English border country life.
View the catalogue record for the new edition.
Maps
Illustrated atlas of the British Empire, 1926. W. & A. K. Johnston
Published in 1926, this atlas shows the mainstream view of the world of empire at the time. It includes photographs from around the globe to provide a taste of life in the colonies to people in Britain. The atlas focuses on the resources and raw materials provided by different areas, as well as the racial politics of the time.
Coimisiun Na Gaeltachta
The Coimisiun Na Gaeltachta Map showing in respect of the 1925 special enumeration for the counties of Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Kerry, Cork & Waterford and parts of the counties of Sligo, Roscommon, Clare, Limerick & Tipperary, 1926. This survey of the proportion of Irish speakers was carried out in 1925, mapping the boundaries of the Gaeltacht for the first time. Areas with at least 80% Irish speakers were defined as Gaeltacht. The survey showed a significant decline in Irish speakers and helped to target policies to support the language.