Brenda Proctor (1950-2017) on the picket line.

In May 1993 as part of the Kate Magee Support Group I headed over to Stoke to meet up with the North Staffordshire Miners Wives Action Group. I arrived at Trentham colliery as Bridget Bell, Brenda Proctor and Gina Earle emerged after a 3-day protest to save the pit.  It was a protest that went on at several pits across the country.

During the 1984/5 strike links had been made by the Miners and their supporters with the communities of the north of Ireland. Embattled communities in Ireland were mirror images of pit villages over here. Miner’s wives and women supporters regularly travelled over on International Women’s Day to join in solidarity with Irish women political prisoners. Bridget Bell of NSMWAG had been detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act with fellow trade union and Irish activists on returning from Ireland. Kate Magee, Irish working- class woman from Derby,   had been charged under the PTA and her support group was making links with groups across the country.

Later that year a  play called “Nice Girls” at the New Vic Theatre Stoke recreated the women’s experiences in  words and music . Brenda Proctor commented “We cannot praise the staff and the cast too highly for the dedication they have shown that the only way forward is to fight on.”

“No Going back” this new exhibition  at the Potteries Museum is a reminder of one of the abiding memories of the Miners Strike (and its aftermath) the strong female working class heart to its activity.

Not just about the Miner’s Strike it shows how the women’s group made links with other struggles including the Birmingham Burnsall strikers and the campaign in support of Irish political prisoners Ella O’Dwyer and Martina Anderson.

The  majority  of the photographs were taken by socialist photographer Kevin Hayes who was a good friend of the women and was part of the many campaigns they were active in.  And although there are other artifacts in the exhibition it is the photographs which really tell the story of a dynamic and determined group of women.

NSMWAG and Burnsall Strikers.

NSMWAG supports picket of Durham Prison for Irish political prisoners Ella O’Dwyer and Martina Anderson.

Visit the exhibition at https://www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag/visit/

Follow the women on Facebook

More of Kevin’s photographs here https://progressdigital.photoshelter.com/about

Find out about the Kate Magee Support Group in the archive of the IBRG at the WCML https://wcml.org.uk/