Today, 90 years ago in 1936, a group of unemployed shipyard workers from Jarrow set off from the town hall on the 300-mile march to the Houses of Parliament in England’s capital and it has been dubbed as the beginning of one of the most defining moments in north-east history and it is also known as the Jarrow Crusade. There was a joke going around that they meant to head for South Shields but they took a wrong turn but you have to admire what they did.

So, on October 5, 1936, around 200 men, as well as their local MP, Ellen Wilkinson, set off on a gruelling march down to London. It followed the devastating closure of the Palmer’s shipyard which resulted in the town being plunged into extreme poverty, with around 70 per cent of the local workforce left entirely without jobs.

During the trek they carried a heavy oak box containing a petition with 11,000 signatures and the men marched in what was described as with disciplined and military-style steps all the way to Parliament.

Simply their demand was the re-establishment of industry in their proud town and, while the Government of the day offered very little immediate help, the marchers won the hearts of the nation along their route.

They secured their place in history as an enduring symbol of working-class dignity and resilience. I was lucky enough to meet and chat with one of the original marchers back in 1997 as he watched a similar march leave from Jarrow due to a similar employment situation so to find out more click on the link below.

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