Author: EditorMC

I am a former journalist by trade, turned labour and family historian with a special interest in Chartism. I launched the Chartist Ancestors website since 2003, and am currently a member of the Society for the Study of Labour History executive committee, managing its website and social media in my free time.
Events, Labour history news

Great Lives: spotlight on Lady Rhondda

BBC Radio 4 turned its attentions to the suffragette and pioneering journalist Lady Rhondda, as former President of the Supreme Court Baroness Hale got the opportunity to nominate a new member of the programme’s pantheon. Professor Angela V John, a Vice-President of the Society for the Study of Labour History and President of Llafur, provided expert testimony and commentary on the life of Lady Rhondda … Continue reading Great Lives: spotlight on Lady Rhondda

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Bursary reports, MA & BA bursaries

Klara Rihakova (Northumbria) examines transnational student activism in the Prague Spring of 1968

My BA project examines the transnational elements of student activism in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the role that Czechoslovak students played in the period preceding the social and political events of the Prague Spring as well as the disappointment following the crisis of August 1968. Drawing on a range of contemporary newspapers and government documents from British and Czech archives as well as student … Continue reading Klara Rihakova (Northumbria) examines transnational student activism in the Prague Spring of 1968

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Labour history news

Seven labour history anniversaries in 2022

In 2022, as every year, it is possible to look back and see significant milestones in labour history taking place 25, 50 or 100 years ago. Here we recall seven memorable events, each a quarter of a century further back in time. They include labour movement victories and defeats, and like all of history their interpretation and significance continue to be contested – the role … Continue reading Seven labour history anniversaries in 2022

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Labour history news

When Santa and his elves formed a union

In an era when every self-respecting town centre of any size had at least one department store, no December shopping trip would have been complete without a visit to Santa’s grotto. The experience left most small children with a smile on their face and a cheap toy, while the store owners were equally happy with the additional profits. But for the bit-part actors and bar … Continue reading When Santa and his elves formed a union

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Documents & objects

Forging a single union for the iron and steel industry

The organisational history of trade unions in the iron and steel industry is a complex one. The photographs here, published by the ISTC in the early 1980s as a series of postcards, show the banners and membership certificates of some of the organisations that form part of that story. Trade union membership in the iron and steel trades ebbed and flowed over the latter half … Continue reading Forging a single union for the iron and steel industry

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Documents & objects, SSLH news

SSLH backs drive to conserve historic Belgian trade union banners

The People’s Flag… is in need of a little care, writes Mike Sanders. Banners and flags have played a key role in Labour movement since its inception. Trades unions and political protesters alike have marched behind banners proclaiming their objectives and values using both word and image. Nor has their symbolic importance escaped the attention of those opposed to the Labour movement. At Peterloo, the … Continue reading SSLH backs drive to conserve historic Belgian trade union banners

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