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.