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.