Flood Back to Defeat: Winter 1984–5

Abstract

This chapter looks at the final months of the strike, from the high point of Christmas 1984—when the fundraising efforts of the strike’s supporters across the world ensured that many miners and their families had a Christmas they could remember—to the events that led to the collapse of the dispute at the end of the winter. It traces the experiences of committed supporters of the strike, and examines how these tough final months impacted on the politics of the support movement. It examines the realities of being on strike during the winter—in particular the difficulties faced by striking miners and their families in adequately heating their homes—and the intense hardship that many families were beginning to suffer by this point. Through exploring the emotional toll that this time exacted from those who went through it, and the changing moral calculations that were being made by those women who had previously been steadfast in their support of the strike, this chapter also sheds light on why women who had been previously staunch in their support of the dispute began to waver. Finally, it turns to the day of the return to work, and how this momentous event was experienced by the women who went through it.