May Day

It's May Day.  In France there have been marches and celebrations by the workers but we seem not to do that here so these photos are from last July. They are of the Durham Miners' Gala which was established over 100 years ago and which celebrates miners' trade unionism.  the first gala was held in 1871 in Wharton Park in Durham

It developed into the largest unofficial miners and trade union gathering in the United Kingdom. At its peak the Gala attracted over 300,000 people - over 7 times the population of Durham city itself.
Banners would traditionally be taken on foot from its particular colliery into Durham, and the event was marked by large unions of men marching on the roads leading into the city.

The closure of collieries in County Durham, particularly after the Second World War, reduced the numbers attending the Gala. Nonetheless, even if a colliery was closed, the banner was often still marched. 

Most banners represent lodges of the National Union of Mineworkers in the Durham Area. However, other unions have also been represented, particularly in recent years, as well as Union banners from other parts of the UK, including NUM lodges of the Yorkshire branch, and South Wales. Unison were very well represented in the summer of 2011.

They are made of silk, are rectangular, and are painted by hand. Some are very old now and protected by plastic when being marched through the town.  Traditionally banners were draped in black cloth when there had been a death in the pit during the previous year. Following the closure of pits across the county they are draped with black cloth on significant anniversaries of disasters at the colliery they represent.

More recently, residents in former pit villages have taken it upon themselves to restore, or even create, banners.

Over the morning the banners are paraded past The County Hotel, where the Mayor views the parade and the brass bands from a balcony.  They are displayed at the racecourse where there is the tradition of speeches.  Last summer the speaker was Bob Crow, the leader of the RMT union.  Other notable speakers over recent years have included Tony Benn, Billy Bragg and Ken Livingstone.

In the afternoon the banners are taken to Durham Cathedral where there is a service.

Each colliery has its own brass band and these are another important part of the day.  They lead the parade of the banner of the mine.

It has been announced at the end of April that Ed Milliband, the Labour leader, will be the speaker at this year's Gala.  This is the first time that a Labour leader has addressed the meeting for 23 years. Read more here. There is also a video of the 2009 Big Meeting.