Miners’ strike 40th: hardship, camaraderie & days spent at strike centre in Dysart

His dad, also John, was the strike co-ordinator at Frances Colliery - one of the men subsequently arrested and sacked and subsequently, pardoned, but still chasing the redundancy money lost as a result of the conviction.

Now living in Anstruther, where he runs the Bread and Butter Cafe and is renovating the coastal town’s former ice cream shop to turn it into a deli and off-sales, the bitter year-long strike remains a key moment on his life.

“I’d just started secondary school, and politics weren’t on my agenda, but the strike remains a huge part of my life. I’m proud of my father taking a stand for his class and a way of life he genuinely loved.”

The dispute saw John’s education suffer, and he spent many days at the strike centre in Dysart and in the soup kitchens which were a lifeline network for miners and their families.

“The strike had a huge impact - there were real financial pressures,” he recalled. “My dad would be at the strike centre every day, sorting out picket lines, deciding who was going where, and I was left with little supervision. I didn’t run wild because they were strict parents who wouldn’t have tolerated that, but my school work suffered.

“We were skint. We burnt shoes at home to keep warm! I never had a proper school uniform and you got picked on because of that. Before going into my second year I was top of the class and no trouble. I got into bother at school, and probably the worst thing was the head teacher coming to class and taking me outside. I expected a row, but instead he gave me a pass. He said he understood what we were going through - but I felt that was a let off. School went out the window.”

The strike centre became a familiar haunt for many children from mining families.

“I have a lot of very good memories of spending time at the strike centre at Dysart and in the soup kitchens. We got fed there and would hang out with other children who were in the same boat. We played pool every day - so much so I could probably have turned pro at the age of 14! There was a great sense of camaraderie seeing miners coming in, chatting to them - a lot of the topics went over our heads but we knew there was a lot going on.”

Donations from the UK and abroad saw local cupboards filled with Serbian bean soup - “it was delicious!” - while John was one of a bunch of children taken by the TGWU for a holiday in Belfast.

His dad was also one of around 500 who were convicted. The injustice still burns.

“Dad was arrested on picket line at Frances deliberately. They wanted the ring leaders on the day,” said John. “I’m proud of my father taking a stand for his class and a way of life he genuinely loved. The camaraderie miners shared is a thing of the past for the working man and I feel privileged to have witnessed this first hand during the strike. My parents were never aspirational but just wanted security and employment. The Tories denied them and so many others this basic right.”And the legacy of the dispute?: “My generation never became miners. It would be inconceivable to see a strike on the scale of the miners today.”