Jarrow Song - Alan Price ♪♫

Jarrow Song /Alan Price... enjoy.

*UPDATE Nov 2011* : viewing data shows that this video is more popular in Russia than the USA.

HISTORY:
The global Great Depression brought particular distress to North East England, where many citizens were miners and ship workers. The collapse of domestic and international trade in shipbuilding, coal mining, and steel industries led to even more severe unemployment and poverty than seen in other parts of the country. At the time, unemployment benefit lasted only for 26 weeks, and the Unemployment Assistance Board, created in 1934, provided inadequate relief for long-term unemployed people, who were put under the Poor Law, which forced them to do service for less money than normal. Senior generations of families were forcibly evicted from their family homes.

The Jarrow March (or Jarrow Crusade, from the phrase on banners carried by the marchers), was an October 1936 protest march against unemployment and extreme poverty suffered in North East England.The 207 marchers travelled from the town of Jarrow to the Palace of Westminster in London, a distance of almost 300 miles (480 km), to lobby Parliament. Their MP, Ellen Wilkinson, known as 'Red Ellen', walked with them. When the marchers completed their feat, very little was done for them. The ship industries remained closed and all that they were given was £1 each to get the train back from London.

Jarrow is a small town on the mouth of the River Tyne, near the city of Newcastle, which had a large ship building industry. A boomtown, Jarrow prospered at the start of the 20th century, when more than a quarter of the world's shipping tonnage was built in North East England. For example, Palmer's Yard had been established in Jarrow in the mid-19th century. After the Great Depression, the town was never the same.

The march was to find jobs to support Jarrow men and their families. It was also a bid for respect and recognition, not only for the people of Jarrow, but for others in a similar situation all over the country. The marchers had no resources other than their own determination, and some good boots supplied by the public. During the march, wherever the marchers stopped for the night, the local people gave them shelter and food.

The National Unemployed Workers' Movement had organised several similar marches before the Jarrow March but received little political support due to the NUWM's links with the Communist Party. When the Jarrow Borough Council organised the protest in July 1936, they named it a "walk" rather than a march, partly to make it clear their protest was not affiliated with the NUWM in the hope of gaining more support.

No Communists were allowed to participate; some organised another march later in the year, led by Walter Harrison, the grandfather of Conservative politician David Davis.

The route the marchers took was in 22 legs with overnight stops, covering a total of 280.5 miles (451.4 km) as follows:

Jarrow to Chester-le-Street -- (12 miles)
Chester-le-Street to Ferryhill -- (12 miles)
Ferryhill to Darlington -- (12 miles)
Darlington to Northallerton -- (16 miles)
Northallerton to Ripon -- (17 miles)
Ripon to Harrogate -- (11½ miles)
Harrogate to Leeds -- (15½ miles)
Leeds to Wakefield -- (9 miles)
Wakefield to Barnsley -- (9¾ miles)
Barnsley to Sheffield -- (13½ miles)
Sheffield to Chesterfield -- (11¾ miles)
Chesterfield to Mansfield -- (12 miles)
Mansfield to Nottingham -- (14½ miles)
Nottingham to Loughborough -- (15 miles)
Loughborough to Leicester -- (11¼ miles)
Leicester to Market Harborough -- (14½ miles)
Market Harborough to Northampton -- (14½ miles)
Northampton to Bedford -- (21 miles)
Bedford to Luton -- (19 miles)
Luton to St Albans -- (10¼ miles)
St Albans to Edmonton -- (11 miles)
Edmonton to Marble Arch, London (8½ miles)

The last surviving member of the march, Cornelius Whalen, died on 14 September 2003, at age 93.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Jarrow
• March
• crusade
• protest
• geordies
• Alan
• Price
• 1974
• UK
• north
• east
• England
• Great
• Depression1936
• shipbuilding
• coal
• mining
• steel
• unemployment
• poverty
• austerity
• measures
• recession
• home
• eviction
• ellen
• wilkinson
• london
• tyne
• newcastle

[RedditchBhoy]

Brilliant and evocative. 2011 and things are getting worse but at least we will never go hungry or cold( i hope ). But the same again, the working class have no voice and we have to listen to bullshit like "we are all in it together" from millionaires in government. Nick Clegg, hold your head in shame.

[chewy251093]

Im a Gateshead lad myself but my girlfriend is a jarra lassie, lucky enough ive been able to find work but shes still trying, a few weeks ago we watched another march to london, not a lot has changed since '36, it disgusting that nothing has changed but nobody cares about you if you live north of the midlands, your 2nd class.

[MaxwellTurn]

@km1955yt I think that northken61 is nothing more than an attention-seeking numpty from the wrong end of Kensington.

[MaxwellTurn]

@northkent61 Those who do not acknowledge the mistakes recorded in histories are doomed to repeat them.

[buelligan1964]

My grandad came down in the march, i hope to visit the land of my fathers soon.

[psweep]

Can't compete with countries that pay there staff $1.23 an day? Let us just be thankful we live in a country which has human rights, free speech and work regulations, and unions, and oh and lots of other democratic choices which our forefathers. More liberty, more equality. Not even 100 years near yet when there was universal suffrage in the United Kingdom. Pits closed because it was cheaper to import coal. Who would cut a few democratic rights and regulations to bring the price of things down?

[northkent61]

@margatelad Im quaking in my upper class boots!

[margatelad]

@northkent61 if i can find just one way to find you my friend , i will be knocking on your door. and you def dont want that, but i will find you!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lewisner]

When Thatcher dies they should play this at her funeral.

[davidbennett60]

The Jarroow Crusade lives on.

[northkent61]

@raynarks Exactly and it was fucking years ago. Move on! The north east is mostly on benefits now so get off your arses. What good does it do to hark on about the past for fucks sake.

[raynarks]

@northkent61 this song is about the Jarrow marches, you this twat.