Britain During the Inter-War Years

The Guardian - The 1930s were humanity's darkest,
bloodiest hour. Are you paying attention?

Rogers History - The policies of the National Government

Case Study: The Jarrow March, October 1936

In October 1936, a group of men from the north-eastern town of Jarrow marched 300 miles to London. Bearing blue and white banners, the Jarrow men paraded at 8.45am each day of the march and many marched army style - 50 minutes to the hour with 10 minutes' rest. They wanted Parliament, and people in the south of England, to understand that they were decent, orderly, responsible citizens, but were living in a region where there were great difficulties and 70% unemployment. The marchers made no assault on the House of Commons, leaving their MP Ellen 'Red' Wilkinson to present their petition watched by some protesters in the gallery. At the time of the march Britain was ruled by the coalition National Government which was predominantly Conservative and, despite the petition, no proposal was made for Jarrow's relief. However, another war was on its way and when it came Jarrow's industry recovered as a result of the engineering and steelworks needed for World War Two armaments.