5000 x 2500 px | 42,3 x 21,2 cm | 16,7 x 8,3 inches | 300dpi
Date de la prise de vue:
11 juillet 2009
Lieu:
Durham City, County Durham
Informations supplémentaires:
Wheatley Hill band and banner during the 2009 miners gala, Wheatley Hill Lodge, The Durham Miners' Gala is a large annual gathering held on the second Saturday in July in the city of Durham, England It is associated with the coal mining heritage (and particularly that of miners' trade unionism) of the Durham Coalfield, which stretched throughout the traditional County of Durham. It is also locally called "The Big Meeting" or "Durham Big Meeting". In the context of the Durham Miners' Gala, "gala" is usually pronounced "gayla" rather than the more common pronunciation "garla". Its highlight consists of banners, each typically accompanied by a brass band, which are marched to the old Racecourse, where political speeches are delivered. In the afternoon a Miners' service is held in Durham Cathedral which may include the blessing of any new banners. The gala developed out of the miners' trade unionism, with the first Union being established in 1869. The Durham Miners' Association organised the first Gala, which was held in 1871 in Wharton Park, 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 socialist, and often communist, nature of the miners' unionism found expression in the Gala. In particular, the banners contain several images of notable socialist/communist figures, and captions capture similar sentiments. The Gala was cancelled from 1915-18 (due to the First World War), 1921, 1922, and 1926 (all due to strikes), and again from 1940-45 due to the Second World War. The effect of the 1984-85 miners' strike, which saw miners across the Durham Coalfield strike, also led to the Gala being called off in 1984
