Killing no murder

South Wales and the great railway strike of 1911

Robert Griffiths, Manifesto, 126 pages, £12.95

This edition of the account of South Wales and the great railway strike of 1911 has been republished in association with the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT), with a foreword from RMT general secretary Bob Crow.

Griffiths provides a detailed account of the first ever national rail strike, in which troops opened fire and tragically killed two workers.

The killings and their cover up led the MP Keir Hardie to publish the pamphlet Killing No Murder, which Griffiths appropriates for his title.

The wave of strikes in Britain between 1910 and 1914 saw millions of workers fight over wages and conditions. The period became known as the Great Unrest.

The strikes took place during a deep crisis for the government as it reeled from a mass campaign for votes for women, an economic recession and the reaction of increasing pressure on workers across the economy from the introduction of machinery. In the course of the struggles the strikers raised questions about the position of the working class under capitalism, as prices of basic goods were rising sharply and wages were stagnant or falling.

This is a very interesting and essential read about the struggles and development of the movement, a crucial part of our history.