Derbyshire miner's wife recalls her role in the fight for justice during bitter strike of 1984

Members of the NUM were called out on strike by their leader Arthur Scargill, despite the absence of a nationwide ballot – a move which was later ruled illegal by the High Court.

The industrial action was taken in an attempt to prevent colliery closures and safeguard jobs. More than 26 million person days of work were lost during the year-long dispute, the biggest number since the General Strike of 1926.

Those who defied the union and carried on working had to run the gauntlet of pickets at the colliery gates while communities were overrun with police from other counties attempting to keep hostilities in check.

The divisive strike pitted neighbour against neighbour, dad against son, opening up chasms in relationships that would take decades to heal, if they ever did.

But the strike also proved the strength of women in pit communities. They launched soup kitchens to feed hungry families, raised money, went on marches and joined picket lines.

Ahead of the 40th anniversary of the miners’ strike, Norma Dolby shared her experiences of organising food parcels, braving intimidation on the picket line and receiving tumultuous applause at meetings and miners’ rallies across the country.

Norma, who still lives in Arkwright Town, admits that she had a feeling of dread and fear when the decision was made to go on strike. Her family of five was already short of money and Norma worried how they would cope financially.

In an interview with Cllr Ann-Frances Hayes, who is county councillor for Staveley, Norma said: “When we got the news of the strike, my husband Terry (now sadly deceased) and I went to the Miners Welfare as we knew that’s where the miners would meet to discuss the situation.

"Our pit was just a drift mine and our men had voted not to strike as they had just been through an overtime ban. We had not the faintest idea that the Yorkshire pickets would invade our pit and bring our men out on strike with them.Norma said that one of her earliest memories of that time was of the police milling around the streets. "A large cloud of doom hung over the village. Gone was the feeling of a close-knit community,” she said. “Everyone was on tenterhooks wondering who would be first to go back to work.

“I worked as a cleaner at the miners’ welfare and it broke my heart seeing the pickets every day in the welfare, some of them deep in thought with worry etched on their faces. Others full of fighting talk about their time on the picket line.

At the miners club, Norma met Snowy Bradley from the miners’ union and Audrey Bagshaw, from the committee set up by Tony Benn to help the miners during the strike. Norma said: “They brought us food and me and my friends helped to share it out. I will always remember the tin of Irish stew – if you found any meat in it, it was surrounded by fat – even today I shudder when I see a tin!”

Betty Heathfield, a leading figure in the Miners Wives Support Group, asked Norma if she would be willing to visit other towns to do some fundraising. Norma said: “Terry had no objections so off I went with a friend of mine. It was very hard work and sometimes I was reduced to tears by people’s cruel remarks that could make me feel worthless, but at the same time it made me determined to continue to fight.”

On the picket line Norma joined in with everyone singing miners songs. She said: “It was shocking to see Toni Bennett arrested and charged for singing on the picket line at Markham.”

The miners’ decision to return to work sparked mixed feelings. Norma said: “Many had spent all their savings, were on the breadline and had decided they had no option. Only four miners in the village of Arkwright stood solid to the end of the strike. If I hadn’t got involved in the fight for justice, I’m sure Terry would have been one of those miners who went back – it was a matter of survival.”

After the strike, Norma realised that she didn’t want to go back to being a housewife. She joined the Labour Party and was elected as parish councillor, then she served on NE Derbyshire District Council which she eventually chaired. Norma also chaired Arkwright school governors and the trustees at Arkwright Centre.

In her spare time, she wrote a memoir Norma Dolby’s Diary about her experiences in the strike. Copies of the book are still available on Amazon.

*An exhibition about the miners strike in North Derbyshire will be held at Chesterfield’s Market Hall Assembly Rooms from March 4 to 27, 2024.