Collection of badges relating to Orgreave
A collection of nine badges associated with Orgreave. Listed from top left to bottom right.
Orgreave 95
The “95” denotes the number of pickets at Orgreave who were charged with riot. All charges were eventually dropped and the police were successfully sued for unlawful arrest. Brian Witts suggests that this is the original colour of this badge which was produced in 1985. There is another colour scheme using same design (“95” is green and its background is black) which was issued. However there are at least twenty other colour schemes which are thought to be samples.
Large amount produced. 33mm x 26mm oval. Black, red and green. Gilt.
Scottish contingent Orgreave picket
Produced for the Scottish miners who were at Orgreave.
Quantity issued is unknown. 26mm round. Red, black, blue and white. Gilt.
Derbyshire NUM Picket
Designed by Bill Rose of Highmoor Branch for the Derbyshire miners who were at Orgreave. The rams head is taken from the Derby County Football Club badge.
300 issued. 24mm round. Orange, black and red. Gilt.
Orgreave Veteran
Matty Kitchen designed and issued the original badge in 1985. This version was issued in 2005 along with many other colours as well as in gilt. The image is of the mounted police officer about to hit Lesley Boulton, an observer at the Orgreave Coking Plant, as she attended to an injured picket lying on the floor. The next photograpgh in the sequence shows the truncheon missing Lesley. Original photograph is by John Harris/Report Digital. This photograph has come to characterise the bahaviour of the police during the year long struggle to protect the industry, preserve jobs and communities.
25 issued. 25mm round. Orange. Chrome.
(A poster using the photograph of the mounted offer about to hit the head of Lesley Boulton is also available.)
Orgreave June18th
Produced by Dennis Wysall and Freddie Harrington of Treeton Branch.
1,000 issued. 25mm round. Red and black. Chrome.
South Kirby
Produced by the South Kirby pickets who were at Orgreave. The image is based upon the photograph by John Harris of a mounted police officer about to hit Lesley Boulton, observer who was kneeling by and attending to an injured picket.
Several hundred issued. 30mm round. Purple, red and black. Gilt.
Miners and print workers
Badge produced in 1986 in solidarity with print workers at Wapping during their dispute. The print workers had been actively supporting the miners during the strike. This was the limited edition version of another colour scheme of which many were issued. The violence witnessed at Orgreave was in evidence at Wapping. For more information about Wapping see http://www.wapping-dispute.org.uk/
Not many issued. 30mm round. Green, black and red. Gilt.
Welsh NUM 84 Orgreave
Produced by rank and file Welsh miners.
Several hundred issued. 21mm square. White, red and green. Gilt.
South Yorks Orgreave veterans
Produced for men who were at Orgreave.
Produced in large numbers. 25mm round. Red, white and dark green. Gilt.
The Miners’ Strike 1984-85
The Miners’ Strike of 1984/5 was in defence of the coal industry, to protect jobs and communities. By the end of the strike in March 1985, 200 mineworkers served time in prison or custody, 20,000 people had been injured and 966 mineworkers had been sacked by the NCB. Two members of the National Union of Mineworkers were killed on picket lines; David Jones on the 15th March 1984 and Joe Green on the 15th June 1984. Three people died digging for coal during the winter.
National Justice for Mineworkers Campaign
The National Justice for Mineworkers Campaign was formed at the 1985 Labour Conference and was launched at the Albert Hall, London, in October 1986. The objectives of the campaign are to keep the issue of those victimised miners to the forefront of the labour and trade union movement and to raise money to alleviate hardship among the families of the victimised men.
The 966 men were originally sacked for no more than honouring picket lines, defending their jobs and pit communities, their class and the future of their children. Only a small number had been dismissed for offences against the person or damage to property. Many miners subsequently cleared by the courts were not re-instated and neither were many more who successfully won their cases for unfair dismissal at Industrial Tribunals. Many were even blacklisted from getting any work outside the coal industry.
The Justice Campaign is supported by the NUM, Labour Party, TUC conferences and many national & regional unions.
National Justice for Mineworkers Campaign
103 Cliff Road Hornsea HU18 1JB
Email: to be advised
Web: www.justiceformineworkers.org.uk
Phone: 01964 532954 & 07816 030236
A minimum of 10p of the purchase price of this card is donated to the NJMC.
Enamel badges of the National Union of Mineworkers
Many thanks to Brian Witts for information, advice and access to his collection. Brian produces the definitive book about the enamel badges and a large format poster using images of the badges to illustrate the wreckage caused by the Thatcher government to the mining industry and the mining communities. Contact Past Pixels if you want details.
Image of badges are copyright National Union of Mineworkers.
Photography by Martin Shakeshaft www.strike84.co.uk