The Late Denaby and Cadeby Strike

False Position of the Strike Leaders
(To the Editor)

Sir,—I note in your current issue that Mr. J. Nolan, one of the so-called Denaby “strike leaders,” has been appointed checkweighman at the Diamond Pit at Altofts, which I, as other of my fellow-miners, would be pleased to learn, as we know perfectly well that these men will not be found employment too many miles within the area of the Denaby and Cadeby Collieries.

I say it is essential that these men should be placed in such positions, for, as a rule, they have experience in leading men that should be valuable in the future to the miners of South Yorkshire. I dare say some of your readers will laugh, and ask, “what has that experience brought them to?” Now, that is just how these men are placed in a position that is as disadvantageous as it is false.

For instance, I will quote the case of Fred Croft, the president of the Denaby Main Branch. In rebutting what I regard as a ridiculously false idea, I myself was employed at the Denaby Main Colliery a short time, and I am proud to say was a member of the committee of the branch, of which Croft was then, as now, president.

I have worked alongside Croft, and I always found him to be a good, steady workman, that always earned his wages. As president of the branch I always regarded him as a man worthy of the position, who was always outspoken and straightforward in his dealings with his committeemen, and I always regarded his attitude as conciliatory, and I assure you he was never defiant, although defensive.

On that fatal Sunday morning on which the Denaby and Cadeby men decided to strike, I happened to be at the meeting by a stroke of luck. I deny that Croft urged the men to strike, but, on the contrary, he asked the men to think a long time over what should be their future course, and not to recklessly vote for a stoppage of work. Your own reporter, sir, was present at that meeting, and he will perhaps be able to bear me out in that matter.

I considered that was good advice to the men, but, I am sorry to say, was little heeded. And still we can hear people say that had it not been for Croft, Hirst, and Nolan, there would have been no strike. What more could a man do than urge the men to be careful as to the step they took; and I know the remarks of the other speakers were tinged with advice to the same effect.

But these officials were only the mouthpiece of the men, and in the end they were ordered by that mass meeting to “declare war.” They did their duty and obeyed instructions from the men, who were unanimously in favour of the strike. Had they refused to do as they were bid they would soon have received their dismissal by those hundreds of men who, it was plain to see, were then thoroughly determined.

In the face of that, how could any individual be justly regarded as a “strike leader”? When the recommendation was sent from the Conference at Barnsley, to the effect that the men should return to work, some of the committeemen refused to face the men with the recommendation, but amongst those who manfully stood their ground were Hirst and Croft.

Now, sir, how could these men be to blame for the outbreak of the strike? And I say it is a cruel shame that they should be victimised for being the servants of, and carrying out, the wishes of their fellow-men, who were their employers in one sense.

But I am glad to see that the miners of Yorkshire are beginning to realise that these men have been, and are being, unjustly dealt with, and I contend that they are only doing their duty by appointing these men to such positions, and so disentangling them from the webs that have been so shamefully woven round them.

There are Croft and others who must yet be extricated, and only as miners can free them, and in our principle of defence and brotherhood, I contend, we are in duty bound to stand by them in their hour of tribulation.

Then, shortly, there will be vacancies for weighmen at the Manvers and Hickleton Main new seams, and if these men cannot obtain employment elsewhere, I think it would be only just and right we miners should appoint them to the positions. There are men amongst them capable in every way of taking the positions, and if we only unanimously placed them to look to our interests, we should be showing them a hand of friendship and doing them a great favour, and at the same time we should be showing a tyrannical gold-seeker that the miners of Yorkshire despise him for his cowardly and inhuman conduct in striking a man when he’s down.

—I am, yours truly,
ADAMACUS

🧩 Theme Placement (August – very significant)

⚒️ Strike Memory, Reputation & Solidarity

📌 Key Points

Defence of “strike leaders”
Claim they followed, not led, the men
Strong emphasis on collective decision-making
Call for continued support and employment

🧭 Interpretation

This is one of the mo