A New Perspective...
Volume 2 | Issue 2 - Revolutions
Article by Danielle Coomer. Edited by Charlotte D’Arcy. Additional Research by Ellie Veryard
The use of digital media in History is not a new phenomenon, on the contrary. For the last hundred years archivists have cherished the medium of film as a rich source of evidence detailing our country’s heritage, with projects like the Yorkshire Film Archive using historical footage as inspiration to recreate the social history of many British cities. More recently, however, home movies are being embraced by historians and the nation alike as offering an alternative perspective into our learned past. They challenge our traditional understanding of stories of national importance as portrayed by government films and official media reports by presenting a more personal and often original account of how such events affected the course of Britain’s history.
This new category of historical research has been highlighted by a six month BBC project aimed at uncovering the buried treasure of our nation’s social history in the form of amateur-filmed footage. The Great British Home Movie Roadshow promotes an unedited version of twentieth century Britain through the eyes of those personally involved in our country’s most significant events. The relationship of trust that developed between filmmaker and subject has provided us with some of the most intimate and informative footage of the last seven decades, something which official reporters would not have been able to gain access to.
In the first episode we are introduced to Steve Smith, a member of a local ‘cine-club’ who was granted behind-the-scenes filming rights during the Miners’ Strikes of 1972 and 1974. Contemporary media reports were politically motivated and portrayed the miners as selfish and disruptive in the face of widespread economic instability. Smith’s film, however, acted as an independent voice for the workers, allowing them to challenge the belief that the strikes were simply a fight for increased pay.
The footage therefore provides a unique insight into the true objectives of the strikes, promoting a much more positive account of this turbulent period. It reveals how the miners’ actions were in fact aimed at protecting their legal right to strike, as well as achieving better working conditions for future generations, as demonstrated by the inspirational message of one miner, ‘I can’t leave my kids a legacy, but I can leave them a better society’.
The depth of information captured by amateur filmmakers offers an alternative perspective from which to understand British heritage. Through such intimate examples of ‘history from below’, we are able to comprehend how our country’s most significant events affected those at all levels of society, as opposed to the ‘official view’ which has ruled history for so long. It is therefore imperative that this abundant source be used alongside traditional written documents and photograph stills if we are to create a comprehensive social history of our nation.
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“It were not about the money, it were about jobs, but everyone thought it were about wages. It were about protecting the industry and sticking together with other miners. We were trying to stop them from closing pits. They put two pits on review and said they’d close them if they didn’t produce. They produced but still closed them, so we went on strike.”
“It wound us up. The police were thugs, they enjoyed pushing the miners about. We had to hold our own but all did was shove. They took a hell of a lot of stick. The police said the miners were chucking stuff, but the miners said it were police at back of the pickets who threw things at the front.”
“At Frickley the miners blocked every road. The media come and said milk bottles were petrol bombs, they were just water. It was a lie. A damn big lie. Media pick it up, camera picks it up. Everyone believed it. It were a sad occasion really.”
“There were soup kitchens in nearly every pit village where men on pickets lines could have a meal. You need it when you’re out in winter. They were given by sympathetic people and got money sent in for them.”
Joe Stones first become a miner in 1944 at the age of 14. He worked as a contractor on development work at the coal face until he left in 1985. Mr Stones took part in the succession of strikes that occurred throughout the 1970s and 1980s.