1930s Hunger Marches

During the 1930s, as well as local protests, there were also many protest marches from the north-east of England and South Wales. The people living in these areas were becoming more militant because they had been experiencing high levels of unemployment, poverty, malnutrition and disease for some time. The government seemed incapable of dealing with the problems or, at worst, appeared to be indifferent to the plight of the poor. Protesting in the areas in which they lived appeared to have little impact on the government, so it was decided to widen the protest.

Marches to London were organised to confront the government and, in so doing, gain much needed publicity. It was hoped that the media would be encouraged to report their story and highlight their plight. In October 1932 there was a large-scale march on London by 2,500 workers from all over the country. Trade unionists played a major role in organising the march and in arranging food and shelter for the marchers. They presented a petition to Parliament demanding the abolition of the means test and protesting about the 10 per cent cut in benefits.  Perhaps the most famous protest march was the Jarrow Crusade of 1936, but there were also marches from South Wales. Most demanded similar things – government action to create jobs…