Jarrow Marchers' descendants mark 90th anniversary at Westminster
Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 19 Oct, 17:02 · Archive
Descendants of the Jarrow Marchers have delivered a replica petition to Westminster, 90 years after the original march.
In 1936, around 200 workers marched almost 300 miles from Jarrow in the North East to London with a petition bearing over 11,000 signatures. The march, known as the Jarrow Crusade, sought government help to rebuild industry in the town following the closure of Palmer's Shipyard in 1934, which was the area's main employer.
The marchers were accompanied by Labour MP Ellen Wilkinson, but when they reached London on 26 October 1936, Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin was 'too busy' to meet them. The petition went unheard at the time.
Now, 90 years on, descendants of the original marchers have delivered a replica petition to Westminster. Kate Osbourne, the current MP for Jarrow, accompanied them with the original petition box and a commemorative copy of the petition, printed by the same printers in the constituency who produced Ellen Wilkinson's election posters. Lee McShane, whose great-grandfather William McShane was among the original 200 marchers, reflected that 'they all shared one common goal and that was to be heard'. Unlike 90 years ago, the descendants have been welcomed into Parliament to mark the anniversary.
How it is being reported
- Descendants of Jarrow Crusaders reflect on 90-year anniversary of marchThe descendants of people who marched from Jarrow to London have delivered a replica petition to WestministerChronicleLive · 19 Oct, 16:48
- Jarrow Marchers’ descendants set to mark the 90th anniversary at Downing StreetDescendants of the Jarrow Marchers are set to visit Downing Street as part of the 90th anniversary celebrations.Shields Gazette · 19 Oct, 10:03
In this story: Jarrow · London · Ellen Wilkinson · Stanley Baldwin · Kate Osbourne · Palmer's Shipyard
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