Wars tend to bring people together in a common cause against an external enemy. This was not always the case in industrial south Wales between 1914 and 1918. Sections of the local press complained that the war was an opportunity for the owners of industry to line their pockets with increased profits at the expense of working people. The claim was that not everyone was making a sacrifice on equal terms. For the Merthyr Pioneer this was not a war for freedom or national survival but an opportunity for financiers to increase their fortunes.

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The theme of coalowners profiting from the war, and making those profits at the expense of the dangerous working conditions of their workers, can be found in the novel by Joseph Keating of Mountain Ash, Flower of the Dark (1917).

Particular groups of workers – especially those paid from the public purse like teachers – were sometimes asked to make sacrifices by accepting lower wages.

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Before the outbreak of war south Wales had been a cockpit of industrial conflict. There were bitter strikes in the coal industry, such as those in 1898 and 1910, which polarised attitudes between workers and employers. There had been equally bitter disputes on the railways and in the docks. These disputes concerned the difficulties of persuading employers to pay a living wage and ensuring decent working conditions for those who toiled in dangerous workplaces. In 1910-11 there was a rash of riots across south Wales, at places like Tonypandy and Llanelli, where a small number of people lost their lives. At Tredegar the Jewish community was attacked and in Cardiff the Chinese community was targeted. The antagonisms of the pre-war years did not disappear on the outbreak of war.

The continuing suspicion of employers by the labour movement was demonstrated by a cartoon in the Merthyr Pioneer in October 1914 that criticised employers for using their workers’ patriotism in advertising for their businesses. Employers were accused of taking advantage of the upsurge in patriotism to sell more goods and increase their profits.

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In July 1915 the Merthyr Pioneer published the following article by the Labour leader George Lansbury that demonstrates the continuing antagonism of the pre-war years.

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The South Wales Coal Strike, July 1915

On 15 July 1915 about 200,000 coalminers in south Wales went on strike. They complained about poor wage rates and rejected an agreement that had been arrived at nationally. The strike was a serious event because the war effort depended on coal to fuel the navy and for the production of armaments. The miners were accused of treachery at a time of national crisis and one member of the House of Lords said that the ‘ring leaders’ should be shot.

On behalf of the government Lloyd George imposed the terms of the Munitions of War Act on the coalfield (in the language of the Act he ‘proclaimed’ it), making it illegal to go on strike and curtailing the rights of workers. Lloyd George addressed the miners in an attempt to persuade them to return to work. The miners continued to defy the government and won many of their demands. The event has remained a controversial one, with historians divided on its true significance.

Other local strikes also occurred during 1915. One feature of the reporting of these events was the inclusion of letters from local soldiers at the front who complained that people at home were striking while they were fighting. It is a reminder that soldiers at the front read local news and wrote letters for publication.

In November 1916 the government took control of the coal industry, in effect part nationalising it.

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One controversial suggestion made by Earl Manvers was that the military should take control of areas where workers were on strike. The strike leaders would then be shot as traitors to the war effort.

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In spite of the claim by some Conservatives that going on strike at a time of war was treasonable, the south Wales miners went on strike in July 1916. This led to the south Wales coalfield being ‘proclaimed’ under the Munitions Act. This meant that going on strike was a criminal offence punishable by the courts. In reality, there were so many coalminers involved in the action that prosecuting individuals was impractical.

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Some newspapers blamed the coalowners more than the workmen for causing the strike.

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