The Jarrow March occurred from 5 to 31 October 1936 when 200 unemployed men from the Great Depression-hit Tyneside shipping town of Jarrow marched to London to present a petition to Parliament. Their protest was brushed aside by the government and ultimately had no practical effect.
History[]
The closure of Palmers shipyard, Jarrow's main employer, in 1933 had devastated the local economy. By 1936, unemployment in the town had risen to more than 70%. Jarrow's Labour MP, Ellen Wilkinson, later called it "the town that was murdered". After a project to build a new steel works at Jarrow was cancelled, local councillors organized the march to draw attention to the town's desperate plight.
The marchers[]
Throughout the Depression years, "hunger marches" had been staged by masses of unemployed workers tramping from industrial areas to the capital. Regarded as a communist-inspired threat to the social order, these marches were ignored or disparaged by the media, and the marchers were often harassed by the police. But the organizers of the Jarrow "crusade" ensured that no communists took part, and even won the backing of the local Conservatives. To avoid disorder, the march was kept small, with 200 men picked out of 1,200 volunteers. Their petition, couched in respectful terms, carried 11,572 signatures.
The marchers set off on 5 October 1936, with the blessing of the Bishop of Jarrow and led by their mayor. Press coverage was copius and largely favorable. The marchers encountered a generous and enthusiastic reception at their stopping points along the 300-mile route. So much food was provided that, coming from a community in which malnutrition was rife, the men found themselves gaining weight.
The impact of the march[]
The popular sympathy that the march evoked was not echoed in government circles. When the marchers reached London, Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin ignored them. On 4 November, the petition was delivered to Parliament and representatives of the marchers, including Ellen Wilkinson, met MPs in the House of Commons. The practical impact of the march was minimal. Only the need for ships during World War II ended mass unemployment in Jarrow.