Jarrow March

The people of the North East of England, mainly miners and shipworkers[?], were suffering even more than the rest of the country with unemployment. On 13th of October 1936, 200 men set of from Jarrow to London to lobby Parliament. These were known as the Jarrow Marchers.

The mission of the Crusade was a desperate bid for work, jobs to support Jarrow men and their families. It was also a crusade for respect, for recognition, not only for the people of Jarrow, but for others in a sinilar sitiuation all over the country.

The marchers had no resources other than their own determination, and some good boots supplied by the public. During the march, wherever the Marchers' stopped for the night, the local people found them shelter and provided them with food.

The route and the overnight stops they took is as follows:

Jarrow to Chester le Street (12 miles)
Chester le Street[?] to Ferry Hill - (12 miles)
Ferry Hill[?] to Darlington - (12 miles)
Darlington to Northalton - (16 Miles)
Northallerton[?] to Ripon - (17 miles)
Ripon to Harrogate - (11½ miles)
Harrogate[?] to Leeds (15½ miles)
Leeds to Wakefield - (9 miles)
Wakefield to Barnsley - (9¾ miles)
Barnsley to Sheffield - (13½ miles)
Sheffield to Chesterfield - (11¾ miles)
Chesterfield to Mansfield - (12 miles)
Mansfield[?] to Nottingham - (14½ miles)
Nottingham to Loughborough - (15 miles)
Loughborough[?] to Leicester - (11¼ miles)
Leicester to Market Harborough - (14½ miles)
Market Harborough to Northampton - (14½ miles)
Northampton to Bedford - (21 miles)
Bedford to Luton - (19 miles)
Luton to St Albans - (10¼ miles)
St Albans to Edmonton - (11 miles)
Edmonton to London Marble Arch[?] (8½ miles)

On arrival in London, almost one month later, a petition of 12,000 signatures was handed into Parliament by Ellen Wilkinson[?] the Labour MP for Jarrow. The Prime Minister of the day, Stanley Baldwin, refused to see any of the marchers' representatives.

The march achieved little at the time. It was the outbreak of World War II three years later that finally brought sufficient work to Jarrow to relieve the poverty.

The Jarrow March is one of of the defining moments in British history, alongside the Peasants Revolt of 1381 and Tolpuddle Martyrs of 1834, in the emancipation of ordinary citizens.