38mm/1.5inch original tin badge.

This is a design submitted by a miner in the East Durham coalfield which, although it makes no reference to the strike, was very popular with strikers and strike supporters...


This badge was made during the Miners Strike of 1984-85 to raise money for the Durham miners and their families during their year-long struggle. It is part of a series made over that period using the resources of Peace Action Durham. The first few badges were created by an unknown individual in the Independent Labour Party and can be recognised by the letters ILP appearing somewhere on the badge. Most of the remaining examples were designed and produced by Keith Brown and Dave White, although some of the quirkier ones were done by individuals, including miners in the Durham coalfield. All the badges (apart from the black and white ones) were hand-coloured by supporters, activists, friends of activists, children of supporters, etc. The money raised by the sales was given to the Durham Colliery Mechanics Association for distribution to miners' families.



At most several hundred badges of each of the more general sort were made and distributed. Some of the more specific ones, such as those for individual collieries, support groups, unions and Orgreave veterans had very limited runs of a few dozen or less. In total about 100 different designs were produced, but because of the individual hand colouring, many of the same designs come in various colours. Around 8,000 badges in all were made and distributed. Very few have resurfaced since the strike ended.



Some batches of the badges have suffered blemishing over the 26 years since they were produced, possibly owing to the fact that the colouring was done with water-colour inks which reacted with the metal and created a degree of rust seepage. This may be seen as tarnishing - or as a sign that these badges are genuinely from 1984/85, and are not reproductions.