A Great Betrayal? One Hundred Years On

To mark the centenary of the 1926 General Strike the Working Class Movement Library has produced a new exhibition. The exhibition features archive material and objects from the library’s unique collection and tells the story of the strike from the beginnings of the conflict, through the nine days of the strike and onto its aftermath and legacy.

The exhibition also explores the stories of some of the individuals who took part in the strike including Bill Muckle, a striking miner involved in the derailment of the train at Cramlington, Isabel Brown a trade unionist imprisoned during the strike for her vocal support of workers and local activist, Jack Forshaw, also imprisoned for his involvement in the strike.

On display you can see the typewriter on which the Hackney strike bulletin was produced alongside other bulletins and hear recordings of our founder, Ruth Frow, speaking about the strike.

This exhibition is part of the General Strike 100 national partnership of museums, libraries, archives and history groups, coordinated by the General Federation of Trade Unions. To learn more about the strike, discover other General Strike 100 places of history and find other organisations taking part, use the interactive map at the General Strike 100 website. 

This exhibition and its accompanying events programme have been generously supported by Salford City Council’s Salford Centenary Fund, celebrating a century of pride in our city.

When is it on?

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons

Friday 1 May to Thursday 31 December 2026

See WCML website for updates.

Where is it?

Working Class Movement Library, 51 Crescent, Salford, M5 4WX, UK

Tickets?

FREE. See WCML website for updates.

Contact details

For more information, visit WCML website. 

All events and details were correct at the time of publication, but please confirm with the venue or organisers before setting off.