Battle of George Square (1919) On this day in 1919, the Battle of George Square took place in Glasgow, Scotland, a conflict between Glasgow police and the British Army against 25,000 striking...
Battle of George Square (1919) On this day in 1919, the Battle of George Square took place in Glasgow, Scotland, a conflict between Glasgow police and the British Army against 25,000 striking...
Battle of George Square (1919)
Fri Jan 31, 1919
Image: David Kirkwood being detained by police during 1919 Battle of George Square on January 31st 1919 [Wikipedia]
On this day in 1919, the Battle of George Square took place in Glasgow, Scotland, a conflict between Glasgow police and the British Army against 25,000 striking Glasgow workers who were demanding a 40-hour work week.
The strike began a few days earlier, on January 27th, after a meeting of around 3,000 workers gathered in St. Andrew's Halls. The movement for the 40 hour week grew quickly; by the 30th, more than 40,000 workers from local engineering and shipping industries had joined in, and sympathy strikes broke out among power station workers and local miners.
On January 31st, approximately 20,000-25,000 workers gathered in George Square. Fighting broke out between city police and workers, and labor leaders David Kirkwood and William Gallacher were beaten and taken into custody. During the riot, the sheriff of Lanarkshire called for military aid, and British troops, supported by six tanks, were moved to key points in Glasgow.
Kirkwood was found innocent after a photo surfaced of him being struck with a baton from behind by a policeman, however Gallacher served five months in prison. The strike ended on February 12th in defeat for the workers, who did not win a 40-hour work week.
- Date: 1919-01-31
- Learn More: libcom.org, www.glasgowlive.co.uk, en.wikipedia.org.
- Tags: #Labor.
- Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org