Society for the Study of Labour History

If labour history matters to you, join us. Annual membership costs £37 (£21 for students) and includes a subscription to Labour History Review sslh.org.uk/join/

It's publication day! An Injury to All: The Unmaking of the British Working Class is published today, 27 October 2026, by @versobooks.bsky.social. My book is a new history how Britain's formerly powerful working class was pushed to the political margins. Order🔽 www.versobooks.com/en-gb/produc...

Members and supporters of the Society for the Study of Labour History are invited to the launch of Shout for Freedom: A Sonic History of Chartism and the Origins of British Democracy, a new book by Dr David Kennerley, on the 19 November in Oxford. Further info here: sslh.org.uk/2026/10/16/b...

Currently reading this book, it's fab! Highly recommended!

Members and supporters of the Society for the Study of Labour History are invited to the launch of Shout for Freedom: A Sonic History of Chartism and the Origins of British Democracy, a new book by Dr David Kennerley, on the 19 November in Oxford. Further info here: sslh.org.uk/2026/10/16/b...

It was an early start (5.30 from home for the 6.25 train) for the @sslh.bsky.social Archives and Resources group meeting today but the view from the train at Talerddig was lovely. Looking forward to catching up the with rest of the group in a few hours

Pick your pin... Badges - the essential 1970s / 1980s political accessary This Rock Against Racism carnival programme gives a snapshot of some of the pin badges doing the rounds in 1978

We're marking the centenary of the most fateful year in the history of the British labour movement. Two weeks today I'll be giving a talk for the Edinburgh Historical Association about the centenary of the general strike and the miners' lockout. Sign up🔽

Another great addition to the series commemorating the 1926 General Strike and lock-out.

An important social history resource, based on extensive oral history interviews with former national servicemen who were conscripted into the British Army between 1945 and 1963, is now available through the Data Archive Service. Read more: sslh.org.uk/2026/10/06/e...

How do we write histories of small towns in the post-1945 period? Photographing the Calder Valley: or social history at the “mouth of hell”. Matthew Hilton with Aditya Chakrabortty 19 November 2026, 6pm, Queen Mary University, London E1 PhotographingCalderValley.eventbrite.co.uk @qmcbs.bsky.social

sslh.org.uk/2026/10/02/s...

An important social history resource, based on extensive oral history interviews with former national servicemen who were conscripted into the British Army between 1945 and 1963, is now available through the Data Archive Service. Read more: sslh.org.uk/2026/10/06/e...

Did you miss LJMU's @ljmu-sca.bsky.social exciting new exhibition on the history of the left-wing theatre movement on Merseyside, 1937-1987? Don't worry, it's now available to view digitally here: www.ljmuexhibitions.online

Did you know that Lord Neil Kinnock, former leader of the Labour Party, used to give world leaders he met a copy of Idris Davies’s collected poems? Through Davies’s poetry, Kinnock wanted them “to learn about resilience and hope . . . in the way that the man from Rhymney taught of these things."

In the centenary year of the 1926 General Strike, one powerful account of 1926 is in danger of being overlooked or forgotten. Mike Mecham recounts Idris Davies’s ‘The Angry Summer: a poem of 1926’. Read more: sslh.org.uk/2026/10/02/i...

We’re looking forward to ‘The Battle of Cable Street ninety years on: the struggle against fascism and antisemitism, then and now’ tomorrow with with Nadia Valman, Liam Liburd (@liamliburd.bsky.social) and Joseph Finlay (@josephfinlay.bsky.social). Book here to join us: bit.ly/4xoQuJC

'Wor Bella', which details the story of working class women footballers and munitionettes during the First World War, is to tour the North East, including a cameo from former England footballer, and Newcastle-born, Alan Shearer. sslh.org.uk/2026/09/28/w...

An exciting new drama from Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky, focusing on Labour Party figures Roy Jenkins, Denis Healey, and Tony Crosland is now available for booking. Historians of the Labour Party, are you looking forward to seeing 'The Gang of Three'? Read more: sslh.org.uk/2026/09/25/j...

The @rcnhistory.bsky.social #HistNursing Annual Lecture with the amazing Prof Sioban Nelson is open for booking #TradeUnions ✊📣 @sslh.bsky.social @womenshistnet.bsky.social In person Free 29 Oct 2026, 18:00 - 20:00 20 Cavendish Square, Marylebone, London, W1G ORN www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-eve...

Moments on Moscow streets 101 years ago Henry Sara's photos capture the Soviet Union in a period of uncertainty, 8 years after the revolution and a year after Lenin's death These images and more are online at warwick.ac.uk/services/lib...

What was post-war Labour's vision for the land? How did governments and people struggle to realise this vision? Join us next Friday for: ‘In All Our Footsteps? Rights of Way and the Battle for the Land after the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act’, with Glen O’Hara bit.ly/4i0YEDS

Missed this year's Chartism Day, or wish to revisit the highlights? Mark Crail @markcrail.bsky.social reports on a memorable day at the Friends Meeting House in Warwick. Read his report on the latest research on Chartism here: sslh.org.uk/2026/09/22/c...

A new issue of Labour History Review @livunipress.bsky.social is out now featuring articles by Kevin Morgan, Lewis James Willcox and Ad Knotter. Members of our Society receive three copies of Labour History Review per year. Read the latest issue here: www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/journal/lhr

Exciting news (well we think so)! We are looking for new people to regularly contribute to our archive! We accept applications from anyone based in the UK who has an interest in sending us their thoughts and opinions about life in the UK. #Skystorians massobs.org.uk/write-for-th...

In 1977 Leamington Anti-Racist, Anti-Fascist Committee was formed to fight racism and provide community support in the Midlands town Looking at anti-racist organisation beyond the big cities? The Committee's archives are a great source on 1970s-80s activism mrc-describe.epexio.com/records/LAR

The Bradford Labour Union was a forerunner of the Independent Labour Party, and later the Labour Party. Its organ, The Labour Union Journal, was first published on 26 May 1892, and is now available online via the British Newspaper Archive. Read more: sslh.org.uk/2026/09/17/d...

Final call: Chartist Day is this Saturday at the Friends Meeting House in Warwick. Book now to avoid disappointment as tickets are limited. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/chartism-d...

That's a wrap on our online series this year. So many highlights from across the summer in our deep dive into the communities of 1926. Recordings will be available on the @llafur.bsky.social website soon. We're also not quite finished with 1926. More details on the Llafur website coming up shortly.

Help us out by booking today - then we know how much food to get! #TheRevolutionWillBeCatered

Chartism Day 2026 is just ten days away. This year's event is held at the Friends Meeting House in Warwick on the 19 September. All are welcome, but numbers are limited. A must for all interested in the Chartist movement! Book here now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/chartism-d...

Chartism Day coming up a week on Saturday. Please share the below and book your ticket…

Chartism Day 2026 is just ten days away. This year's event is held at the Friends Meeting House in Warwick on the 19 September. All are welcome, but numbers are limited. A must for all interested in the Chartist movement! Book here now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/chartism-d...

sslh.org.uk/2026/08/27/r...

There are some incredible 1926-related collections and resources to be explored in our archives and libraries. Join us on 5th September to see how you can get involved.

Join us TOMORROW for our next online event! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Chartism Day 2026 is fast approaching. Find out more and register for a ticket today at: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/chartism-d...

Chartism Day 19 Sept 2026 Warwick Chartism Day was launched in 1995 by Chartist historian Dorothy Thompson (1923–2011) This year's event is at the Friends Meeting House, Warwick Tickets £12 inc. refreshments and buffet lunch: tinyurl.com/chartismday

The @peacemuseumuk.bsky.social is on the hunt for a 1940s poster Contact them if you can help @sslh.bsky.social www.peacemuseum.org.uk/can-you-help...

On this day thirty-three years ago, the renowned historian and activist E.P. Thompson died (1924-1993). What are some of your favourite passages, works, and insights?

Our latest blog by Sergio Alonso Mislata, explores two fascinating additions to our Peterloo collections: a scrapbook containing 50 pieces of Peterloo related ephemera and a newly acquired volume of radical reform publications. Read the full blog here: https://ow.ly/Aaos50ZzTZ0

*Time to register* Chartism Day 2026, Warwick, Saturday 19 September All welcome www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/chartism-d...

It's here! Delighted to receive the first paper copies of my new book, An Injury to All: The Unmaking of the British Working Class, from Verso. An Injury to All is published on 27 October. You can pre-order it here: www.versobooks.com/en-gb/produc...