Pen and Sword Books: The 1984/85 Miners Strike in Nottinghamshire by Jonathan Symcox

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The 1984/85 Miners Strike in Nottinghamshire
The 1984/85 Miners Strike in Nottinghamshire (1 reviews)
'If Spirit Alone Won Battles': The Diary of John Lowe
Jonathan Symcox
Found in: Local History Books
Series: Mining Heritage
Paperback 176 pages
ISBN: 9781845631444
Published: 2 November 2011
£12.99
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John Lowe was at the forefront of the fight for jobs during the twelve months of the miners’ strike from 1984-5 as the elected chairman of Clipstone Colliery’s strike committee in the largely working county of Nottinghamshire. The dirty war fought by the Thatcher Government to defeat the formidable National Union of Mineworkers transformed him from passive family man into political animal: witness to many disturbing events, he recorded his experiences in a diary so they would never be forgotten. There is the initial confusion and scramble to organise; the London rally which the police sought to turn into a riot; his arrest and fast-tracking through the court system; the legendary pensioner friend ‘Sid’ beaten black and blue at a police roadblock; unifying events such as Christmas; the slow trickle back to work; and finally, the dreaded day the strike ended – and first harrowing weeks back at the coalface among people he despised.

With the scars left by the dispute still fresh upon him, he reflected upon events both at local and national level. If Spirit Alone Won Battles interweaves his diaries and this reflection is illustrated by an exhaustive collection of photographs, correspondence, court documents and campaign literature.

It is a tale of heartbreak; but also a testament to the unquenchable spirit and stomach to fight of men and women with a just cause.
Audio Clips
radio_mansfield.mp3BBC Radio Mansfield Interview - Interview with author Jonathan Symcox on BBC Radio Mansfield.
radio_nottingham.mp3BBC Radio Nottingham Interview - Interview with author Jonathan Symcox BBC Radio Nottingham.
Reviews
I have just read If Spirit Alone Won Battles, the diary of a striking miner John Lowe by his grandson Jonathan Symcox.

An Excellent foreword by Dennis Skinner sets the scene for a... [read full review]
Jack Richardson, Morning Star
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Perfect Partner
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by Brian Elliott
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About Jonathan Symcox
Sheffield-born Jonathan Symcox is the grandson of John Lowe and has long been fascinated by the 1984/85 miners' strike mainly through his grandfather's prolific writings. A novelist and ghost-writer in his spare time, he works as a journalist and chief sub-editor on the Yahoo! sports website in London.
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