Rothbury Troubles

of Seventy Years Ago

The following transcription made by Mélissa Martin for the Weston History and Heritage website was taken from The Kurri Kurri / Weston Pioneering Days, No.4, by Brian J. Andrews for the Coalfields Heritage Centre, pp.156-162:

In just two day's time the Coalfields will remember, with mixed feelings, a tragic day in its history. It was just one day in the many phases of the Coalfield's ever changing, ever developing history. The date was Monday, December 16, 1929 – 70 years ago. The event became notorious at the Rothbury Riot.

Money was scarce, the men and their families had been living on welfare and the dole for the best part of 1929. It was a time when then their minds should have on more leasant tings, such as planning for Christmas and their annual holidays.

It was to become the lowpoint of a fifteen month industrial struggle between the colliery owners and the miner workers, in what is now known as the Lockout.

It was not a strike by the miners – it was a strike by the owners, who refused to employ the miners. All mines on the Northern field, worked by union labour, ceased production, gates were closed and the workforce locked out.

Apart from a few petty stoppages, no serious dispute had occurred in the local coal mining industry for a decade, until the advent of the advent of the Lockout, which commenced at the end of February, 1929.

The lockout was to prove the longest on record, lasting fifteen months. The cause was due to the owners' demand for a 12½ per cent. reduction in wages, and the right to hire and fire, which would have effectively put an end to unionism.

The miners were then working under the Hibble Award, which fixed their wages. But despite this, the Bavin-Weaver State government supported the mine owners by declaring its intention of opening several privately owned mines with 'scab' labour and then working them under the owners' conditions.

The timing was extremely bad, as the world was on the verge of the great depression. Both Stanford Merthyr and Aberdare South collieries had already closed down. Men had been laid off, and all the major collieries on the South Maitland Coalfield, with the exception of Pelaw Main and Richmond Main, were working short time.

Then came the Lockout.

Since the mine workers were technically not on strike, they were entitled to, and were paid, the dole. Similar conditions applied then as now, in order to obtain the dole you must seek and accept employment, when and wherever it was offered.

The State government came up with a plan to break the back of the locked-out workers, by withdrawing their dole payments, and starving them back to work. If the workers were offered employment, which they would be expected to refuse on principle, then the government would have legal cause to cut off all welfare payments.

The government's plan was to take over one of the mines from its private owners, and then offer work at it for the miners. Rothbury colliery was the first selected. The colliery's manager, Richard Thomas, protested to the world that he couldn't accept scab workers. He wanted his own men, but he was overruled by the State government.

GOVERNMENT PROVOCATION

In a provocative and foolhardy move, the Minister for Mines, Mr Weaver, decided that he might put the government's offer directly to the workers, at Cessnock, on November 20, 1929.

Weaver announced in the local press that he would address a public meeting at the Cessnock Hotel that evening. Subsequently a large crowd assembled at the northern end of Vincent Street, when news spread along the street that Mr Weaver had arrived at the United Services Hotel, and was speaking in that vicinity.

Everyone immediately headed for the intersection of Vincent and Hall Streets where a remarkable scene met their gaze.

Weaver was there, standing on a soap box, addressing a crowd on the Co-Operative Store corner, whilst opposite, on Kemp's corner, the miners began holding their own meeting. The bedlam of shouting voices, hecklers and interjectors was almost a riot in itself.

Weaver's audience was a mixed one, comprising a number of business men and a fairly large proportion of mine workers, who heckled, jeered, interjected and threw insults throughout.

“If you think you can fight the government,” shouted Weaver, “ when governments are determined, you do not know your position. We will leave unionists the option to sign on, until Saturday night (November 23). Whether they sign on or not, the Rothbury mine is going to produce coal.

“I am not going to leave Rothbury until that mine is working. Rothbury will work and coal will be produced there in the very near future. There is no need for you to jeer. We are going to open Rothbury. The government is out to do what it considers best in the interests of the country.

“We have made arrangements, and are going on. We are going to open that mine, and subsequently we will consider opening the Cessnock mine, and are negotiating to open several others. We cannot allow a shortage of coal stocks to go on.”

On stepping down from his soap box to walk across to the hotel, Mr Weaver was surrounded and jostled by a pushing, surging throng, but with the aid of a strong police escort, made his way safely through the crowd.

Class Struggle: Scene of the Rothbury riot of 1929

in which miner Norman Brown died.

BATTLE LINES DRAWN

And so the battle lines were drawn for the great Rothbury confrontation of a month later.

During the ensuing month peace proposals for the settlement of the trouble was turned down by the men, which the State government, headed by Mr Weaver, were determined to carry out their schemes to open the Rothbury colliery with volunteer (scab) labour.

With unemployment levels across the State extremely high, the government did not anticipate any difficulty in getting sufficient men to work the Rothbury colliery.

Pressure would first be applied to the regular Rothbury miners to sign on, to retain their own jobs. Their position was a delicate one. There were feelings among a section of the men that should their jobs be filled by volunteers, then their chances of being re-engaged at the colliery, whenever the general resumption took place, was remote.

In view of the government's action, the Rothbury men were also placed in a difficult position to all other miners on the coalfield, in that they were being asked to carry the 'baby,' and they didn't like it.

The government announced that it intended opening Rothbury colliery on Wednesday, December 18, giving all the Rothbury men until Sunday night (December 15) to sign on, or have their dole payments stopped.

At an aggregate meeting of all the miners' lodges, held at Branxton, Di Davies, general secretary of the miners' union, commented, “Rothbury is going to be the storm centre. It is going to be the front line of the trenches, and the barricade, to defend the rest of the mines on the coalfield.

“The men from Kurri Kurri, Weston, Cessnock and other centres, will have to rally round the Rothbury miners, and see that no one else is brought along to take their jobs.”

At the same aggregate meeting, Bondy Hoare, the Northern miners' leader, pointed out, “If Premier Bavin puts scabs into Rothbury, I can see human derelicts (the police) being done to death by an infuriated body of workers, who are going to fight in the interests of the working class. Don't let anybody weaken you.”

DESTINY BOUND FOR ROTHBURY

Following another aggregate meeting, held on Sunday, November 15, it was decided that miners from all parts of the Northern field assemble at Rothbury, early the following morning, to demonstrate against the introduction of scab labour into that mine.

As the large crowd of miners left Cessnock on that warm Sunday night, bound for Rothbury, there were perhaps few, if any, who anticipated that such a serious state of affairs would eventuate.

Shortly before midnight the miners clamoured aboard all forms of transport bound for Rothbury. Motor cars, buses, lorries and vehicles of all descriptions were utilised, to be followed by hundreds, who marched on foot to the accompaniment of the miners' band.

As the overcrowded vehicles bumped and ground they way slowly along, there was an air of nervous anxiety, some sang, some joked, whilst the younger folk seemed not to have a care in the world.

Finally, the journey ended, and the scene became one of great activity. Bonfires appeared, dotted all over the hillside from the different camp-fires, whilst the strains of music filled the air.

Instruments of all kinds were played, stories told, and jokes brought forth rounds of laughter. All seemed rather relaxed. The billies were then put on the fire, water was boiled, and tea was made.

A little after 4.30 a.m. the Kurri Kurri contingent arrived. They were headed by a pipe band, whose inspirational music was soon to be heard across the entire area.

The strains of the bagpipes seemed like magic to the crowd, particularly the youthful element. At once a decision was made by them to storm the colliery.

THE FIRST CHARGE ON ROTHBURY

No sooner had the decision been made, when a section of the crowd, about 100 in numbers, swarmed into the police enclosure. It was now about 4.45 a.m

In some circles it was felt that it had been the stirring airs of the bagpipes that were to be blamed for the commencement of hostilities.

At first the police fell back and the attacking miners were warned to get back. However, the warning went unheeded, so the police were given the order to baton charge the attackers.

As the baton charge was made, attackers at the rear of those already within the police compound, poured in a fusillade of stones and missiles at the police.

A lively melee resulted for a while, between the police and the men, who had made it inside the fence, but eventually the police gained the upper hand. The attackers retreated to safety, and from a distance continued hurling stones.

Jack Baddeley (left), respected mine official, and State member of Parliament for Cessnock, advanced in front of the attackers, doing all in his power to prevent the police from using their revolvers by appealing to them.

Whilst out in front of the crowd, with hands raised in appeal, Baddeley was cowardly struck down by a police baton. Later, a lump on his head the size of an egg bore testimony to force of the blow. He was lucky not to have suffered a fractured skull.

Another exchange between the miners and the police resulted in the police being ordered to fire their guns. Most members of the force appeared to fire into the air or into the ground.

Still, three mine workers were injured by stray bullets – one in the wrist, one in the shoulder, and one in the leg.

Thus, the first skirmish of the day came to an end, with many injured on both sides. After the retreat, the battlefield was strewn with hats and caps where the conflict had raged.

The crowd then commanded the opposite side of the road, from where they shouted their defiance.

Sanity prevailed for a while, as the men were address from the roof of a nearby fowl house by both union officials and George Booth, State member for Kurri Kurri. The officials advised caution, imploring the men to avoid doing anything foolhardy.

A motion was moved, but again member of the younger element had no time for motions. They wanted a leader and appealed for some leader to 'take them over' to again confront the police blockade.

A second and more serious clash took place about 9 a.m. Some of the men by this time were unstoppable, in a highly excited mood.

POLICE OPEN FIRE ON MEN

As the rush commenced the police again opened fire. The first to fall was Walter Wood, 23, of Kurri Kurri, who, was shot through the throat. He appeared to be bent over in a stooping position, when struck, and was well back on the road at the time.

Further away, on the Cessnock side of the action, David Brown, of Cessnock, who was apparently walking away, fell seriously wounded with a bullet in his spine.

The charging men reached the fence, hurling sticks and stones, but did not enter the colliery grounds. It was then that Norman Brown, a 26 year old Greta miner, was shot in the stomach. The bullet passed right through his body. He was rushed to Maitland Hospital but died later in the day.

Other miners officially reported wounded were...

Robert Hunter, Spion Kop, a bullet in the shoulder;
William Harrison, Kurri Kurri, a bullet in the thigh;
Thomas Elliott, Cessnock, a bullet in the shoulder;
David Walton, Cessnock, and
William Gorton, Aberdare, each shot in the wrist; and
Robert Cameron, wounded but not serious.

However, there were many more miners whose minor wounds were never official reported for various reasons. Quite a number of the police needed medical treatment to wounds received after being hit by flying missiles or flaying fists.

THE AFTERMATH

Two days after the Rothbury confrontation, George Booth, State member for Kurri Kurri, who was present, and therefore an eye witness to the melee, stood up in State Parliament and said, “I have lived on those coalfields for 22 years. I know the people. I have worked with them. I say in all sincerity that the man who is responsible for Monday's awful tragedy is Mr Weaver, the Minister for Mines.

“For forty weeks my comrades on these coalfields have been on the verge of starvation. Yet, during that long and weary struggle, there had not been an act of violence: there had not been a single case brought before the police court until the Minister for Mines, Mr Weaver, was sent by the present government on that mad excursion. “Weeks ago, from the place I am now standing, I warned the government not to send Weaver to the coalfields. He went to the coalfields and his first statement there was to incite a riot, a threat, a direct challenge to a law-abiding community.”

Following Rothbury, it was proposed by the government to put scabs workers into the Richmond Main colliery, but the proposal had to be dropped because of the public's backlash to Rothbury, which was then partly responsible for the downfall of the Bavin-Weaver State government (in October, 1930) and the Bruce-Page Federal government (in September, 1929).

There was a public outcry that the owners had illegally locked out the men; forcing the new Federal Government to launch a prosecution case against John Brown, owner of Richmond Main and Pela Main collieries, for instigating the lockout.

The government later withdrew its case, on the grounds that it was not in the public's interest to proceed any further.

How the mine workers managed to resist the attack on their conditions for so long was an epic of courage and endurance, shared by their women folk and families.

Three times the union leaders advised the workers to go back to work, but still they fought on for another six months after their leaders had given in just before Rothbury.

It was mostly starvation alone that made the miners acknowledge defeat. It was a classic instance of the men being bludgeoned back to work. For all that, in accepting peace terms, they conceded only the 12½ per cent. reduction in wages, not the right to hire and fire.

After fifteen months of conflict and hardship there were no winners.

[Transcribed for the Weston History and Heritage website by Mélissa Martin]