I love this photograph because of the iron work. The pit shaft support in the background and the finials (rounded spikes) on the helmets. In the days of cottages with low ceilings, the finials would often punch holes in the plaster work as policemen were not allowed to remove there helmets till inside their cottages.
The miner’s strike of 1912 was part of the first national strike by coal miners all over Britain. It lasted thirty seven days, after the government intervened by passing a minimum wage law getting rid of the complicated wage structure that was in place at the time. The previous year a similar strike had taken place in South Wales which was also a repeat of the unsuccessful strike of 1894.
The national strike in February 1912 started in the pits of Derbyshire and spread nationwide. During the strike, there were riots in South Wales at Tonypandy and also Llanelli during the Railwaymen’s strike.
Chief Constable Captain METCALFE of the Somerset Constabulary requested the assistance early on, of the Bath Police mounted division in case of rioting and under the charge of SGT HEMBURY, six mounted officers were tasked.
Dorset Constabulary also sent a posse of officers to the Radstock mining area during March, were they remained to help keep the peace for a short time until the strike was over.
The Dorset Contingent of twenty eight men were under the command of recently promoted, Sherborne Superintendent Arthur SWATRIDGE.
The officers are seated ( left to right )
1: PC 138 Henry LANE
2: PC 35 Tommy LARCOMBE Winterborne Abbas
3: PC 8 Walter BLEATHMAN
4: SGT 22 William WHITE HQ Drill SGT
5: SUPT Arthur SWATRIDGE Sherborne division
6: SGT ? Frederick OSMENT Portland division
7: PC 119 Reginald KENT Puddletown
8: PC 52 John WILLS Bere Regis
9: PC 114 James Eli HANN Corfe Castle ?
MIDDLE ROW ( left to right)
1: PC 79 Ted CRABBE Bridport
2: PC 107 Francis VATCHER
3: PC 57 Tom DURRANT
4: PC 137 William TOLLEY
5: PC 77 Edward JOYCE ?
6: PC 50 William COWLING
7: PC 123 William BURROUGH
8: PC 116 Harry HANSFORD Bridport
9: PC 63 Oliver BAGG
BACK ROW ( left to right)
1: PC 94 Thomas Lionel CARTER Swanage
2: PC 88 Louis DEWLAND ?
3: PC 129 Harold George UDELL
4: PC 154 Reginald SIMS
5: PC 141 Edward J JUKES
6: PC 122 Walter C WHITTLE
7: PC 54 Henry WINTER
8: PC 22 Frank Oliver DAY Bridport
9: PC 59 Bertie HEATH
10: PC 12 Matthew L TOBIAS
Arthur SWATRIDGE was in the Army before he joined up, the shoes look shiny and he looks as if he was in charge, which he was. Arthur SWATRIDGE 1865- 1931.