Mining

The year 1984 was a bitter and difficult year for many Nottinghamshire miners and their families.

It was also a difficult year for the Chadburns from Kirkby-in-Ashfield. They weren't miners, but realised they might as well be. Roger Chadburn was confused for Notts NUM leader Ray Chadburn:

The County was on the front line of the miners' strike and meant those directly affected had big decisions to make.

Bob Collier on a march in 1984

Two former miners, Bob Collier and Ray, have two very different perspectives. These are their recollections of the start of the miners strike:

Some miners in the county believed that the decision to take industrial action should have been put to a vote while others did strike.

That decision eventually led to the union splitting in two with the Union of Democratic Mineworkers being formed in Mansfield. Here are some of the memories we collected: