"Out of Work" in 1921

[antiquesam]

Having spent some time going through the 1921 census for anyone in my tree I'm surprised at how many were out of work. I knew of the depression and the Jarrow March as a Geordie but I didn't realise how close it was to home.

[fiddlerslass]

This document from 1921 is quite interesting

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/twenties-britain-part-one/unemployment-situation-1921/

[GrahamSimons]

At one point unemployment in some of the Welsh mining valleys was 70%.

[antiquesam]

Thank you Fiddlerslass. Very interesting and quite frightening.

[california dreamin]

Having spent some time going through the 1921 census for anyone in my tree I'm surprised at how many were out of work. I knew of the depression and the Jarrow March as a Geordie but I didn't realise how close it was to home.

The whole reason the 1921 census was delayed (taken 19 June rather than original date 24th April) was because of proposed industrial action by striking coal miners, railwaymen and transport workers -  dubbed 'Black Friday'.  In the end this strike did not go ahead. However there was a large General Strike in 1926.

On the 1921 census people who were unemployed were asked to put their last occupation and place of work and underneath write 'unemployed' .

Yes, if you look carefully at some of the returns the only wage coming in is a pittance from a 13 or 14 years old family member.

CD

[Viktoria]

My parents lived through “The Great Depression”.
They were in their thirties before they could afford to get married ,Mum was 41 when I was born.
Dad walking from one work place to another to get at least a stamped mark to show he had asked for work but there was none.
Starving men all having to do that.
Not enough stamps and so no dole money which was a pittance anyway.
Then “ The  means test”,whereby people’s assets ( everyday furniture -beds etc “ )were judged and had to be sold before any assistance was given .
Those men had fought for four years ,so many were volunteers in WW1,to get home to starvation ,want and poverty, was an obscenity!

A good account is “ Love on The Dole” by Salford writer Walter Greenwood.

 Viktoria.

[Top-of-the-hill]

  My grandfather worked at a Kent coalmine, but wrote "out of work" in the census. I am not sure if they were on strike at that point, or if the colliery had closed. My mother remembered seeing out of work men breaking stones for roadworks.

[GrahamSimons]

My father remembered men going to funerals as recreation.  Free of charge,  possibly warm in the church and a chance of a bite to eat. No other entertainment available to the unemployed.

[MollyC]

There must have been money made available into the 1930s, for road improvements. Good pieces of road we now take for granted which were there before we were born.  I have seen some local authority photos of two places. Scores of men using shovels, creating cuttings, and primitive road rollers.