British strike against pit closures that lasted almost a year from April 1984.
The National Union of Miners (NUM), led by its Marxist president, Arthur Scargill (pictured below left) called the strike in April 1984 without a ballot, in protest against pit closures and as part of a campaign for a better basic wage.
Support was strong in South Wales, Scotland, Yorkshire and Kent but pits in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire continued to operate.
Some NUM members left the union and founded the Union of Democratic Mineworkers.
The prime minister Margaret Thatcher was determined to make a stand against the miners and in April 1985 members of the NUM returned to work.
