June 2026 Protest Flyer
Protest March Flyers are the subject of June’s Object of the Month. These flyers were produced to advertise marches in Swindon, protesting against the planned closure of the Works. This particular march was to take place 41 years ago today, on 21st June 1985.
By this date the closure of the Works in March the following year had been announced and protests against the decision were in full swing. The Swindon Railway Defence Committee was formed to coordinate continued efforts to save the Works. A one-day strike at the Works was held in May 1985, mass rallies were organised, and campaign teams were formed. Thamesdown Borough Council joined the fight, as did the local newspapers; and the GWR 150 celebrations that were due to take place across the South West that year, with Swindon as a focal point, were boycotted by the town.
Terry Larkham who was Secretary of the Joint Works Committee worked hard to encourage the support of prominent figures from the world of politics, transport and trade unions. On this occasion he secured the attendance of MP Gwyneth Dunwoody and trade union representatives Ray Buckton and Jimmy Knapp.
The march began at the West Gate of Swindon Works and made its way through the town, culminating in the GWR Park in Faringdon Road. Some of the marches that were organised during this period had a celebratory feel with food, music and activities for children. This march was a more serious affair, and we can see from the photographs of the protest, led by its prominent supporters, that the miserable weather matched the mood of the railway men and women for whom redundancy was imminent.
