Front page of the Daily Mirror newspaper showing an Alfreton Miner

The photograph used on this front page is of a miner working at Alfreton Colliery at the time of the Coal Strike of 1912.

Alfreton Colliery was first sunk in 1885 by the Blackwell Colliery Company close to the railroad station in the town. It was a large site and included its own brickworks. It closed in 1968, after trialling a new form of mine known as drift mine, which focused on the surface workings rather than underground.

The Coal Strike of 1912 began at Alfreton Colliery and then spread to other mines across England and Wales, lasting for a total of 37 days. The aim of the strike was to gain a set minimum wage for the miners, which was eventually achieved. It caused disruption to the railroad and shipping networks that relied on coal for their day-to-day running.