The day police arrested a miner and his baby
POLICE detained a Costhorpe father for suspected picketing, as he went to ballot during the strike – and said his 22-month son was also under arrest.
Baby James Connolly, now 26, hit the national headlines after he was was arrested with dad Jim, a miner at Bevercotes Colliery.
Officers dropped the charges after realising the tot was no threat, but mum Karen said she still remembers feeling a mix of horror, anger and disbelief at hearing the news.
"It was absolute incredulity – I mean, what harm was a 22-month-old baby capable of?" she said.
"It's a joke now when James tells people he was arrested as a baby, but it's awful when you think of it."
Karen, 50, said the police's behaviour during the strike was by and large 'shameless'.
"They would wave 10 notes in our faces on the picket line to taunt us – and some even had badges made up saying 'You paid my mortgage'," she said. "You don't expect officers to swear but some of the language was absolutely shocking – regardless of whether women or children were around."
The family of four had to survive on just 11.75 a week and did not rely heavily on handouts – accepting the occasional food parcel sent to Ollerton Colliery from countries all over the world.
"It was a hard time, but I wouldn't have missed it for my life," said Jim. "The strike was about jobs and communities, and we have been proved right. It's very significant now when you look at the credit crunch we're in."
Added Karen: "Bringing up a family was hard, but I stood six feet tall. People were really good with helping the miners and their families. The Asian community was excellent – I will never forget this butcher in Retford who was really supportive."
"It definitely brought us closer as a family. Our son became something of a mascot, and would come with us to protests as he got older. He even lobbied an MP in Parliament when he was eight, asking him what he was going to do over his dad's job."
Jim, now 49, retired from Bevercotes Colliery in 1992 to become a driver, but still misses his mining days.
Said Karen: "He now goes to tell people his profession and always starts saying 'miner'. It's definitely in your blood – my father and grandfather were also miners. It's just a shame that our son was denied the same opportunity."
She added that the values and motives behind the strike still remain current today, and said they had taught her family a great deal on how to survive on very little, and stay strong together.
"It wasn't just about striking – it was about the dignity of keeping a job that went with it," she said.
"The mining community is very close – they worked and socialised together as a team – it was all for one and one for all."
"The current economic situation is proving us right in what we were fighting for," she added. "This needs to teach people that they need to make a stand for what they believe in, and to be counted. There is nothing to be achieved in just lying down and accepting it."
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Weather for Dinnington
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North
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Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
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