The Tonypandy miners' dispute of 1910 came about primarily because of a change in the system of pay. Miners were paid according to the quantity of coal they produced, but if the seam they were working was particularly difficult, then their pay was subsidised with an 'allowance'. The pit owners wanted to discontinue the payment of allowances, and the miners were understandably vexed.
In October 1910, at the Cambrian Combine Colliery, around 800 miners who objected to the new pay system were locked out of the pit. Some 12,000 miners then went on strike, and the ensuing clashes between the strikers and police led to violence and rioting. In October 1911, the miners accepted new terms and returned to work in October 1911.
A recent addition brings the number to three of these presentation truncheons within the collection.
*The Ross Mather Police Memorabilia of Wales Collection.
A small number were specially commissioned by Lionel Lindsay, the Chief Constable of Glamorgan for presentation to those he thought worthy of special recognition for their conduct on the night of 7/8th November 1910 during the attack on the Glamorgan Colliery, Llwynypia.