Still seen as one of the most bitter and divisive industrial disputes in the UK, the year long miners' strike, beginning in March 1984, dominated the news for 12 months.

It’s been described as “a site of contested memories,” and it still evokes strong feelings in those who lived through the strike and had direct experience of it. Chris Jackson, in his very first job as a young radio reporter in South Wales, found himself covering the dispute that scarred a generation and more. Now, 40 years after the start of the strike, he’s meeting people from different sides of the difficult and controversial industrial dispute, and together they return to a place that holds some very personal memories.

In this episode, Chris meets Peter Short, who was a miner and union official at Bilsthorpe colliery in Nottinghamshire. Following a ballot in Nottinghamshire, union members there decided not to join the strike. As a result, and despite voting for strike action himself, Peter Short worked throughout the year-long dispute. Now he retraces his daily walk to the pit, talks through his decision and remembers how it felt to cross the picket line over and over again.

Producer: Jo Dwyer
Presenter: Chris Jackson
Executive Producer: Rosamund Jones
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4 Show less