Catalogue Number
NMLH.1993.580
Object Name
Banner
Title
'Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Workers Union of Gt. Britain and Ireland. Export Branch. Peace hath her victories no less renowned than war.'
Place
Ireland, London,
People
Cardinal Manning, Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Workers Union
Events
1889 Dock Strike
Date
1890s
Description
Green, almost square, silk banner with red borders on three sides and painted images on each side. There is a fringe running along the bottom edge.
Front:
The central image shows a topless Hercules wrestling a snake on top of rocks with a dramatic sky background, with sunlight breaking through dark clouds. Either side of the image is the text âAN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALLâ and âWE WILL FIGHT AND MAY DIE BUT WE WILL NEVER SURRENDERâ. Below the image is the text âTHIS IS A HOLY WAR AND WE SHALL NOT CEASE UNTIL ALL DESTITUTION PROSTITUTION & EXPLOITATION IS SWEPT AWAYâ. Above the central image is an image of a ship at sea bordered by a life buoy ring with the text âBE SURE YOU ARE RIGHT THEN FULL SPEED AHEADâ. On a red scroll at the top of the banner is the text âDOCKERS UNION EXPORT BRANCHâ.
Reverse:
The central image is of a seated winged woman representing Peace, holding a laurel wreath in one hand and a tablet in the other. Before her is a Roman soldier and a woman knelt down making a peace offering with a dove on her shoulder, presenting fruit and flowers. Around the top of the image is the text âPEACE HATH HER VICTORIES NO LESS RENOWNED THAN WARâ with an emblem of two hands shaking in the centre surrounded by a red circular band with the text âEXPORT BRANCHâ. At the bottom of the image is the text âA NATION MADE FREE BY LOVE, A MIGHTY BROTHERHOOD! LINKED BY A JEALOUS INTERCHANGE OF GOODâ. Above the image on a red scroll is the text âDOCK, WHARF, RIVERSIDE & GENERAL WORKERS UNION OF GT Britain & IRELANDâ.
The Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Workers Union of Great Britain and Ireland, Dockers Union Export Branch banner was made in the 1890s, following the creation of the union in 1889, after the Great Dock Strike. This banner design and the mottos it uses reflect the militancy of new unions that arose in the 1880s. One side of the banner depicts Hercules wrestling a serpent, which can be seen as him waging 'holy war' against 'Destitution, Prostitution and Exploitation'. The words have been taken from the speeches of Cardinal Manning, who was the mediator for the Dockers in their successful 1889 strike and a strong influence on the largely Irish Catholic dockworkers.
The design was taken from Walter Crane's 'Hercules and the Old Man of the Sea' drawing published in 1892. The banner maker George Tutill frequently used Walter Craneâs images as inspiration for their designs. The banner was made by George Tutill at his workshop, 83 City Road, London.
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