Catalogue Number
NMLH.2026.10.3
Object Name
knuckle dusters
People
Michael Waterhouse
Events
General Strike
Date
1926
Description
Metal knuckle dusters, likely to have been used by a special constable during the General Strike, 1926. Brass-coloured metal with four finger holes just below a series of points. A metal bar gives support for the hand. There is some green discolouration over the body of the knuckle duster.
The knuckle dusters were probably used by the donor's grandfather, Michael Waterhouse, during the General Strike. Waterhouse worked as an architect in his own firm during the 1920s.
The General Strike begain on 3 May 1926, when the Trades Union Congress (TUC) called for a national strike. Almost two million workers withdrew their labour in support of miners who has been locked out of work after refusing to accept lower pay and longer hours. For nine days, Britain came to a standstill. The TUC ended the strike on 12 May without an agreement, and the miners continued striking for seven momths before poverty and starvation forced their return to work.
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