The Greatest Menace We Have Ever Known

Startling news coverage of striking miners - who allegedly abandon pit ponies to a terrible fate

Callous abandonment of pit ponies to a terrible fate is just one of the allegations against striking miners in this 1920s newsreel item. This early example of controversial coverage of striking miners was produced by Topical Budget, a newsreel belonging to newspaper magnate and racehorse owner Edward Hulton.

During WWI the coal industry had been taken into the control of the state. When the mines were returned to private ownership in March 1921 the miners' wages were reduced and a bitter dispute ensued.