Hexham Library - Talk on the Cramlington Train Wreckers

In the General Strike of 1926, the working class withdrew their labour and the country ground to a halt. Arguably the biggest story of those historical nine days in May 1926 was when striking miners in Northumberland inadvertently derailed the Flying Scotsman. There were no casualties and only one person was slightly injured yet eight Cramlington miners were sentenced to penal servitude for 48 years.

Playwright Ed Waugh (Wor Bella, Hadaway Harry, Carrying David) will give a talk about The Cramlington Train Wreckers at Hexham Library. The fascinating illustrated talk will also include the 30-minute BBC film Yesterday's Witness (1970) during which the surviving train wreckers give their version of events.

Ed's play The Cramlington Train Wreckers transfers to Newcastle Theatre Royal in July 2026. His show Centenary - songs, comedy and sketches - which commemorates the first day of the 1926 General Strike is on at Glasshouse (formerly Sage) Gateshead on Monday, May 4. Both shows are a must-see.

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Host or Publisher Northumberland Libraries