Maerdy Community Study

Recorded interviews with ordinary members of the Maerdy community covering such subjects as working conditions in the mines, lung diseases, accidents, religion, the role and working life of women in the community, domestic service, political and trade-union activity, experiences during the depression between the wars, strikes, pit closures, the reputation of Maerdy as `Little Moscow', the effect of unemployment and the resulting population movement on the community. The recordings were made in 1973 but cover the period 1894-1973 in subject matter.

The mining community of Maerdy was chosen as a suitable subject for a study for a number of reasons. During the period 1918-1939 Maerdy had a reputation of being `Little Moscow' due to the strength of Communism in the area between World War One and World War Two. It also suffered severe economic depression in the 1918-1939 period. The study also wanted to gain insights into how a mining community coped with the problems of mass unemployment.