Tumble Community Study

Recorded interviews with community members of Tumble including participants in the 1972 and 1974 miners' strikes, foundation members of the South Wales Miners' Federation (SWMF), ex-miners and mining officials and other individuals. Subject matter includes immigration into Tumble, political and trade-union activity, experiences and opinions of World War One, conditions and working methods in the mines, strikes, religion in the community, recreation, the role of women, domestic service, the influence of Tom Nefyn Williams in the community. There are also some folk songs and hymns sung by Ted Rowlands.

Tumble, situated on the Western edge of the coalfield was chosen as the subject of a study due to it being a strong Welsh speaking community and the fact that it was not badly effected by depression or recent pit closures. Subjects covered are varied but there is a particular emphasis on immigration into the village and its social consequences up to the early 1920s and working conditions and methods in the Great Mountain Colliery. Also covered is the ministry of the radical Methodist Tom Nefyn Williams in the early 1920s which became a national incident in Wales and split the community of Tumble in two.