Tonypandy riots

Tonypandy riots
Part of the Cambrian Combine strike
Police blockade a street during the events of 1910–1911
Date	September 1910 – August 1911
Location	Rhondda, South Wales
Caused by	Lock-out in Penygraig
Goals	Higher wages, better living conditions
Methods	Strike action Rioting
Result	Negotiated end to the strike
Parties
South Wales Miners' Federation Employers Naval Colliery Company Police Glamorgan Constabulary Bristol Constabulary Metropolitan Police Service Armed forces British Army Lancashire Fusiliers 18th Royal Hussars
Lead figures
William Abraham F. L. Davis Lionel Lindsay Winston Churchill
Number
12,000 miners
Casualties
Death	1 miner
Injuries	80 police and over 500 citizens
Arrested	13 miners
Damage	Private property in Tonypandy

The Tonypandy riots were a series of violent confrontations between striking coal miners and police that took place in November 1910 in the Rhondda valley of South Wales during the Cambrian Combine strike, culminating in the deployment of the military.

The riots (sometimes collectively known as the Rhondda riots) occurred during the ongoing Cambrian Combine strike, when approximately 12,000 miners employed by a consortium of mining companies had been on strike since September 1910.

The most serious violence occurred on the evening of 8 November 1910, when striking miners clashed with the Glamorgan Constabulary, reinforced by police officers from Bristol and by other forms of support. Home Secretary, Winston Churchill's decision to deploy the military generated significant controversy and lasting resentment in Wales. One miner, Samuel Rhys, died from head injuries, and hundreds of police officers and civilians were injured during the confrontations. The strike continued until August 1911, when miners returned to work having failed to achieve their wage demands.

The events became the subject of significant debate, with historians disagreeing on Churchill's role and the broader political significance of the confrontations for the Welsh labour movement.