The remarkable story of Sarah Chapman, a pioneering trade unionist and strike leader in a historic struggle for workers’ rights in East London, has sparked a campaign in Newham to celebrate her life.

Sarah died a pauper’s death and was buried in an unmarked grave in Forest Gate’s Manor Park cemetery in 1945 with no recognition of her leading role in the Matchgirls Strike of 1888 that helped launch the modern British labour movement.

Four years ago her great grand-daughter Samantha Johnston was researching family history when she uncovered Sarah’s heroic role in the strike.

In July 1888 around 1,400 workers, mainly women and girls, walked out of the Bryant & May factory in Bow. They were protesting over victimisation and inhumane working conditions, including exposure to a notorious medical condition known as “fossy jaw”, a bone degeneration caused by working with dangerous white phosphorous. This practice was later outlawed.

Sarah, one of the strike leaders, took part in crucial meetings with MPs and in talks with management that secured a complete victory for the strikers, bringing radical improvements in working practices on their return to work.

Sarah went on to help form a trade union and in 1891 was a speaker calling for labour law reform at the congress of the fledgling TUC in Liverpool.

Samantha is working with the University of East London’s Dr Anna Robinson, who tracked down Sarah’s unmarked grave, to commemorate her legacy and that of other Matchgirl strikers. A key objective is to erect a public statue in Bow.

A memorial headstone to Sarah was due to be put on her grave this year, but the installation has been delayed. The spot remains unmarked except for a temporary cross because of cemetery plans to mound over the area.

On June 21 around 40 residents in Newham joined a local celebration of Sarah’s life and the Matchgirls strike at her graveside in an event supported by the Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz and her deputy John Gray.

Once the Covid-19 crisis eases there are plans for further actions to highlight the Matchgirls’ story. Further information on the campaign and the story of Sarah Chapman can be found here.

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