A photo of a taxi driver who was killed during the miners’ strike of the mid-1980s has been released. David Wilkie was driving a working miner to a pit when a concrete block was thrown onto his car by striking miners. The image was taken just days before. Other images include photographs of Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister at the time, being hit by eggs during a visit to south Wales while strikes took place.
Richard Williams, a press photographer in Wales since he was a teenager, revealed the images. He stated that his goal was to document the impact the strike had on Welsh coal communities. Williams also commented that even if he wasn’t covering an issue related to the strike directly, the impact of the strike was felt in the rest of the community.
While covering the miners’ strike, Richard witnessed how journalists would sometimes relate stories in ways that weren’t an accurate representation of what occurred that day. He stated that certain publications would single out an image that suited their agenda. He expressed that not enough progress was made in Welsh coal communities when it came to industry.
Mike Thompson, a miner from Llwynypia, Rhondda Cynon Taf, also photographed the strikes in a personal style. Thompson recounted how he was assaulted multiple times, and his images were used in court multiple times. The image that stood out most for Thompson was of David Wilkie driving a miner who had decided to work through the strike. The photograph was taken two days before David was killed when a concrete block was dropped onto his car.
“This actually is a sad photograph which I have never shown before to anybody, except it should perhaps be shown,” Thompson said
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