Who was Jessie Eden?

According to research by the Historia Writer’s Association, Eden was a trade union activist in Birmingham. She was a champion of women and social justice, which she dedicated her life to.

In 1925, Eden worked at the Joseph Lucas Motor Components Factory and was a shop steward for the Transport and General Workers’ Union. During the 2916 General Strike, Eden marched out the women in her section.

Speaking to the Birmingham Post in 1976, she recalled: “Sacrifices had to be made. We had practically no meat during the strike. We lived on bread, jam and marge.”

She also described what happened at another march, adding: “One policeman put his hands on my arm. They were telling me to go home, but the crowd howled, ‘Hey, leave her alone’ and then some men came and pushed the policemen away.

“They didn’t do anything after that. I think they could see that there would have been a riot. I was never frightened of the police or the troops because I had the people with me.”

Five years later, in 1931, Eden was a member of the Communist Party and she led 10,000 women out of the Lucas factory on a week-long strike over exhausting working practices.

Peaky Blinders: The real story behind Jessie Eden and her fight for women’s rights