Read all about it! The story of the Daily Herald

The years 1911–14 are remembered as ‘The Great Labour Unrest’, a time of strikes, rebellion and violence across the UK. Events like the 1911 Liverpool General Transport Strike, the 1913 Dublin Lockout and a growing women’s suffrage movement contributed to the zeitgeist of the era. A product of its time, the newly founded Daily Herald gave the labour movement a voice. 

© Science Museum Group Collection

The Daily Herald began its life as a strike sheet for the London printing unions on 25 January 1911. Once the fight for better pay and a reduced working week of 48 hours was won, the Herald closed its doors on 28 April 1911. 

But the idea of the Daily Herald persisted, and a committee was formed with the intent of permanently establishing a British socialist newspaper. It was chaired by David Walls of the Association of Correctors of the Press, and members included prominent trade unionists Tommy Naylor and Ben Tillett.

Labour politician George Lansbury—who went on to become the Herald’s first proprietor, editor and general manager—was also recruited to the cause. Together this group sought funds and promised a paper that would be ‘one of inclusion and not exclusion’.

The Daily Herald sustained a bustling newsroom, editorial staff, and all the supports needed to bring a daily paper to press, though financial woes meant it was often understaffed. In 1927, it employed only four general reporters—less than half the amount of other national dailies. In 1928, its full editorial staff comprised only 44 people, a fraction of the size of its competitors.

© Science Museum Group Collection

The situation improved under Odhams’ ownership, though primary investments focused on brand, design and recruiting readers, with journalists and editors remaining a secondary financial priority.

The photographs show below depict the people who laboured daily on typically uncompetitive wages for almost 60 years, regardless of ownership.

The Daily Herald operated a ‘cuttings library’ that was the envy of Fleet Street. With pioneering photojournalist James Jarché at the head of a crack team of photographers, the Herald not only visualised the news, but brought artistry to current events and public interest stories.

Today, we know little about many of these photographers other than their names—but their dedication to documenting the news influenced emergent photojournalism practices.

We know even less about the people who worked behind the scenes to develop, edit and organise the millions of images captured by the Herald’s photographers.

The Daily Herald Photographic Archive is still housed within its original filing system and acts as a continuing record of the newspaper’s idiosyncratic editorial perspective on 20th-century history. These images also reveal the behind-the-scenes processes and people instrumental to producing and maintaining such an archive.

This drive for an ever-increasing readership led to the opening of a second office in Manchester.

On Saturday 28 June 1930, Labour politician J.R. Clynes—then Home Secretary, and also former MP for North East Manchester—opened the new Northern office on Chester Street, Oxford Road, with a golden key.

As Mr Clynes set the printing press in motion, crowds described as ‘bigger than the opening crowd at Wembley and far greater than a Cup Final’ gathered outside. Rochdale-born star of stage and screen Gracie Fields sang as a procession of floats representing local industries and trade unions rolled down Oxford Road to Belle Vue Gardens.

An estimated 200,000 people travelled from far and wide, some arriving on special trains organised for the event. It was a marketing extravaganza, with plans for a Sunday edition announced and the drive towards 2 million sales launched.

Despite never attaining financial stability, the ‘Miracle of Fleet Street’ survived for 52 years. True to its political origins, the Herald continued to represent working class and socialist causes. Its need for a broad readership meant it also featured fashion, pop culture and human-interest stories.

After its sale to News International, the Daily Herald’s photo library—still housed within its original filing system—was transferred to the National Portrait Gallery. In 1983, it transferred to the National Science and Media Museum which became its permanent home. 

Our care for this unique archive includes ongoing efforts to digitise the collection and share stories about the people, places and ideas that featured on the pages of the Daily Herald. With the help of our partners at Google, we digitised more than 40,000 images between 2021 and 2022. You can explore some of them in the stories on this website, at Google Arts & Culture, and in the Science Museum Group Collection Online.