It was the first national walkout since 1926 - and it was a major showdown between the NUM and Ted Heath’s Tory Government.
The 1972 strike crippled the country across January and February as picket lines were put in place, coal supplies dwindled, and the Government declared a state of emergency.
As temperatures plunged and snow fell, the strike impacted on every aspect of our lives – even the floodlights couldn’t go on at football games without official sanction.
These pictures from our archive capture different aspects of one of the great industrial disputes of our time.
13. Miners' strike 1972
Pickets mob the driver of a lorry collecting coal from Haymarket depot. Photo: Alan Ledgerwood
14. Miners' strike 1972
Miners at Monktonhall colliery leave the cage after their first shift back. Photo: Ian Brand
15. Miners' strike 1972
Miners at Monktonhall colliery collect their lamps from the lamphouse on one of the first shifts back after the strike ended in February 1972. Photo: Bill Stout
16. Miners' strike 1972
The miners' march along Princes Street featured local majorettes. Photo: George Smith