On 5 October 1936, a group 200 British unemployed workers staged a hunger marched as a way of bringing public attention to the plight og the unemployed in depressed areas of the country. The march bagan in the ship-building town of Jarrow in north east England, where two thirds of the working population were jobless, and ended in London, a distance of almost 300 miles (480 km).

Britain in the 1930s was suffering from the world-wide depression, and its areas of heavy industry, such as Jarrow, were hit hardest. North East ship builders and steel workers suffered unemployment and poverty.

Unlike today, unemployment benefit in the 1930s lasted for 26 weeks; when this time was up, people were given payment depending on how much all family members earned and any household assets.

Also on this day......

5 October 1952: Tea rationing ends in Britain

5 October: World Teachers' Day