Postcard Commemorating Joseph Mairs

Joseph Mairs, a young coal miner, died in Oakalla prison in January 1914 while serving a sentence for participation in disturbances during the bitter Vancouver Island coal strike of 1913. His death shocked the labour movement and was used to further its cause for better pay and working conditions in the Vancouver Island mines. Joseph Mairs was a champion cyclist and a member of the United Mine Workers. He was recognized as a martyr to the workers’ cause. The postcard was published by the United Mine Workers of America.