The Albemarle Hotel on Ghuznee Street was the unofficial strike headquarters in late 1913. Run by a staunch Swedish socialist, Otto England, the Albemarle hosted most of the strike leaders and activists who came from out of town. Numerous planning meetings were held there, with the hotel becoming so crowded that many guests ended up sleeping on the floor. Among those who stayed there during the strike were Social Democratic Party activist Peter Fraser (later Prime Minister from 1940-1949) and Tom Barker, organiser for the IWW (the Industrial Workers of the World). Forced to leave New Zealand after the strike, Barker became a high-profile IWW anti-war activist in Australia.
See more historic images of Wellington during the 1913 strike here (Flickr)
Ann (Helen) Devereux, 2012.
Sourced from Flickr.
