In August, 1917, railway workers in NSW went on strike. Real wages had been falling during the Great War and when the State Government wanted to introduce further productivity reforms, a “Great Strike” began. The miners at Catherine Hill Bay and elsewhere struck in sympathy. The NSW Government reacted by taking over direct control of the state's coal mines and importing strike-breaking labourers to keep them in operation.
Photo From the ELMHS Collection
These tents were set up to house the “patriotic volunteer labourers” or “scabs” as the miners called them.
At Catherine Hill Bay, a train was deliberately derailed and the jetty dynamited. Extra police were sent to the town to protect the railway, the jetty, a nearby armaments depot and also the strike-breakers.