THEY are potent symbols of past struggles for justice by workers in Huddersfield.

Banners on show at the Tolson Museum offer a powerful picture of what workers fought for in the 19th century – rights that we now take for granted.

Those early workers demanded universal suffrage and justice for those killed and injured at the Peterloo Massacre in Manchester where crowds had gathered to call for the reform of parliamentary representation.

In one case, workers from Skelmanthorpe risked prison to hold meetings and display a banner which is now regarded as one of the most important pieces of Huddersfield history.

These banners, part of the museum’s permanent collection, will feature in an online display to mark Parliament Week which starts on October 31.

But for those who want to feel the sense of history bound up in such items, why not take time to drop in at Tolson and salute the courage of those of our ancestors who fought for better times for all.