1931 WELCOME SURPRISE
Mahatma Gandhi is warmly welcomed by locals to the small town of Darwen, Lancashire on 26 September 1931. The leader, who was in the UK for a conference, accepted the invitation of cotton-mill owner Percy Davies, who thought Gandhi should see the impact of the Indian independence movement’s boycott of British goods. Despite rising unemployment within the industry, the textile workers showered Gandhi with affection and expressed sympathy for their Indian counterparts. The leader would later say, “They treated me as one of their own. I shall never forget that.”
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