THE complete story of the Jarrow Crusade is revealed in a new book on one of the most famous marches in British history.

Author Matt Perry spent five years researching The Jarrow Crusade: Protest and Legend.

The result is hailed as a "fuller and richer account of the 1936 march to London than anything that has gone before it".

The University of Sunderland history lecturer has used new material and a wide range of sources which will open a new debate on the Crusade, which celebrates its 69th anniversary tomorrow.

It starts with an account of the march and all its sub-plots - from the confused identity of the mascot dog, the so-called kidnap attempt and squabbling steel barons to the cat-fighting bishops and 'gatecrashing' communists.

The reflections of the marchers, the weather and impressions of the places enroute give a taste of the experience of the Crusade.

The book examines how a modern legend has built up over the decades about the march.

It challenges the myths of the Jarrow march: the myth of success, universal support, 'no politics' and the myth of uniqueness.

Mr Perry said: "The Jarrow Crusade is hailed as a defining moment of the hungry 1930s. It was a protest of the people of a Tyneside town against the closure of their shipyard and the blocking of their new steelworks.

"More than any other protest, it is held up as a model for others to follow. It's rejection of politics and its courting of respectable opinion are seen as the reasons for its success; this at least is the version of events that many will be familiar with."

The Jarrow Crusade: Protest and Legend, is published by the University of Sunderland Press in association with Business Education Publishers (BEP). It is priced £12.95 and is available from all good local bookshops, online from www.amazon.co.uk, or via BEP direct.

For more information, call 0191-525 2410.