When measured against the massive social and economic changes that have taken place since, the events of April 1 1914 in a small Norfolk village might today appear irrelevant at worst or quaint at best.

Yet as trade unionists and political activists from across the left and within the Labour Party gather today in the village of Burston to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the longest strike in history, the relevance of the conflict is undeniable.

Tom and Kitty Higdon, socialists and teachers at the village school, had just been dismissed on trumped-up charges by the local religious and business establishment keen to reassert their dominance of local affairs and tired of the Higdons' attempts to improve the fabric and facilities of the school.

The response of 66 of the 72 pupils, mostly the children of hard-pressed and exploited farm workers, was to strike. Not for them passivity but rather the power of agency as they kicked off their action noisily by marching around the village (the "candlestick" route) waving flags and following a banner with the word "Justice" emblazoned on it.

The children refused to return to the school, receiving lessons from the Higdons on the village green. Soon the Burston Strike School, as it became known, was a focus for co-ordinated national action and support as trades unions, trades councils and socialist parties donated money to build - brick by brick - a brand new building.

The strike only ended with the death of Tom Higdon and the retirement of Kitty in 1939. Ten years later, the school was registered as an educational charity. A September rally and march commemorating the strike has been held for decades, attracting support both regionally and from further afield.

Shaun Jeffery, one of the charity's current trustees, is in no doubt about the current potency of the strike. "For me the Burston rebellion is a story of victimisation and solidarity. The Higdons were ultimately dismissed for not sitting idly by in the face of poor conditions and exploitation. For the next 25 years the strike school was like putting two fingers up at the local ruling class. That's well worth remembering."

David Peel from the Norfolk People's Assembly, who has been going to the rally for decades, goes further again in emphasising the direct link between 1914 and 2014.

"The Higdons' uncompromising socialism, and the support of their courageous pupils, breathes life into our struggles today. In Norfolk, we count our years in 'Burstons' and leave each rally renewed. Losing our regulars Tony Benn and Bob Crow is a blow, but just as they climbed on the shoulders of the Higdons, so we will climb onto theirs."

Ipswich Unite activist Andrew Coates explains how the rally recharges his radical batteries. "I have been to Burston for 24 years and each time it provides me with a chance to recall the struggles of the Higdons and the whole working class in East Anglia."

Paul Rutland, an RMT activist who travels up nearly every year from south Essex, adds: "I just believe that the strike's greatest relevance, and why it needs to be celebrated, is it showed exactly what solidarity can achieve. This is of particular importance today with attacks on individual groups by this government and other right-wing groups - trade unions, the unemployed, people with disabilities and ethnic minorities."

So Burston is living, breathing and inspiring working-class history and today provides the perfect opportunity to refresh the lessons from the longest strike in history.

A series of events are planned today to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Burston School Strike. For more information visit burstonstrikeschool.wordpress.com/2014-centenary-events/