Dame Beatrice Annie Godwin DBE (6 July 1897 – 11 January 1992), known as Anne Godwin, was a British
trade unionist
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...
.
Early life
Born in July 1897 in
Farncombe
Farncombe, historically Fernecome, is a village and peripheral settlement of Godalming in Waverley, Surrey, England and is approximately 0.8 miles (1.3 km) north-east of the Godalming centre, separated by common land known as the ''Lammas La ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, Godwin's father was a draper. She attended school in
Godalming
Godalming is a market town and civil parish in southwest Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, at the confluence of the Rivers Wey and Ock. The civil parish covers and includes the settleme ...
until age 15, in 1912, when she left to start working as a counting house clerk in London's West End. In 1916, she joined the Army Pay Office as a civilian clerk, earning 16 shillings a week. Other women working at the office organised to unsuccessfully request a higher salary from the Army Paymaster.Anne Godwin bio at WCML website /ref> She joined the
Association of Women Clerks and Secretaries
The Association of Women Clerks and Secretaries (AWCS) was a British trade union from 1912 to 1941.
History
The union formed in 1903 as the Association of Shorthand Writers and Typists and changed its name in 1912 to AWCS.
By 1928, she was a
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...
organiser. Women civil servants belonged to two different classes of unions, back then. Temporaries joined the AWCS, and after being made permanent they joined the NAWCS (National Association of Women Civil Servants).
Later life
In 1940, a majority of AWCS members voted in favour of amalgamation. The two unions joined and became known as the
Clerical and Administrative Workers Union
The Association of Professional, Executive, Clerical and Computer Staff (APEX) was a British trade union which represented clerical and administrative employees.
History
The Clerks Union was formed in 1890 and later was renamed as the National ...
. Anne Godwin was Assistant General Secretary, and edited the union's journal, entitled ''The Clerk''. From 1961 to 1962, she served as one of the first women to become President of the
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre
A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...
(TUC), Britain's main organisation of trades unions, following
Margaret Bondfield
Margaret Grace Bondfield (17 March 1873 – 16 June 1953) was a British Labour Party politician, trade unionist and women's rights activist. She became the first female cabinet minister, and the first woman to be a privy counsellor in th ...
,
Anne Loughlin
Dame Anne Loughlin, Order of the British Empire, DBE (28 June 1894 – 14 July 1979) was a British labour activist and organiser.
Early life
Loughlin was born in Leeds, England. Her father, Thomas, was a boot and shoe operative of Irish descent ...
and
Florence Hancock
Dame Florence May Hancock DBE (25 February 1893 – 14 April 1974) was a British trade unionist.
Hancock was born in Chippenham to Jacob Hancock (1845–1913), a cloth weaver, and his second wife Mary (nee Harding, subsequently Pepler, c18 ...
.
Appointed a
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1962, Dame Anne Godwin was the guest speaker at the 1980 Conference when the union celebrated its 90th anniversary.