Archibald Thomas Kidd (15 April 1873''England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975'' – 15 June 1972) was a long-standing British

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 ( ...

leader. Born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, Kidd was educated at Brunswick Wesleyan School. He completed an apprenticeship as a

sheet metal Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process. Sheet metal is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and it can be cut and bent into a variety of shapes. Thicknesses can vary significantly; ex ...

worker with Bennett Brothers and Butler & Forester's. In his spare time, he took evening classes to further his education. This enabled him to enter the Liverpool School of Technology, where he studied metal plate working, taking first class honours and the Bronze Medal of the

City and Guilds The City and Guilds of London Institute is an educational organisation in the United Kingdom. Founded on 11 November 1878 by the City of London and 16 livery companies – to develop a national system of technical education, the institute has ...

. Following this, he studied at the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

on a scholarship, and also with

Ruskin College Ruskin College, originally known as Ruskin Hall, Oxford, is an independent educational institution in Oxford, England. It is not a college of Oxford University. It is named after the essayist, art and social critic John Ruskin (1819–1900) an ...

and the

American School of Correspondence The American School of Correspondence is an American distance education high school in Lansing, Illinois. It was founded in 1897. History The American School of Correspondence (ASC) was founded in 1897. It was located in the Hyde Park, Chicag ...

. In 1893, Kidd joined the Liverpool Society of Tin Plate Workers, and was elected to its committee one year later, as soon as he became eligible. The society was affiliated to the

General Union of Braziers and Sheet Metal Workers {{short description, Former trade union of the United Kingdom The General Union of Tinplate Workers was a trade union representing sheet metal workers in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1862 in Manchester, bringing together nine local ...

, and in 1906, Kidd was elected as its assistant secretary, succeeding as its general secretary in 1913. In 1920, he took a leading role in a merger which formed the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers and Braziers, with Kidd initially serving as secretary of its number 2 district. He became the union's assistant general secretary in 1923, also serving on the Executive Committee of the Federation of Engineering and Shipbuilding Trades (FEST). Concerned that the FEST did not provide for effective action, he successfully proposed that it was transformed into the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions. In addition, he served on the executive of the National Council of Labour Colleges, and taught social history to workers in his spare time. Kidd was also active in the Labour Party, and was a leading figure in the party in Clapham. Kidd finally succeeded as the union's general secretary in 1941, but he retired two years later. In retirement, he wrote ''The History of the Tin Plate Workers, Sheet Metal Workers and Braziers Societies''. He lived to the age of 99.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kidd, Archibald T 1873 births 1972 deaths Alumni of Ruskin College Alumni of the University of Liverpool General Secretaries of the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers, Coppersmiths, Heating and Domestic Engineers Trade unionists from Liverpool