The United Patternmakers Association (UPA) 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 ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

History

The association was founded in 1872 to represent skilled patternmakers in England, following a strike by patternmakers along the River Tyne and River Wear for a nine-hour day. Originally based in London, it transferred its headquarters to

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

in 1896, to

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

in 1903, then to Eccles in 1908, returning to London in 1912.John B. Smethurst and Alan Carter, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions, Volume 6'', pp.204-205 The Associated Patternmakers of Scotland union merged into the UPA in 1912. In 1918, the union balloted its members on joining the new Amalgamated Engineering Union, but this was not approved. During the 1930s,

George Buchanan George Buchanan ( gd, Seòras Bochanan; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth century Scotland produced." ...

was the union's president, and the union focussed considerable attention on anti-fascist activity. It was initially sympathetic to the

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

's split from the Labour Party, although by 1935 Buchanan's union backing was withdrawn. It retained a strong

craft union Craft unionism refers to a model of trade unionism in which workers are organised based on the particular craft or trade in which they work. It contrasts with industrial unionism, in which all workers in the same industry are organized into the sa ...

ist approach, and resisted the prevailing trend of admitting workers in allied trades. In 1969, the union renamed itself the Association of Patternmakers and Allied Craftsmen.Arthur Ivor Marsh, ''Concise Encyclopedia of Industrial Relations'', p.224 By 1979, its membership stood just under 10,000, mostly in the

English Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...

. Only three members were women.Arthur Ivor Marsh, ''Trade Union Handbook'', p.260 In 1984, it merged into the

Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section The Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section (TASS) was a British trade union. History The union was founded in 1913 by 200 draughtsmen, as the Association of Engineering and Shipbuilding Draughtsmen (AESD). It expanded rapidly, and ...

Election results

The union sponsored candidates in numerous Parliamentary elections between 1909 and 1974, most of whom were elected. Almost all ran as Labour Party candidates, the exception being Buchanan in 1931 who was refused Labour Party endorsement, and instead stood for the

. He ran for that party again in 1935, on this occasion without official backing from the union, although it did set up a voluntary fund for his support, to which members could choose to donate. By 1945, he had returned to the Labour Party.

Officials

General Secretaries

:1872: R. C. Douglas :1872: R. Reay :1884:

William Mosses William Mosses (1858 – 17 May 1943) was a British trade unionist. Mosses was elected as general secretary of the United Patternmakers Association in 1884, and served in the post for 33 years. He supported Robert Knight's initiative to f ...

:1917:

Alan Findlay Alan Andrew Hart Findlay (1873 – 15 November 1943) was a Scottish trade unionist. Born in Hurlford in Ayrshire, Findlay worked in the lace industry, as a coal-miner, and as a railway worker, then in an engineering plant and as a railway w ...

:1941: Wilfred Beard :1967:

Samuel McLaren Professor Samuel Bruce McLaren (16 August 1876 – 13 August 1916) was an Australian mathematician and mathematical physicist. Joint winner of the Adams Prize in 1913 and Professor of Mathematics, University College, Reading from 1913 until hi ...

:1969:

Gerry Eastwood Gerald Eastwood (died 2006) was a British trade union leader. Eastwood worked as an industrial patternmaker, and joined the Association of Patternmakers and Allied Craftsmen (APAC). He was elected as the union's assistant general secretary, then ...

Presidents

:1872: N. Charlton :1876: C. Mothersdale :1880: S. T. Taylor :1884: R. Brown :1884: T. Souter :1885: John Livingston :1888: George E. Wilson :1891: Thomas Goodall :1892: Joseph W. Field :1893: Joseph Taylor :1894: William Williams :1895: Fred W. Kent :1896: John Mills :1897: Ed Appleby :1899: J. M. Whittaker :1900: Thomas Battison :1901: J. M. Whittaker :1902: A. Mackenzie :1903: Arthur Pearson :1909: John Mills :1913: Albert E. WardaleUnited Patternmakers' Association, "Obituary", ''Annual Report'' (1963) :1932:

:1946:

Ellis Smith Ellis Smith (4 November 1896 – 7 November 1969) was a British Labour Party politician. He was elected at the 1935 general election as Member of Parliament (MP) for Stoke and served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade The Parliam ...

:1966: Victor MacDonald :1977:

References

External links

Catalogue of the UPA archives
held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick {{Authority control 1872 establishments in the United Kingdom Engineering trade unions Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1872 Trade unions disestablished in 1984 Patternmakers (industrial) Craft unions Trade unions based in London