Joseph William Jones (10 March 1900 – 18 March 1988), known as Bill Jones, was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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 benefits (s ...

. Born in

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heath Road. By ...

, Jones joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

early in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, while still underage. His mother obtained his release, but he rejoined in 1917, and continued to serve in the army until 1920. After a succession of short-term jobs, in 1925 he became a bus conductor and joined the

Transport and General Workers' Union The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland – where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) to differentiate its ...

(TGWU)."Jones, Joseph William (Bill)", ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.XIII, pp.175-180 During the

UK general strike The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 to 12 May 1926. It was called by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British governme ...

of 1926, Jones distributed the '' British Worker'', the

Trade Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, representing the majority of trade unions. There are 48 affiliated unions, with a total of about 5.5 million members. Frances ...

' bulletin, and he drove busses into obscure streets in order that strikebreakers would struggle to locate them. By the 1930s, Jones had joined the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) and the Rank and File Movement of London busworkers, becoming its secretary in 1935. In this role, he criticised TGWU General Secretary

Ernest Bevin Ernest Bevin (9 March 1881 – 14 April 1951) was a British statesman, trade union leader, and Labour Party politician. He co-founded and served as General Secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union in the years 1922–194 ...

for not supporting the Republicans in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

. In 1937, the London busworkers went on strike, calling for reduced working hours. Bevin ended the strike, against their wishes, and then expelled Jones and other leading figures in the Rank and File Movement - including Bert Papworth - when they did not immediately return to work. However, while some of his expelled colleagues joined the rival National Passenger Workers' Union, Jones denounced it. Support within the TGWU for his position led to his readmittance in 1938. Within a year, he was elected to the General Executive Council of the union, and he was able to secure a new position as a bus driver. Jones served the union during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, opposing industrial action during the period. In 1950, the TGWU banned communists from holding official positions in the union; he lost his position on the Executive Committee, and helped set up the Campaign for Trade Union Democracy to oppose the ban. While he remained a member of the CPGB and served on its London District Committee, in practice all his time was devoted to trade union activity. He left the party in 1956, following Krushchev's denunciation of Stalin, and quickly regained a position on the union executive.Graham Stevenson,
Jones Bill (London)
, ''Compendium of Communist Biography'' In 1965, Jones as well as other London transport workers drove a number 11 bus to

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

and to visit the composer

Jaromír Vejvoda Jaromír Vejvoda (28 March 1902 – 13 November 1988) was a Czech composer and the author of the " Beer Barrel Polka". Life and work Vejvoda was born and died in Zbraslav. He learned to play the fiddle and flugelhorn in a band led by his father ...

. after loosing a bet on whether the "

Beer Barrel Polka "Beer Barrel Polka", also known as "The Barrel Polka", "Roll Out the Barrel", or "Rosamunde", is a 1927 polka composed by Czech musician Jaromír Vejvoda. Lyrics were added in 1934, subsequently gaining worldwide popularity during World War II a ...

" was an English or Czech song. Their journey was filmed by Czechoslovak television, and featured in 22 minutes of a 33 minute film called "Londýnský autobus"" (The London Bus). Jones was elected as chair of the TGWU executive, and from 1967 to 1969 also served on the

General Council of the Trades Union Congress The General Council of the Trades Union Congress is an elected body which is responsible for carrying out the policies agreed at the annual British Trade Union Congresses (TUC). Organisation The council has 56 members, all of whom must be proposed ...

. He then retired, but became chair of the British Peace Committee and also active in the National Pensioners Convention.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Bill 1900 births 1988 deaths British Army personnel of World War I Communist Party of Great Britain members Trade unionists from London Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress People from Bethnal Green Child soldiers in World War I