Ernest Thornton (13 March 1907 – 29 June 1969) was a British-born

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

trade union leader.

Biography

Thornton was born in

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

to tram driver Lewis Thornton and Selina, ''née'' Kerry. Selina left Lewis when Ernie was two, and after taking factory and building jobs Thornton was brought to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

by the Dreadnought Trust in 1924 and sent to the Government Training Farm at

Scheyville Scheyville () is a suburb of Sydney, Australia. Scheyville is located northwest of the Sydney central business district in the Hawkesbury local government area. Military history From 1965 to 1973, Scheyville was the site of Officer Train ...

. He was subsequently a construction worker and became a militant unionist. The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

left him unemployed, and this led him to join the

Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been i ...

(CPA). On 9 August 1934 he married Alice Mary "Lila" Felstead, ''née'' Curtis, who was divorced with two sons, at Collins Street in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. Thornton was elected as an organiser in the Federated Ironworkers Association of Australia (FIA) in 1935. By 1936 he was part-time general secretary, and also a member of the CPA's central committee. Following the recovery of the economy in the late 1930s Thornton was made full-time general secretary and moved to

. In 1945, he attended the

World Trade Union Conference The World Trade Union Conference between 6–17 February 1945 was participated in by countries from all around the world, at County Hall, London. Regarded as a significant moment within the international labour movement as it was the first time tha ...

in London alongside many renowned trade unionists. Thornton's position in the FIA was threatened in the 1946 union elections when the Balmain branch, backed by the

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

Industrial Groups The Industrial Groups were groups formed by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the late 1940s, to replace Communist Party influence in the trade unions with groups controlled by B. A. Santamaria's "Movement" which had infiltrated the ALP in 1944 ...

, ran a rival ticket headed by

Laurie Short Laurence Elwyn Short (15 December 1915 – 24 March 2009) was an Australian trade union leader and leading figure in the Australian Labor Party (ALP). Short was the national secretary of the Federated Ironworkers' Association (FIA), now part of ...

. Thornton won but Short took the case to the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, which found that "persons unknown" had rigged the ballot, leaving Short as National Secretary. Thornton resigned in 1950 to become Australasia's representative at the

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions established in 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the International Federation of ...

(WFTU) liaison bureau in

Peking } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, but he was left without a job when the

Australian Council of Trade Unions The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), originally the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated unions and eight trades and la ...

withdrew recognition of the WFTU. The FIA refused to accept him back and Thornton was employed full-time by the Communist Party. A decline in party finances led to his return to manual labour as a crane driver, becoming honorary president of the Sydney branch of the Federated Engine Drivers' and Firemen's Association of Australasia. He died at

Lidcombe Lidcombe is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lidcombe is located west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Cumberland Council, with a small industrial part in the north ...

in 1969 of

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, Ernest 1907 births 1969 deaths Australian trade unionists Trade unionists from Huddersfield British emigrants to Australia Crane operators Australian builders Communist Party of Australia members