Frederick Parkin Hammill (4 May 1856 - 8 July 1901) was a 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 ( ...

activist, and a co-founder of 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 ...

Career

Known generally as "Fred", Hammill was born in

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 populati ...

on 4 May 1856, trained as an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

, and moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to work at the

Royal Arsenal The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England, that was used for the manufacture of armaments and ammunition, proofing, and explosives research for the Britis ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...

, where he became a well-known labour activist and trade unionist. Hammill spoke in defence of

John Burns John Elliot Burns (20 October 1858 – 24 January 1943) was an English trade unionist and politician, particularly associated with London politics and Battersea. He was a socialist and then a Liberal Member of Parliament and Minister. He was ...

in trials after the 1887 Trafalgar Square Riot, was active in the

London Trades Council The London Trades Council was an early labour organisation, uniting London's trade unionists. Its modern successor organisation is the Greater London Association of Trades (Union) Councils History Leading figures in the London trade union mov ...

(seconding Burns's support for the 1891 Scottish rail strike) and in the TUC, and he would speak indoors and outdoors to crowds of up to 6,000 people. He joined the

Fabian Society The Fabian Society is a British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in democracies, rather than by revolutionary overthrow. The Fa ...

in the early 1890s. In 1891 Hammill organised a strike of London bus and tram workers on pay and hours, and he was one of the founders of the

. In 1893 he spoke at a demonstration and rally in Trafalgar Square on workers’ rights. Strongly associated with

Tom Mann Thomas Mann (15 April 1856 – 13 March 1941), was an English trade unionist and is widely recognised as a leading, pioneering figure for the early labour movement in Britain. Largely self-educated, Mann became a successful organiser and a ...

and with

Will Crooks William Crooks (6 April 1852 – 5 June 1921) was a noted trade unionist and politician from Poplar, London, and a member of the Fabian Society. He is particularly remembered for his campaigning work against poverty and inequality. Early life ...

' Poplar-based Labour movement, Hammill helped establish the Woolwich ILP in 1894, with Robert Banner. In 1894, Hammill became a full-time organiser for the Fabian Society in Durham. A member of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE), in July 1895 Hammill was the first socialist to stand for election to parliament as an ILP candidate in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

. Unsuccessful, he changed tack to run a pub (The Swan in Topcliffe in Yorkshire), for which he was criticised politically. He was elected to the Thirsk Rural District Council in 1901. He died on 8 July 1901 from influenza, aged 45 years.

Personal life

When Fred Hammill was a child, his family lived in a pub (the Grey Mare Inn, 132 Low Road,

Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the Leeds city centre, city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside (ward), Hunslet and Riverside ward of Lee ...

) in Leeds, run by his father Thomas. Hammill married Ada Peel (9 July 1860 – c. Feb 1940) and they had three children (Arthur Earnest (1880-1945), Helen (1882-1904), Gertrude Wright (1888-1959)). After moving to London from Leeds, they lived at 25 Coxwell Road in

Plumstead Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of Woolwich. History Until 1965, Plumstead was in the historic counties of England, historic county of Kent and the detail of mu ...

for a period (c. 1890 to 1892). Ada's father Joseph Peel was an inn-keeper.

Works

* ''An address at the first annual conference of the National Vehicular Traffic Workers’ Union, 1892.'' (pamphlet) 892Humphries, Barbara (2011
Nineteenth century pamphlets online
''The Ephemerist'', 153 (Summer) * ''The Necessity of an Independent Labour Party'': speech at the annual meeting of the Newcastle Independent Labour Party held at Newcastle on 3 January 1893. (pamphlet), UK: Newcastle upon Tyne: Dowling

893 __FORCETOC__ Year 893 ( DCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Vladimir, ruler (''khan'') of the Bulgarian Empire, is dethroned by his fat ...

* ''The Claims and Progress of Labor Representation.'' (pamphlet), UK: Newcastle upon Tyne: Dowling

894 __NOTOC__ Year 894 ( DCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Byzantine–Bulgarian War: Stylianos Zaoutzes, leading minister and ...

* ''Out of Work: The Problem of the Unemployed.'' (pamphlet), UK: Newcastle upon Tyne: Dowling

* "Onward to Victory" (a chapter in) ''The New Party'' (book), pages 49 to 53, Book Authors: Andrew Reid; Walter Crane. Publisher: Hodder Brothers, 18 New Bridge Street, E.C., Edinburgh and London, UK.

895 ' __NOTOC__ Year 895 (Roman numerals, DCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * The Hungarians, Magyars are expelled from southern Russia, and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammill, Fred Trade unionists from Leeds Trade unionists from London 1901 deaths 1856 births Members of the Fabian Society