George Henry Bagnall

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(21 May 1883''

1939 England and Wales Register The National Registration Act 1939 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. The initial National Registration Bill was introduced to Parliament as an emergency measure at the start of the World War II, Second World War. The Act provided ...

'' – 9 March 1964) 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 Employee ben ...

. Born in Pendleton near

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

, Bagnall worked as a coal miner for seven years before becoming a dyer in the textile industry.

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

, ''Annual Report of the 1964 Trades Union Congress'', p.366 He joined the

Amalgamated Society of Dyers, Finishers and Kindred Trades The Amalgamated Society of Dyers, Finishers and Kindred Trades was a trade union representing dyers and workers in related jobs in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1878 as the Bradford and District Amalgamated Society of ...

, serving as General Secretary from 1933 to 1936, negotiating the merger which formed the

National Union of Dyers, Bleachers and Textile Workers The National Union of Dyers, Bleachers and Textile Workers (NUDBTW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1936 with the merger of the National Union of Textile Workers, which was the main union representing ...

.Arthur Marsh, Victoria Ryan and John B. Smethurst, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.4, pp.400-401 Bagnall was elected as the new union's general secretary three years later, and subsequently also became secretary of the National Association of Unions in the Textile Trade. Bagnall was also active in the Labour Party, and stood for the party in High Peak at the

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

and 1931 general elections. He took less than 30% of the vote on each occasion and did not come close to election. In 1939, Bagnall was elected to 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 ...

(TUC), and he led a TUC delegation to Greece in 1945/46. He was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1947, and retired from his trade union posts the following year. In retirement, Bagnall chaired the East & West Ridings Regional Board for Industry, and led a trade mission to

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

for the Labour government in 1950.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagnall, George 1883 births 1964 deaths Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates General Secretaries of the National Union of Dyers, Bleachers and Textile Workers Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress People from Pendleton, Greater Manchester