Harold Bradley (13 February 1895''

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 ...

'' – 1979) 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 ...

. Bradley worked as a weaver in

Nelson, Lancashire Nelson is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 29,135 in 2011. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Burnley and 2.5 miles southwest of Colne. It developed as a ...

, and joined the

Nelson Weavers' Association The Nelson Weavers' Association (NWA) was a trade union representing cotton weavers in the area of Nelson, Lancashire. As the main industry in the town, the union has been influential in its history, and some of its leaders became significant n ...

(NWA). He first came to attention when he led an unofficial strike at Cornes Mill, successfully demanding recognition of the union. Seth Sagar of the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

(CPGB) saw potential in Bradley and persuaded him to join the party, and also to become a collector for the union. Shortly after, Bradley won election to the committee of the NWA."Seth Sagar's Memoirs: Part II", ''North West History Journal'', nos.32-34 In 1933, Bradley left Nelson to become secretary of the

Darwen Weavers' Association The Darwen Weavers', Winders' and Warpers' Association was a trade union representing cotton industry workers in Darwen, Lancashire, in England. As the main industry in the town, the union has been influential in its history, and some of its le ...

.Edwin Hopwood, ''A History of the Lancashire Cotton Industry and the Amalgamated Weavers' Association'', p.177 He remained in this post for many years, eventually leaving the CPGB and joining the Labour Party, for which he stood unsuccessfully at the 1951 general election in

Clitheroe Clitheroe () is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Cl ...

. Both the Nelson and Darwen Weavers' Associations were part of the

Amalgamated Weavers' Association The Amalgamated Weavers' Association, often known as the Weavers' Amalgamation, was a trade union in the United Kingdom. Initially, it operated in competition with the North East Lancashire Amalgamated Weavers' Association in part of its area, ...

, of which Bradley was appointed as acting president in 1953, then won an election to the presidency in May 1954. He retired in May 1960.

References

1895 births 1979 deaths Communist Party of Great Britain members General Secretaries of the United Textile Factory Workers' Association Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Presidents of the Amalgamated Weavers' Association People from Nelson, Lancashire {{UK-trade-unionist-bio-stub