James Headgoose Holmes (19 March 1861 – 1 October 1934) was a
British trade unionist and political activist.
Born in
Frampton, Lincolnshire
Frampton is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The village is situated approximately south from the town of Boston and to the east (the seaward side) of the A16, which runs along the townlands. The vil ...
, Holmes left education at the age of nine to work on a farm, and at the age of eleven, briefly became a
sailor. He then returned to farm labour in Lincolnshire, but lost his job when he tried to organise a strike. In 1882, he gained work with the
Great Northern Railway Company in
Spalding, and he quickly rose within the company to become a signalman in
Retford.
[David Howell, ''Dictionary of Labour Biography vol.XI'', pp.130-140]
Holmes joined the
Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants in the early 1880s, but did not become active in the union until around 1890, when he was president of the Retford branch. He was also active in the
Liberal Party and the
Labour Electoral Association {{Short description, Political motive of the Labour Electoral Association
The Labour Electoral Association was a political organisation in the United Kingdom which aimed to get working men elected to Parliament.
Foundation
The issue of political re ...
, supporting J. T. Yoxall at the
1892 general election in
Bassetlaw
Bassetlaw may refer to:
* Bassetlaw (UK Parliament constituency), Nottinghamshire constituency in the British House of Commons
* Bassetlaw District General Hospital, a National Health Service hospital in Worksop, Nottinghamshire
* Bassetlaw Distri ...
. Soon after the election, he admitted breaching railway regulations and his employer decided to downgrade him. He refused offers of less senior posts and was instead sacked. He sued the company for wages for a period in which he had been suspended, but lost the case. The ASRS supported him, and although he found work at the Singer Sewing Machine Company in
Doncaster, he remained active in his old union.
In 1896, Holmes stood unsuccessfully for Doncaster Town Council as a
Lib-Lab
The Liberal–Labour movement refers to the practice of local Liberal associations accepting and supporting candidates who were financially maintained by trade unions. These candidates stood for the British Parliament with the aim of representing ...
candidate. He became a full-time organiser for the ASRS in 1898 in Wales and Western England, but he found it difficult to work with the union's new general secretary,
Richard Bell, who tried to dismiss Holmes after his involvement in the
Taff Vale Case in which damages were awarded against the ASRS. Holmes retained his position on a vote of members, but was censured, and in 1906 moved back to Doncaster to organise in northern England,
where he remained for the rest of his career, staying post when the ASRS became the
National Union of Railwaymen.
Holmes stood for the
Labour Representation Committee in
Birmingham East at the
1906 general election
The following elections occurred in the year 1906.
Asia
* 1906 Persian legislative election
Europe
* 1906 Belgian general election
* 1906 Croatian parliamentary election
* Denmark
** 1906 Danish Folketing election
** 1906 Danish Landsting ele ...
, taking 47.4% of the vote and narrowly missing out on election. He then stood in the
1907 Kingston-upon-Hull West by-election for the renamed
Labour Party, where he took third place with 29.1%, then finally he contested the
1912 Crewe by-election
The Crewe (UK Parliament constituency), Crewe by-election was a UK Parliamentary by-elections, Parliamentary by-election. It returned one Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingd ...
, where he took only 17.7%.
Holmes was strongly supportive of Britain's role in
World War I and spoke at recruitment meetings, although he opposed conscription. He left the Labour Party and, although he was active in supporting the railway strike of 1919, he was keen to emphasis his opposition to Bolshevism. He retired in 1922 and died twelve years later.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, James
1861 births
1934 deaths
Trade unionists from Lincolnshire
Liberal-Labour (UK) politicians
People from Boston, Lincolnshire
Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates