John Benstead (10 January 1897 – 24 January 1979) was a

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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 ...

. Benstead grew up in

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

, where he attended the King's School. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he served with the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

.Benstead, Sir John
, ''

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'' After the war, Benstead found work on the railways, and joined the

National Union of Railwaymen The National Union of Railwaymen was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom. The largest railway workers' union in the country, it was influential in the national trade union movement. History The NUR was an industrial union ...

(NUR). He also joined the Labour Party, serving as a councillor and as deputy mayor of Peterborough. In 1932, he was selected as the party's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for

Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 45,198 at the 2011 census. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, east of Manche ...

, although he did not ultimately stand."Labour's choice at Ashton", ''

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'', 17 September 1932 In 1943, Benstead was elected as the NUR's general secretary, also serving on 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 ...

. In 1946, he was additionally elected as President of the

International Transport Workers' Federation The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) is a democratic global union federation of transport workers' trade unions, founded in 1896. In 2017 the ITF had 677 member organizations in 149 countries, representing a combined membership ...

. However, in 1947, he resigned from his union posts to become deputy chairman of the

British Transport Commission The British Transport Commission (BTC) was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain (Northern Ireland had the se ...

. Benstead also served on a number of committees, including the Advisory Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Colonial and Economic Development Council, and the 1946 Royal Commission on the Press. 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 1946, was knighted in 1953. He retired in 1961, and served as a deputy lieutenant of Cambridgeshire in 1967.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benstead, John 1897 births 1979 deaths General Secretaries of the National Union of Railwaymen Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress People educated at The King's School, Peterborough People from Peterborough Royal Navy personnel of World War I