Sydney Ombler OBE (1892 – 5 November 1984) 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. Born in

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...

, Ombler became a shipwright. He served with the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

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 ...

, then after the war returned to Hull and joined the

Ship Constructive and Shipwrights' Association The Shipconstructors' and Shipwrights' Association (SSA) was a trade union representing shipbuilders in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1882 as the Associated Society of Shipwrights, by eleven local unions in Scotland and No ...

. He gradually rose to prominence in the union, serving as branch secretary for eighteen years. In 1936, he was elected to the union's executive committee, and in 1946, he became the union's assistant general secretary, narrowly defeating John McMillan in an election. The union's general secretary, John Willcocks, resigned in 1948, and Ombler won the election to succeed him. He complained that he could not afford a house suitable for his family on his salary. So the union agreed to purchase a house for them. Under his leadership, employment in shipbuilding declined, as did the union's membership. He remained the leader of the union until his retirement, in 1957. In the

1954 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1954 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate t ...

, Ombler was made an

Officer 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 ...

. Ombler died on 5 November 1984 at the age of 92.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ombler, Sydney 1892 births 1984 deaths General secretaries of British trade unions Officers of the Order of the British Empire Trade unionists from Kingston upon Hull British Army personnel of World War I Royal Engineers soldiers Military personnel from Kingston upon Hull