William James Thorne CBE (4 October 1857 – 2 January 1946) was a British trade unionist, activist and one of the first

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

Early years

Thorne was born in Hockley, Birmingham, on 8 October 1857. His father and other relatives worked as brickmakers. Thorne's father died in a fight when Thorne was just seven years old. Thorne began working at the age of six, turning a wheel for a rope and twine spinner, working from six in the morning to six at night, with half an hour's break for breakfast and an hour for dinner. Thorne recalls that when the spinner wanted to reduce his wages from 2 shillings and 6 pence to 2 shillings, he "went on strike" and never returned to the job. The family was on poor relief. Thorne's mother and three sisters worked all hours sewing hooks and eyes. "It was here I had intimate experience with

sweated labour A sweatshop or sweat factory is a crowded workplace with very poor, socially unacceptable or illegal working conditions. Some illegal working conditions include poor ventilation, little to no breaks, inadequate work space, insufficient lighting, o ...

", he commented without irony. Thorne took a job with his uncle at a brick and tile works, and later, at another brickworks further away. At the age of nine, Thorne recalled: "my mother got me up at four o'clock every morning to give me my breakfast". It was a five-mile walk to work.

Political career

Thorne served for many years on West Ham Borough Council and was Mayor from 1917–18. In 1882, Thorne moved to London and found employment at a gasworks. Thorne joined the

Social Democratic Federation The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on 7 June 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury, James Con ...

(SDF) and became branch secretary. Barely literate, Thorne improved his reading skills with the assistance of Karl Marx's daughter, Eleanor Marx. In 1889, he helped to found the

National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers The National Union of General Workers (NUGW) was an early general union in the United Kingdom, the most important general union of its era. History The union was founded in 1889 as the National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers by Will ...

, one of the prominent New Unions and became its

general secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

. He retained this position in the union and its successors, which became the GMWU in 1924, up to 1934. Thorne also helped to organise the

London Dock Strike London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...

in 1889. He contested several elections as a Labour candidate, before finally winning a seat representing

West Ham South West Ham South was a United Kingdom constituencies, parliamentary constituency in the County Borough of West Ham, in what was then Essex but is now Greater London. It returned one Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) ...

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 ...

. He remained with SDF as it became the

British Socialist Party The British Socialist Party (BSP) was a Marxist political organisation established in Great Britain in 1911. Following a protracted period of factional struggle, in 1916 the party's anti-war forces gained decisive control of the party and saw t ...

. Thorne visited the Soviet Union shortly after the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

of 1917. He won the seat of Plaistow in 1918 with 94.9% of the vote, a record for a Labour candidate which stands to this day. He retained it until his retirement at the

1945 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1945. Africa * 1945 South-West African legislative election Asia * 1945 Indian general election Australia * 1945 Fremantle by-election Europe * 1945 Albanian parliamentary election * 1945 Bulgaria ...

, aged 87 — the oldest sitting member at the time.

Awards / Commemorations

Thorne was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1930 and

Privy Councillor A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...

. A

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

, unveiled in 1987, commemorates Thorne at his home, 1 Lawrence Road, E13 0QD, in West Ham. In addition, the Will Thorne Pavilion in Beckton Park in Beckton is named for Thorne. The GMB's regional office in Halesowen is named Will Thorne House after the former NUGWGL leader (the NUGWGL/GMWU being a founding component of the GMB in 1982). The GMB's Thorne Credit Union is likewise named for Will Thorne.

Footnotes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thorne, Will 1857 births 1946 deaths British trade union leaders General Secretaries of the GMB (trade union) Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies British Socialist Party members Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Councillors in Greater London GMB (trade union)-sponsored MPs People from Birmingham, West Midlands Social Democratic Federation members UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs 1935–1945 Presidents of the Trades Union Congress Mayors of places in Greater London Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom