OBITUARY

Evening Star, Issue 24415, 29 January 1943, Page 2

OBITUARY

MR BEN TILLOT LONDON, January 28. The death is announced of Mr Ben Tillett, the' veteran Labour leader. [One of the first Socialists to reach high place in British local- government was Mr Ben Tillett. Over 50 years ago . he was a circus boy, having the care of a Shetland pony and a Scotch terrier. He was born at Bristol in 1860, and began work in a brickyard at the age of eight. Other, scenes of his youthful toil's were a coal pit, a bootmaker'* workshop, a fishing smack, and several vessels of the Royal Navy and mercantile marine. A slim and sickly youth, he was invalided out of the Navy, and he later found employment' in a tea warehouse. He had a severe illness at this time, however, and was. so bad that arrangements were made for his funeral, but he recovered to become organising secretary of the. Tea Warehousemen's Union. The little baud ot 300 which he formed in-1887 grew into the great Dockers' Union, and the great dock strike of 1889 made the names of Ben Tillett, Tom Maun, and John Burns the most celebrated of the day, even if the most execrated by a number of people. From the close of the strike till about eight years ago Mr Tillett was secretary of the Dock, Wharf. Riverside, and General Workers' Union of Great Britain aud Ireland, and it was that union which brought a membership of -100.000 into the newer and greater Transport and General Workers' Union, of which Mr Ti'.lett was the international and political secretary. In 1912 he was imprisoned at, and ejected from Antwerp and Hamburg-, whither he had eone to help the dockers on strike. He was , one of the pioneers of the General Federation of Trades Unions, the National Transport. Workers' Federation, the International Transoort Federation, the National Labour Party, and president of the Trades Union Congress. Mr Tillett occupied the office of alderman of the London County Council for six years. During the last w-r he was a very effective speaker on ninny recruiting plntforms. work which called forth a great deal, of odium han\ the more advanced members of his unions. His attempts to rnter Parliame"'' were numerous, but he wni " "Successful until, at a bv-election in 1917. he won the seat for'North Salford. which he held until he was defeated in 1924 by a Conservative in a threp-eoriiered contest. His speeches have nffrni imorewspd the House, but. his true kincrdom as . an orator was an">nq: the miws« of the people Mr Ti'.lett visited Dniicdiii during two Empire lecturing I tours, and addressed several public ' meetings..] ' " •