North Wales Miners' Association
The North Wales Miners' Association was a trade union representing coal miners in Wales.
History
The origins of the union lay in the North Wales District Meeting, a monthly meeting in Wrexham of representatives of workers from about sixteen collieries. In November 1889, the representatives decided to form the North Wales Miners' Federation, and by mid-1890 this included branches at 25 collieries, with a total of 7,793 members. It was noted that about 6,000 of these were members of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB), and soon the whole organisation affiliated.[1] In 1891, the union elected Ioan Williams as its full-time agent.[2]
In 1894, the North Wales Quarrymen's Union affiliated to the association, increasing its membership by 13,000, although they soon left again.[3] In 1900, the union decided to increase its membership dues, and this led a group of miners in Rhosllanerchrugog and Ruabon, led by Thomas Hughes, to break away as the Rhos Miners' Union. The remainder of the union adopted the name Denbighshire and Flintshire Miners' Federation.[4] The Ruabon miners rejoined the following year, and this led the remaining members of the Rhos Miners' Union to dissolve the organisation and rejoin the North Wales Miners.[5]
In 1903, the union was renamed as the "North Wales Miners' Association", while in 1935 it became the North Wales and Border Counties Mineworkers' Association.[6] Never a large organisation – the Association had only 7,500 members in 1945 -[7] from about 1900, its General Secretary also served as its Agent, and even that post was left vacant from 1932 until 1934. Ted Jones was appointed shortly before the Gresford disaster.[8]
In 1945, the MFGB became the National Union of Mineworkers, and the Association became its North Wales Area, with less autonomy than before.[6]
By the time of the 1984–85 strike, the region had only two pits operating. Its then Secretary, Ted McKay, opposed the strike, but the Bersham Colliery was heavily picketed by miners from other areas and did not work until November 1984.[9]
The Area was dissolved in 2011.
Leadership
Secretaries
- 1889: Richard Jones
- 1892: I. L. Thomas
- 1893: S. Roberts
- 1893: Edward Hughes
- 1925: Hugh Hughes
- 1934: Ted Jones
- 1961: Jos Ellis
- 1975: Ted McKay
- 1987: Les Kelly
- 2005: Rosemarie Williams
Presidents
- 1889: David Griffiths
- 1891: William Davies
- 1892: George Rowley
- 1894: Thomas Hughes
- 1894: George Rowley
- 1896: Thomas Hughes
- 1897: Robert Jones
- 1899: George Rowley
- 1902: John Williams
- 1905: Tom Hughes
- 1913: Thomas Rowland
References
- ^ "Great miners' demonstration at Wrexham". Wrexham Advertiser. 13 September 1890.
- ^ "The North Wales Coalminers' Federation: Appointment of an agent". Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald. 8 May 1891.
- ^ "The North Wales Coal Miners' Federation: The Quarrymen and the Federation". Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald. 11 May 1894.
- ^ "The Denbighshire and Flintshire Miners' Federation". Wrexham Advertiser. 14 April 1900.
- ^ "Local and district". Llangollen Advertiser. 3 May 1901.
- ^ a b "National Union of Mineworkers (North Wales Area) MSS", Archives Wales
- ^ Arthur Ivor Marsh and Victoria Ryan, Historical Directory of Trade Unions, Vol.2, p.198
- ^ Stanley Williamson, Gresford: The Anatomy of a Disaster, p.179
- ^ "Former NUM officer's fears in 1984/85 miners' strike", BBC News, 5 March 2010
Bibliography
- Keith Gildart, North Wales Miners: A Fragile Unity, 1945–1996
- Ted McKay, Edward Hughes and the History of Coal Mining in North Wales
- v
- t
- e
- 1889 Pickard
- 1904 En. Edwards
- 1912 Smillie
- 1922 Smith
- 1929 Richards
- 1931 Eb. Edwards
- 1932 Lee
- 1934 J. Jones
- 1939 Lawther
- 1954 E. Jones
- 1960 Machen
- 1960 Ford
- 1971 Gormley
- 1982 Scargill
- 2002 Lavery
- 2012 Wilson
- 1889 Woods
- 1909 Smillie
- 1912 Harvey
- 1914 House
- 1917 Smith
- 1922 Walsh
- 1924 Richards
- 1929 Eb. Edwards
- 1931 Lee
- 1932 J. Jones
- 1933 Davies
- 1934 Lawther
- 1939 Bowman
- 1950 E. Jones
- 1954 T. Jones
- 1961 Collindridge
- 1963 Bullough
- 1969 Schofield
- 1973 McGahey
- 1987 Thompson
- 1989 Vacant
- 1992 Cave
- 2002 Stanley
- 2010 Wilson
- 2012 Thomas
- 1889 Ashton
- 1919 Hodges
- 1924 Cook
- 1932 Eb. Edwards
- 1946 Horner
- 1959 Paynter
- 1968 Daly
- 1984 Heathfield
- 1992 Scargill
- 1992 Vacant?
- 2002 Kemp
- 2007 Kitchen
- 1889 En. Edwards
- 1904 Abraham
- 1918 Robson
- 1921 Richardson
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