Horace Nobbs (9 December 1880 – 1973) was a British trade unionist and political activist.
Born in Norwich, Nobbs joined the Post Office and became active in the Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association (PTCA), working for it full-time in Manchester from 1911. He also became a supporter of syndicalism, and in 1914 he persuaded the union to back his motion, which called for the Post Office to come under workers' control.[1] In 1918, he became the union's national organising secretary, then in 1919 briefly served as its treasurer.[2]
Nobbs was active in the Labour Party, for which he stood in Heywood and Radcliffe at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, with the sponsorship of the union; he took 32.4% of the vote and second place.[2][3] He was expected to stand in the 1921 Heywood and Radcliffe by-election, but withdrew on the instruction of the union, and the election was won by his replacement, Walter Halls.[4]
In 1919, Nobbs became part of the Union of Post Office Workers, becoming its national organising secretary. In this role, he was responsible for membership, the co-ordination of the district organisers, and for members' education. He was also active in the Workers' Educational Association.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Postal workers and syndicalism". Manchester Guardian. 16 April 1914.
- ^ a b The Labour Who's Who. London: Labour Publishing Company. 1927. p. 159.
- ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 352. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- ^ Annual Report of the Labour Party: 42. 1921.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Suthers, R. B. (1932). "Union of Post Office Workers". The Labour Magazine. Vol. 11.