"I conversed with some of the clerks and suggested an 'agitation' among the £60 ones for an increase and the work to be made lighter. The idea was thought to be very good but the difficulty was how to begin and who was to begin it."
C. Bassett-Vincent
General Secretary, National Association of General Railway Clerks 1897-1898.
It was hardly surprising, given the ruthless exploitation of its workforce by the railway companies during the 19th Century, that working people sought to improve their appalling conditions by forming trade unions. That a railway trade union failed to survive until 1872, when the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants (ASRS) was formed, was directly owing to the ruthlessness of the various companies in their search for profit.
From the 1830s onwards many attempts were made by railway workers to redress their grievances. The first movement made by clerical staff was as early as September 1865 when a Railway Clerks' Association was formed in London. The following month at a meeting held in the Marylebone Institute, Portman Square, proposals were finalised to improve wages to the level of clerks in other industries, and, of equal importance, to obtain a reduction in their hours of work. The meeting had considerable support amongst railway clerks, and the committee members elected represented employees from all the railway companies that ran trains into London. Unfortunately, despite all their efforts, the union failed to survive.1
Another attempt was made during 1890 when railway clerks formed a group in South Wales. They, too, sought to obtain improvements in their conditions of service and sent the customary Memorial2 to their directors. The directors replied, To the clerks who signed the Memorial. It is hoped that they will recognise in the consideration which has been given to their requests the desire on the part of the directors to meet their wishes wherever it is possible to do so.
3 This qualified reply brought very little change and after a period the clerks tried to join the ASRS but their application was refused, and the movement failed to survive.
When Charles Bassett-Vincent suggested an "agitation"4 to railway clerks in the Clearing House at Euston in 1859, little did he realise that thirty-eight years later he would be the General Secretary of a union that would become the leading force in improving the wages and conditions of railway clerks for generations to come. Although Bassett-Vincent was not trained as a clerk he had gained some experience of clerical life during the late 1850s when he worked as a messenger at the Railway Clearing House. At this time some senior clerks could achieve a salary considerably in excess of £100 a year but this was rare, and the vast majority earned only £60, barely sufficient for their needs. Indeed, so low was their salary that it was not unusual for landlords in the Euston area to place cards in their windows stating that no Clearing House clerk need apply.5 They knew only too well that clerks simply could not afford the rent! Bassett-Vincent quickly recognised that the appalling conditions of work, long hours and poor wages experienced by all grades of railway workers could only be changed through the collective strength of trade unions and what was more important, he began to do something about it.
After many years spent building the ASRS and later working for a children's orphanage in Derby, Bassett-Vincent went to live in Sheffield. During a period of industrial unrest on the railways he wrote a number of articles for a local newspaper on his experiences as a trade union organiser. These aroused considerable interest and he was invited by some railway clerks, primarily nightworkers, to assist in forming a union of railway clerks.
The conditions of work for railway clerks were appalling. Different rates of pay were arbitrarily decided by each separate company and were far below those received by colleagues in other public services and commercial offices. Their hours of work were correspondingly bad, overtime was virtually compulsory but this was rarely paid for, and no compensation was given for Sunday duty which was often obligatory. Holidays were frequently denied or difficult to obtain and many clerks had to take them in the winter. Sick pay arrangements, security of tenure, and other such matters were frequently subject to the whim of management. Even the statutory superannuation funds, to which salaried employees were compelled to subscribe, were often found to be insolvent through gross mismanagement.
Such was the challenge. On 23rd January 1897 a weekly magazine called the Railway Herald published a letter from Bassett-Vincent stating that he had received a number of requests from general goods clerks, shipping clerks, etc, asking him to form an Association in order to improve the conditions of overworked and badly paid railway clerks. Anyone who was interested in forming the Association was asked to contact him. An exploratory meeting was held on the 4th April 1897 at the Burngreave Vestry Hall, Sheffield. The chairman was Charles Hobson JP, a local councillor and President of the Sheffield Trades Council. In view of the fact that the ASRS also recruited railway clerks, Hobson had prudently written to its General Secretary, Edward Harford, stating their intention to form a union. Fully aware of the problems his own union had experienced in recruiting clerks, Harford welcomed the new union, wishing Bassett-Vincent every success.6 A few months later the General Secretary of the General Railway Workers' Union (GRWU) sent a supportive letter to Bassett-Vincent recognising the importance of clerks having a separate organisation apart from existing societies, their training, conditions of work, and social intercourse being altogether different from the ordinary working class element. I am further of the opinion that it is an unwise policy for the other societies to accept them as members.
7
Charles Bassett-Vincent was an inspiring speaker and there is little doubt that his lecture on "The Rise and Progress of Railway Trade Unionism", which also covered his pioneering work with the ASRS and the Derby Children's Orphanage, would have enthused his audience. After having set the right tone he called for those clerks present to assist in the formation of the union, and the meeting approved the first resolution in the history of the Association. This was moved by J. Davidson and stated:
"That this representative meeting views with much pleasure and satisfaction the recent successes amongst certain classes of railway employees - the outcome of combination, which we believe is the only method to secure better treatment at the hands of railway directors. And, seeing there is a movement started by which to form into one body the numerous sections and grades of railway clerks, we sincerely wish Mr. Bassett-Vincent all possible success in his efforts to organise such a National Association, and pledge ourselves to give the said movement our moral support."8
The motion was seconded by J.B. Howard and supported by W.T. Gent, a Liberal councillor. What Bassett-Vincent did not know until after the meeting, was that although the room was full of railway workers, trade unionists from other societies and their wives, plus a number of local councillors, there were only five railway clerks present. The reason, given the military style of management that prevailed, was obvious, they were simply frightened of being spotted
9 and with some justification; one of the clerks turned out to be a management spy who reported back, that nothing would come of it.
10 How wrong he was proved to be, but those who were willing to stand by their principles and work for the interests of their colleagues were well aware that the future would not be easy. Despite this, they believed that if they addressed their grievances to the directors of the railway companies in a fair and reasonable manner and without industrial action, they would be heard and in due course, the justice of their arguments would be recognised. The majority of railway companies and their senior managers saw things in a different way. To them, the development of a union of clerical workers was a sign of betrayal and they considered that the employees' first loyalty should be to the interests and profitability of their respective companies.
The National Association of General Railway Clerks (NAGRC) had been launched and its future was now in the hands of a small number of very brave determined people. Optimists the majority may have been, but none of those present could possibly have contemplated that by 1920 Sydney and Beatrice Webb would be writing in their monumental study of the trade union movement, Of clerks, the most effective organisation is that of the clerical service of the railway companies, the Railway Clerks' Association, which takes in also stationmasters, inspectors, and ticket collectors.
11
Members of the Association quickly found that their fledgling union was even more bitterly challenged than the manual unions.12 It was patently evident that a climate of fear existed and many members, reluctant to be publicly identified with the union, would use a nom de plume when writing to newspapers and magazines. The prospect of victimisation was very real and it was Bassett-Vincent's practice to keep the names of senior clerks and stationmasters on a central confidential file.
Stationmasters had good reason to be aggrieved. They were particularly exploited in some areas of the country and it was not uncommon for a stationmaster to act as foreman porter, signal inspector, ticket collector and booking clerk, in addition to his normal duties. As a group, they were particularly exposed to management intimidation. Nevertheless, they slowly but surely formed their own Associations or joined the Railway Clerks' Association (RCA) or the ASRS.
There is no particular reason why Sheffield became the birthplace of the NAGRC, but it did have a long tradition of working class organisation, particularly amongst skilled craftsmen. The Trades Council, formed in 1858, was one of the earliest to be established and by 1897 it was a powerful force within the city, having 65 affiliated unions representing 17,576 members. Railway workers had been organised in Sheffield for some time. The ASRS had a local branch of 500 and, whereas the national membership of other rail unions remained virtually static during 1897, the ASRS had increased its membership during the year from 44,709 to 85,928. This was the result of an All-Grades Campaign, which sought to improve wages and conditions for all its members. Other rail unions in existence at this time were the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), which had 100 branches including one of 187 members in Sheffield, where in 1880, it, too, had been formed. The United Pointsmen's and Signalmen's Society (UPSS) also formed in 1880 now had 30 branches and the GRWU founded in 1889, had 78 branches.
In Ireland, where the ASRS had several branches, there were two other registered unions. The Belfast and Dublin Locomotive Engine-drivers' and Firemen's Trade Union, registered in 1872, had 355 members, and the Waterford and Limerick Railway Company's Trade Union, registered in 1885, had a branch of 64. Just prior to the formation of the NAGRC, the Irish Railway Officers' Association was formed. This was based on the Great Southern and Western Railway and catered for clerks and stationmasters. It was not registered as a trade union and little is known of its activities, but as the RCA developed its work in Ireland, some of its members turned to the English-based union as it offered a greater measure of support.
Faced with oppressive management, low salaries, poor working conditions and long hours of labour, if there was one factor above all others that had stimulated railway clerks to do something collectively, it was the progress being made by other grades as a result of their membership of a trade union, and in particular, the ASRS. The massive public and press support during a dispute in 1896 between the ASRS and the London and North Western Railway, leading to the reinstatement of over 85 victimised railmen, was also a major influence.
Of greater significance was the ASRS dispute with the North Eastern Railway (NER) during 1897. Although not all the ASRS demands were conceded by the company (resulting in considerable criticism over the way negotiations had been handled by the General Secretary and his eventual dismissal) some improvements were won and the ASRS was recognised as a union for the first time. The ASRS had, by now, made some progress in recruiting clerks employed by the NER. This was resisted by the company who objected to its clerks being members of the ASRS as some had to deal with matters of confidentiality and were not expected to mix with the other grades. During the dispute Richard Bell, the ASRS Organiser, was confronted with this challenge and he offered to establish separate branches for his clerical members as had been done elsewhere. This was opposed by the General Manager, George Gibb, who told Bell that he was not hostile to clerks forming their own union. Bell accepted that there was some foundation for the objection13 and from then on the ASRS virtually ceased to recruit railway clerks. The clerical branches were closed eventually and their assets and equipment were sent to the head office of the ASRS. Bassett-Vincent, well aware of the wiles of management, had always considered that there could be problems if the NAGRC joined the ASRS, and it was partly for this reason that he, and the majority of members, sought to achieve a separate identity. Some clerks in the North-East had already taken the future into their own hands and towards the end of 1896 had formed the North-Eastern Passenger Clerks'Association. This continued until 1904 when most, but not all, joined the RCA.
Stationmasters, too, were on the move, and in November 1896 over a hundred met in Newcastle to form the North-Eastern Railway Station Masters' Association, which within a few weeks had 203 members. Their objectives were to obtain:
Although the NER was willing to tolerate a union of clerks they bitterly opposed the action of their stationmasters. Management sought to destroy the Association from its inception. A letter was sent to all stationmasters refusing them permission to attend the meeting, emphasising that if they had any complaints they should make them known to senior management who would consider them. Alternatively, if they desired to sever their connection with the company it would be ready to relieve them from their duties.
15 It is to the credit of the stationmasters that they resisted this threat but even so, the Association only lasted until 1899, when it was dissolved.
During the same period, yet another group saw the need to form a union, and in March 1897 telegraph clerks met in Derby and formed The Railway Telegraph Clerks' Association (RTCA). The meeting was attended by approximately 150 clerks, totally unaware that colleagues in Sheffield were planning a similar association. For some time there was considerable debate within the RTCA on the desirability of amalgamating with the NAGRC and its successor the RCA, but there were two stumbling blocks - pride in their own association and the fact that they did not wish to be formally registered as a trade union. A minority of members campaigned in favour of amalgamation for years and, in 1911, after a positive relationship had developed, 325 members agreed to dissolve the RTCA and join the RCA. Many former RTCA members played an active role in the RCA but none more so than its former General Secretary, John Robert Blackburn, who was Secretary and later Chairman of the Bradford branch.
There were a number of reasons why clerks had been relatively slow in forming their own union. Writing in 1904, the Editor of The Railway Clerk suggested it was largely owing to the lethargy, indifference and misplaced cringing, servile attitude adopted by the clerk, until the advent and progress of the Railway Clerks' Association.
16 There was, no doubt, some truth in the statement and certainly the majority of clerks felt that to succeed in their railway career they were obliged to accept the unpleasant conditions and military style of management existing throughout the industry. They were also aware that favouritism played a large part in promotion. As a result the Association repeatedly called for conditions based on those of the Civil Service whose employees had overcome similar problems in earlier years. All of these factors created an environment designed to maintain a compliant workforce. The fact that anyone was willing to take a stand against such a dictatorial style of management, risking antagonism and loss of promotion, can only enhance our admiration for such brave and dedicated pioneers.
Prior to 1897, only the most enlightened clerks joined the ASRS, but most had no interest in jeopardising their future. Some considered that it was not the organisation to meet their needs and that clerical problems would not merit the same priority as those of other grades of workers, but the overwhelming majority simply could not accept the fact that they shared the same interests as manual workers. There was however, another important factor that restrained clerks from joining the ASRS, and that was their reluctance to take industrial action. It was the emphasis on arbitration rather than the strike weapon which dominated their activity and it would be several years before the Association would even consider having a strike fund.
Those clerks that did join the ASRS were not always welcomed with open arms. Although sympathetic to their claim for improved conditions, The Railway Review (the official paper of the ASRS) stated in 1884:
"The rank and file in railway clerkdom cannot expect to be remunerated as are thorough commercial clerks, and for this reason: Although clerks by name, many thousands of them are not clerks in fact. Thousands there are in the service who are clerks in the fullest sense of the term; but the great majority would, if placed in a mercantile counting house, find themselves at a great loss to perform clerical duties in their entirety."17
Such was the background to the formation of the Association. The responsibility of taking the movement forward fell to our Sheffield colleagues who not only planned their own meeting, but also organised another which was held at the Ship Hotel, Rotherham on the 6th May 1897. The Rotherham members were W.H. Hartley (who later assisted in forming the York branch in 1898), R.D. Wilson and L. Wainwright.
In addition, a number came from Sheffield including John Hereford18 and Charles Bassett-Vincent. Hartley proposed that a branch be formed at Rotherham and this was carried unanimously, but unfortunately, when it came to electing officers, no-one was willing to risk the wrath of their managers and a branch was not established. Three days later, the first formal meeting of the Sheffield branch and the Association took place at the Wilberforce Cafe on Sunday 9th May 1897.19
Approximately sixty people were present, twelve of whom joined the Association. Bassett-Vincent was appointed General Secretary, Organiser and Treasurer, and announced that he had received letters from clerks all over the country who were interested in the Association. Sheffield was named the "Pioneer Branch" and the Association's motto was Defence not Defiance
. The branch chairman was John Hereford, the secretary T.W. Day and the treasurer Mr. Wright. The scale of contributions was set at threepence per week (1.25p) with an entrance fee of one shilling (5p). Between the April and May meetings Bassett-Vincent had been very active. Not only had he communicated with the Registrar-General, but he had also compiled a brief set of rules which were intended to last up to the first delegate conference when they could be reviewed. He had also produced a circular which was sent to thousands of potential members. For a short period the head office was based at Bassett-Vincent's home, but by Christmas premises were established at Gilmour Chambers, Queen Street, Sheffield.
Charles Bassett-Vincent was a controversial character. He had established the Railway Working Men's Provident Benefit Society in 1865 but it collapsed two years later when its leading members were dismissed. For years he had portrayed himself as the originator of the ASRS and the Derby Orphanage. It is not in doubt that he was a pioneer of that distinguished union and he certainly had the original idea of establishing an orphanage. G. Alcock, in his book 50 Years of Railway Trade Unionism describes Bassett-Vincent as an erratic and vacillating genius
and although he was ambitious, he was also lethargic and inefficient
. That was not all. Alcock considered him a dilettante, sluggish in temperament, as in action. His brain was a hive of plans, few ever matured, unless someone came to his aid and matured them.
After the failure of the Railway Working Men's Provident Society, Bassett-Vincent,under the patronage of M.T. Bass MP, travelled hundreds of miles and spoke to dozens of meetings in order to establish the ASRS. Later, he suggested to Bass that the union should have its own weekly newspaper and he was, for a brief period, its first Editor. He later became a paid District Secretary for the union but he resigned in 1876 to become the Travelling Agent for the Derby Orphanage, set up by the ASRS in 1875. When he resigned from the ASRS he failed to settle some financial matters and while there was no question of any inaccuracy in the accounts, he refused to return a number of books to the District Committee. The matter was further complicated as the union owed him a considerable amount for outstanding wages and expenses. In the end he was expelled from the ASRS. Alcock concluded his criticism of Bassett-Vincent by stating, With all his faults, he was a great soul, and his worst enemy was himself.
Despite his failings Bassett-Vincent did have his supporters. Indeed, when a retired railwayman heard of his new position as General Secretary of the NAGRC, he wrote to the Railway Herald stating that he had known Bassett-Vincent for over twenty-five years and he
"knew of no man better able to organise a society than he, and I wish him God speed, and trust the railway clerks of this country will rally around and make this new society one of the best Associations the country can boast of. Of course, it will take time and patience and plenty of hard work. But it behoves clerks to wake up and put on a good, bold front, and not be afraid to speak."20
A few months later Thomas Williams, (Treasurer of the Manchester Branch and an Executive Committee member) and one of the very few prepared to write letters to the press under his own name, told readers of the Railway Herald, Our General Secretary is a man of sterling ability, stainless character, and has undertaken the work from purely unselfish and disinterested motives.
21 Francis Fitzpatrick,22 also a member of the first Executive Committee (EC), was a good friend of Bassett-Vincent and kept in touch with him after he left the Association.
Whatever his motives or personality, Bassett-Vincent worked extremely hard to develop the Association. Each week he sent a report to the Railway Herald and was constantly in touch with recruits all over the country. He addressed many meetings, distributed circulars and did everything possible to get the movement started in an extremely difficult and hostile recruiting environment.
The importance of the Railway Herald during the early development of the Association cannot be overemphasised. Founded in 1887, it lasted until December 1903. It had been established for the express purpose of improving the conditions of service for railway workers, and although its front page stated it contained news of Transport, Engineering, Railway and Financial matters, trade union issues gradually became dominant. Eventually, it became the official organ of the Association but it was never the exclusive property of the RCA, and the GRWU, along with the RTCA, amongst others, were regular contributors to its columns. In 1903, the RCA attempted to persuade the proprietors to place Official Organ of the RCA
on the front cover of the Railway Herald but this would have created problems for the magazine and the idea was dropped. The Railway Herald eventually developed into a lively magazine and members were encouraged to sell it in their workplace in order to promote the union as widely as possible. As it was produced weekly it greatly assisted the Association to become established by publishing details of branch meetings, social activity and general information on the union's progress. During the period 1897 to 1903 the Editors were Philip Whitewell Wilson and W. Parker, who was a member of the RCA's Cambridge branch and the Association's EC. Both regularly attended the union's social events and in 1906, Philip Whitewell Wilson was elected to Parliament as a National Liberal, but was defeated in the election of 1910.
The Railway Review was, to say the least, extremely critical of the Railway Herald and on the 24th December 1897 it launched a bitter attack, stating:
"It is very amusing to watch the assiduous manner in which the Herald is just now boosting the newly formed railway clerks' associations. Every week columns upon columns are devoted to each, and, of course, invariably at the expense of the ASRS. We have the old time-worn wheezes again trotted out, and if one did not know differently, we would almost regard these efforts as evidence of a genuine desire to reform its character. But we are now afraid it is only another dodge to revive a rapidly drooping circulation... A few years ago it was the General Railway Workers' Union upon whom this capitalist rag was wont to show its attention, next came the Mutual Pointsmen's Society, then the Associated Firemen and now the Clerks' Union. But we believe the latter (if they live long enough) will, like the others, find out the hollowness of their much professing 'friend' of trade unionism."
Of course the Railway Herald did need to boost its circulation, but the Editor of The Railway Review was also aware that the NAGRC was beginning to challenge the ASRS in a field to which it had not, in previous years, given any serious attention.
During these early months, as clerks became more aware of the importance of joining a union, there were many sectarian squabbles between members of the NAGRC, RTCA and the ASRS as all three sought to define their territory and build their numbers. Having Bassett-Vincent as General Secretary of the NAGRC did not endear the Association to some within the ASRS and he would often be challenged by its members at public meetings. Invariably he responded by stating that he was not against the ASRS, but for the NAGRC, and it has to be said, that despite his earlier treatment at the hands of the ASRS, he rarely criticised the union, albeit he had little time for some leading personalities within it. At the end of 1898, reflecting on the Association's progress, he noted with some glee that the Editor of The Railway Review and the General Secretary of the ASRS had both been dismissed and he had lived to see three of its General Secretaries removed.
23
Following a meeting of telegraphists and clerks at the Oddfellows Hall, Liverpool, on 25th July 1897, a branch of the Association was opened in the city. A local councillor had been invited to conduct business but as he was unable to attend, Joseph Harding, a railway inspector, and a member of the ASRS, took the chair. Harding was an old friend of Bassett-Vincent and as a young man he had been so impressed with a speech that Bassett-Vincent had made in Manchester in 1866, that he decided to join the ASRS. Harding's speech, along with a stirring address by Bassett-Vincent lasting over an hour, ensured that Liverpool became the second branch of the NAGRC. But there was one other interesting development that arose from this meeting. In response to a question about membership for transport hauliers such as Pickford and Co., it was agreed that clerks in companies such as these could become members, although it was many years before this became a reality.
Bassett-Vincent made a number of visits to Manchester in an effort to recruit new members, and a large meeting, chaired by William Lang, President of Manchester GRWU led to the formation of a branch in August 1897. Later that month another branch was established at Walsall, and on 10th October 1897, the Leicester branch was inaugurated. The first meeting to be held in London was on 29th August 1897 at the Old Vestry Hall, Battersea. This was a moment of great emotion for Bassett-Vincent as it was in Battersea that he had addressed huge meetings in 1871 just prior to the launch of the ASRS. George Howell (who had been Secretary to the London Trades Council and was the first TUC Parliamentary Secretary) sent a letter to Bassett-Vincent, wishing the Association all possible success.24 During his stay in London Bassett-Vincent spent a considerable amount of time visiting the main stations and attempting to recruit new members. He was clearly overwhelmed with the changes that had taken place since his last visit.
"The rush and bustle was enormous. It used to be stated at one time that booking offices would be open ten minutes before trains started. They seem now to be open all day and through much of the night, and the clerks engaged on their feet all the time without a moment's rest. In the goods and parcels offices there was the same commotion. At several of the telegraph offices they seem to be inundated with messages, and however the whole business is managed without some mental breakdown is a marvel."25
The Battersea meeting led to the formation of the London (SW) branch in September, with members employed by four railway companies in their booking, goods and telegraphy departments. The second branch in London was East London, which was formed on 14th October 1897. This was followed by London (SE) on 13th January 1898. Another branch was opened at Stratford on 10th February but progress in London was slow compared with the rest of the country. By the end of 1897, after only a few months of hectic activity the Association had opened branches in Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester, Leicester, Reading, London, Nottingham, Doncaster, Walsall, Barnsley, and Peterborough.
It was not all plain sailing. On the contrary. Several branches collapsed, including Nottingham, which had been inaugurated in November 1897 and revived exactly one year later. Sheffield, Liverpool and Manchester were also closed, to be reopened in 1901. The Leicester branch, formed in October 1897, has the distinction of having the longest continuous record of service to the Association. Regardless of these difficulties branch life was making good progress elsewhere, and it was decided to launch a Benevolent Fund by holding a social in Sheffield on New Year's Day 1898. This took the form of a tea, concert and dance with over 250 attending, but although it was a success, it failed to raise much money. However, the principle had been established and eventually the Fund was placed on a proper footing, primarily owing to the efforts of Thomas Upton, the Chairman of the Stratford branch, who was elected as the Benevolent Fund Secretary.
The NAGRC made its first political decision by electing Alderman Batty Langley MP, a National Liberal, as President. He was also President of the local branch of the NUC. There were of course radical alternatives to having a Liberal as President. Socialist ideas had taken root in Sheffield and in 1885 a Socialist Club had been formed in the city by Edward Carpenter. The widely read Clarion newspaper (the most popular of the Labour papers), had established a local Field Club, Glee Club and Cycling Club and there was an active Socialist Education League. The Independent Labour Party (ILP) had been formed at Bradford in 1893 and by 1897 Sheffield had several active ILP branches. Political influence, however, rested with the Liberals and Conservatives, and clerical workers had no desire to change society. They sought to improve their conditions through the existing political order of the day and would not seriously consider any alternative for some years.
Batty Langley was born in 1834 and owned a large timber business. He had already been a member of Sheffield City Council and was its Mayor in 1893. A Justice of the Peace, Alderman and President of the Liberal Association, as Mayor he had achieved considerable prominence by promoting a conference in Sheffield to settle a coal strike. He had often taken an interest in the welfare of working people and, according to Bassett-Vincent, was well known as a tried and true friend of the working class.
26 Batty Langley was elected to Parliament in June 1894, representing the Attercliffe Division, but his selection as a candidate was controversial and reinforced the ILP's contention that there was no future in Labour continuing to align itself with Liberalism.
The Attercliffe constituency was largely working class and the Labour Electoral Association was eager to put forward its own candidate to contest the election. Normally, an arrangement would have been agreed with the Liberals to ensure that the vote would not be split, but the Liberals refused to co-operate and selected an employer - Batty Langley, rather than Labour's proposed candidate Charles Hobson27 (who had chaired the first meeting of the NAGRC on 4th April 1897). Labour supporters were furious at the Liberals' decision, and when Hobson withdrew, the Labour Electoral Association put up its own candidate, Frank Smith. The result was that Batty Langley obtained 4,486 votes, the Conservative 3,495, and Smith 1,249. The political controversy surrounding this by-election led James Ramsay MacDonald, the future leader of the Labour Party, to resign from the Liberal Party in disgust. He immediately joined the ILP and a new phase of Labour Party history began.
The first General Conference of the NAGRC was held at the Wentworth Cafe, Sheffield, on 7th November 1897 with 70 members in attendance. Batty Langley took the chair and Bassett-Vincent reported that the membership was now into the hundreds. In his speech Bassett-Vincent deplored the fact that many clerks had obtained promotion by favouritism, and it was essential that, after years of faithful service and proven ability, all had decent promotional prospects. He said that during his recruitment campaign he found that many clerks worked seven days a week, and seventeen hours on Sunday. The level of salaries was also of considerable concern, as were unhealthy offices. The General Secretary emphasised the importance of achieving a better understanding between employers and employed, and the need to establish a method of arbitration to resolve disputes - a policy entirely in tune with the wishes of the membership.
Arising from Bassett-Vincent's opening address it was agreed to produce a circular to attract new members. Its contents set out the Association's attitude to a number of questions and revealed, very sharply, some of the problems that had to be tackled.
During the conference the following resolution was passed:
"That we, clerks of various grades on different lines of railways outside the City of Sheffield, desire the Central Committee to place upon record that we greatly rejoice at this extraordinary meeting of representatives from different parts of the Kingdom - the first meeting of its kind in the history of any great railway system - and heartily appreciate the forward action of our Sheffield brethren in the initiative of this much needed movement."29
This was proposed by Francis Fitzpatrick, seconded by Thomas Williams, and supported by Cecil Harrison.30 The first EC consisted of C.S. Harrison (London SW); F. Fitzpatrick (Liverpool); T. Williams (Manchester); B.D. Carlisle, R. Patchett (Leicester); J. Hereford, T.W. Day and Mr. Wright (Sheffield). A.G. Walkden, who became General Secretary of the Association in 1906, attended the conference as a nonmember, promptly joined, and was elected to the committee.
During the meeting Batty Langley mentioned that Bassett-Vincent had helped to form the union without any payment because he thought it was absolutely necessary to do so, and the President hoped that the new EC would find a way to remunerate him for his services. This suggestion may have been prompted by Bassett-Vincent who hoped that the promise made to him at the first meeting of the Association, to appoint him as a paid secretary, would soon be fulfilled, as he was finding it difficult to make ends meet. This would, in due course, prove to be a matter of some controversy. Indeed, many of Bassett-Vincent's closest colleagues had become disillusioned with his style of work and lack of attention to financial matters, and some even wished to remove him from office.
By December the financial position had become acute. Bassett-Vincent was asking branches to help, not only with his personal financial position, but also to offset the cost of the Association's new offices and to make up the shortfall in subscriptions. Nottingham agreed to send 15/- (75p) in the pound to the Central Office rather than 7s 6d, (37½p), in the form of a loan. Manchester branch sent £5 and Leicester gave £5 to Bassett-Vincent as a Christmas present.
After a General Meeting of members in London during February 1898 (the chairman was Alderman F. Thompson, a prominent member of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), it was agreed to hold the first annual conference in Nottingham on 15th May 1898. Apart from London (SW), London (SE), Reading and Barnsley, all the branches were represented. As Batty Langley was unable to be present, a delegate, E. Willett (Nottingham), took the chair and immediately stated that in the rules no mention had been made of subscriptions. Although the Association had over a thousand members on paper, very few had actually made a financial contribution. In fact the true membership figure reported to the Board of Trade at the end of 1897 was only 297. A lengthy discussion took place on the financial state of the Association and the scene was set for the removal of Bassett-Vincent from office. A motion to reduce the subscription to 6d (2.5p) per calendar month was accepted, but the entrance fee remained at 1/- (5p). Any hope that the General Secretary may have had of being paid had now vanished, but worse was to come before the end of the day. By 8 votes to 3 delegates voted to change the name of the union to the Railway Clerks' Association; it was also agreed to accept supernumerary clerks into membership if they had been continuously employed for two years by one company, and were within the age limit that would allow them to be appointed to the company's permanent staff.
As the conference could not complete all its business that day, it was decided that it would be resumed at Leicester on 26th June. Just prior to the adjournment, it was agreed to discuss the official appointment and salary of the General Secretary. The chairman asked Bassett-Vincent to retire and the debate took place. In the course of the discussion the delegate from Leicester proposed, That Mr. Charles Bassett-Vincent be no longer retained as General Secretary
and this was carried with only one delegate against.31
The case against the General Secretary was primarily his inability to manage the affairs of the union and his laxity with money transactions. It was also said that by his general conduct he had completely lost the confidence of many members, including a majority of the EC. Indeed, so strong were the feelings of some delegates that there was a real danger of the Association collapsing. Some delegates recognised Bassett-Vincent's ability to recruit new members and consideration was given to retaining him for that purpose, but on balance, it was considered he had used the Association too much for self-advertisement
and unless he could boss the show he would never be happy.
32
Bassett-Vincent returned to the conference hall to be told the news. He could have used the opportunity to defend himself or at least make a statement, but he chose not to do so. It seemed to have been his fate that at key moments of his life indecision was his master. At the start of his stewardship, Bassett-Vincent had been given £5 for his services plus expenses, and delegates agreed that he should be given a further £5 which was all the Association could afford. John Hereford was elected as the General Secretary.
Some members were shocked at the news of Bassett-Vincent's dismissal and the decision provoked considerable debate within the Railway Herald. One member from Luton considered it was a planned affair from beginning to end, got up, no doubt, to further the selfish ends of a certain clique.
33 Defending himself a few weeks later, Bassett-Vincent admitted he had been lax with regard to money matters. He argued, possibly with some justification, that in getting the Association off the ground, without a committee to assist him and few subscriptions coming in, he had needed to beg and borrow under the names of grants and presents and that the problems of head office were in fact no different from those throughout the whole Association. He also maintained that the decision to dismiss him had come as a complete surprise but this was contested by the Leicester branch who insisted that they had given notice of their motion to the General Secretary and he had discussed it with a member of the branch.
They also claimed to have proof that hundreds of clerks refused to join the Association while Bassett-Vincent remained the Secretary. This was very unlikely, and the coming months showed that far from hundreds of clerks simply waiting to join the Association, it would enter the most difficult recruiting phase in its history.
Bassett-Vincent had estimated from his correspondence that he would be able to continue with a separate railway clerks' union using the NAGRC title, but he was mistaken. When the new General Secretary, John Hereford, explained the reasons behind the conference decision, it was accepted by the membership, and any plans Bassett-Vincent may have had to revive the NAGRC were dropped. Charles Bassett-Vincent has to be remembered for the positive contribution he made in laying the foundation upon which others would build. He may well have been his own worst enemy
, but there is no doubt that without his drive and ability to win large audiences all over the country the Association would almost certainly not have been established at this time. He was 59 years old when he became General Secretary of the NAGRC and he died in Buxton at the age of 74 in 1912.
When the resumed meeting took place at the Wyvern Hotel, Leicester on 26th June under the chairmanship of the Leicester branch secretary B.D. Carlisle,34 there was a great deal of apprehension amongst the delegates and the future was far from secure. To impose control over finances it was agreed to centralise branch funds,with all expenditure, other than that actually incurred by branches, being paid from the Central Fund. Despite the initial fears of many delegates, the conference finished on a positive note. The arguments over the dismissal of its General Secretary were put behind them and they now looked towards the future.
[1]. The Beehive 14th October 1865
[2]. Memorials or Petitions. The normal means of communicating to management requests for improvements to salaries or conditions of service. They detailed reasons for the claim and were signed by all supporters. Occasionally signatures were in a circle to protect the most prominent activists. They often commenced The Petitioners implore your favourable response to the prayer of this Petition...
- thus becoming known as the prayer of the petition
.
[3]. Railway Herald 29th May 1897.
[4]. An Authentic History of Railway Trade Unionism Page 12 C. Bassett-Vincent 1902.
[5]. An Authentic History of Railway Trade Unionism Page 12 C. Bassett-Vincent 1902.
[6]. Railway Herald 16th October 1897.
[7]. Railway Herald 13th November 1897.
[8]. Sheffield Daily Telegraph 5th April 1897.
[9]. The Railway Press 1st April 1898.
[10]. The Railway Clerk May 1915.
[11]. History of Trade Unionism Page 504 S. & B. Webb 1920.
[12]. The National Wages Board - and After. LRD 1923.
[13]. Special Report by the RCA EC upon negotiations with the NUR in respect of conditions under which the two unions might amalgamate. Modern Records Centre, Warwick University MSS.55/3/AM/I/2.
[14]. Railway Herald 5th December 1896.
[15]. Sheffield Daily Telegraph 9th December 1896.
[16]. The Railway Clerk 1st January 1904.
[17]. The Railway Review 4th April 1884.
[18]. J. Hereford (Sheffield). First member of the Association, first branch chairman and first RCA General Secretary. Moved to South Wales and became Chairman of Swansea branch. In 1929 he received the Association's Gold Medallion. Member Labour Party. Died at the age of 60 on 13th September 1930.
[19]. It was thought that the Association was formed on 8th May 1897. However, the Sheffield Daily Telegraph, published on Monday 10th May 1897, gives an account of the meeting and refers to it being held "last night". The Railway Herald published on Saturday 15th May gives a similar report, referring to the meeting held "on Sunday last". It can therefore safely be said that the date on which the first formal meeting of the NAGRC took place was Sunday 9th May 1897.
[20]. Railway Herald 24th July 1897.
[21]. Railway Herald 23rd October 1897.
[22]. F. B. Fitzpatrick JP (Liverpool). Secretary Labour Group Liverpool City Council. Treasurer Lancashire WEA Secretary, Treasurer and President, Liverpool Trades Council. Wrote many articles in The Railway Clerk and Railway Service Journal under his nom de plume "Francis".
[23]. Railway Herald 1st January 1898.
[24]. The Railway Review 4th September 1897.
[25]. Railway Herald 11th September 1897.
[26]. Railway Herald 12th June 1897.
[27]. Charles Hobson. President Sheffield Trades Council 1887-1903. Chairman Labour Electoral Congress at Bradford 1894.
[28]. Railway Times 4th December 1897.
[29]. Railway Herald 13th November 1897.
[30]. C. S. Harrison (Battersea). In May 1897 he was the first person to join the NAGRC in London.
[31]. Railway Herald 21st May 1898.
[32]. Railway Herald 12th November 1898.
[33]. Railway Herald 11th June 1898.
[34]. B. D. Carlisle (Leicester). EC 1897-1900.
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