
trade union
leader and Labour politician
. He served as general secretary
of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union
from 1922 to 1945, as Minister of Labour
in the war-time coalition government
, and as Foreign Secretary in the post-war Labour Government
.
Bevin was born in the village of Winsford
in Somerset
, England
, to Diana Bevin who, since 1877, had described herself as a widow. His father is unknown. After his mother's death in 1889, the young Bevin lived with his half-sister's family, moving to Morchard Bishop
in Devon
.
If the workers see themselves faced with defeat through starvation, they will prefer to go down fighting rather than fainting — and whether or not we leaders agree.
The most conservative man in the world is the British Trade Unionist when you want to change him.
The kind of middle-class mentality which actuates both those responsible for strategy and government has little knowledge of the new psychology and organizing ability of the totalitarian States. The forces we are fighting are governed neither by the old strategy nor follow the old tactics.
The fact of it is that all of us agreed to save 6d. in the Income Tax by breaking up the Army in peace-time and not having it prepared when war broke out...I will never be a party to it again.
So long as I have any power at all I will never be a party to treating the Army in the future as it has been treated in the past. They broke up in peace-time the very foundations of the Army structure, and expected to build it up during war-time with the enemy at the gates.
There should be a study of a house directly elected by the people of the world to whom the nations are accountable.