Ernie Thornton
Encyclopedia
Ernest "Ernie" Thornton was an English-born Australian trade union leader.
Thornton was born in Huddersfield
in Yorkshire
to tram driver Lewis Thornton and Selina, née Kerry. Selina left Lewis when Ernie was two, and after taking factory and building jobs Thornton was brought to Sydney
by the Dreadnought Trust in 1924 and sent to the Government Training Farm at Scheyville
. He was subsequently a construction worker and became a militant unionist. The Great Depression
left him unemployed, and this led him to join the Communist Party of Australia
(CPA). On 9 August 1934 he married Alice Mary "Lila" Felstead, née Curtis, who was divorced with two sons, at Collins Street in Melbourne
.
As part of the Communist Party's drive to take over the trade union movement, Thornton attempted a takeover of the Federated Ironworkers Association of Australia (FIA), and was elected an organiser in 1935. By 1936 he was part-time general secretary, and also a member of the CPA's central committee. Following the recovery of the economy in the late 1930s Thornton was made full-time general secretary and moved to Sydney
, where he strengthened control over the FIA.
Thornton's control of the FIA was threatened in 1946 when a Balmain
branch, backed by the Labor
Industrial Groups
, ran a strong ticket headed by Laurie Short
. Thornton won but Short took the case to the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, which found that "persons unknown" had rigged the ballot, leaving Short as national secretary. Thornton resigned in 1950 to become Australasia's representative at the World Federation of Trade Unions
' (WFTU) liaison bureau in Peking, but he was left without a job when the Australian Council of Trade Unions
withdrew recognition of the WFTU. The FIA refused to accept him back and Thornton was employed full-time by the Communist Party.
A decline in party finances led to his return to manual labour as a crane driver, becoming honorary president of the Sydney branch of the Federated Engine Drivers' and Firemen's Association of Australasia. He died at Lidcombe
in 1969 of myocardial infarction
.
Thornton was born in Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
to tram driver Lewis Thornton and Selina, née Kerry. Selina left Lewis when Ernie was two, and after taking factory and building jobs Thornton was brought to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
by the Dreadnought Trust in 1924 and sent to the Government Training Farm at Scheyville
Scheyville, New South Wales
Scheyville is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Scheyville is located 54 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Hawkesbury.-Parks:...
. He was subsequently a construction worker and became a militant unionist. The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
left him unemployed, and this led him to join the Communist Party of Australia
Communist Party of Australia
The Communist Party of Australia was founded in 1920 and dissolved in 1991; it was succeeded by the Socialist Party of Australia, which then renamed itself, becoming the current Communist Party of Australia. The CPA achieved its greatest political strength in the 1940s and faced an attempted...
(CPA). On 9 August 1934 he married Alice Mary "Lila" Felstead, née Curtis, who was divorced with two sons, at Collins Street in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
As part of the Communist Party's drive to take over the trade union movement, Thornton attempted a takeover of the Federated Ironworkers Association of Australia (FIA), and was elected an organiser in 1935. By 1936 he was part-time general secretary, and also a member of the CPA's central committee. Following the recovery of the economy in the late 1930s Thornton was made full-time general secretary and moved to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, where he strengthened control over the FIA.
Thornton's control of the FIA was threatened in 1946 when a Balmain
Balmain, New South Wales
Balmain is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Balmain is located slightly west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
branch, backed by the Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
Industrial Groups
Industrial Groups
The Industrial Groups were groups formed by the Australian Labor Party in the late 1940s, to combat Communist Party influence in the trade unions....
, ran a strong ticket headed by Laurie Short
Laurie Short
Laurence Elwyn "Laurie" Short, AO, OBE was an Australian trade union leader and leading figure in the Australian Labor Party...
. Thornton won but Short took the case to the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, which found that "persons unknown" had rigged the ballot, leaving Short as national secretary. Thornton resigned in 1950 to become Australasia's representative at the World Federation of Trade Unions
World Federation of Trade Unions
The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
' (WFTU) liaison bureau in Peking, but he was left without a job when the Australian Council of Trade Unions
Australian Council of Trade Unions
The Australian Council of Trade Unions is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated unions.-History:The ACTU was formed in 1927 as the "Australian Council of Trade Unions"...
withdrew recognition of the WFTU. The FIA refused to accept him back and Thornton was employed full-time by the Communist Party.
A decline in party finances led to his return to manual labour as a crane driver, becoming honorary president of the Sydney branch of the Federated Engine Drivers' and Firemen's Association of Australasia. He died at Lidcombe
Lidcombe, New South Wales
Lidcombe is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. Lidcombe is located 14 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Auburn Council....
in 1969 of myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.