Jack Dash
Encyclopedia
Jack Dash was a British communist and trade union
leader, famous for his role in London
dock strikes.
Born in Southwark
to a family which was often in poverty, Dash left school at 14 to work as a page boy at a Lyons Corner House
. He later became a hod carrier
for a bricklayer, and worked in other jobs for short periods in between which he was unemployed. He enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps
and served for two years; he also became a professional boxer, fighting about a dozen bouts.
Dash joined the Communist Party of Great Britain
in 1936 and also joined its front organisation, the National Unemployed Workers' Movement
. He found a long-term job as a docker and a member of the Transport and General Workers Union and the National Dock Labour Board
. Dash prided himself on having been involved in every London dock strike from 1945 to 1969, stating that all but one had been worthwhile; the exception was an inter-union dispute. He was regarded by some as a firebrand and an agitator and was vilified as a bogeyman
by the conservative media in the same manner as Derek Robinson and Arthur Scargill
would later be. Dash, who was interested in poetry and would quote Samuel Butler
or Robert Browning
in his speeches, was often invited to address prestigious bodies: he spoke at 40 student meetings, and opposed the motion 'This House would outlaw unofficial strikes' at the Oxford Union
debating society.
Jack Dash was the outstanding rank and file leader of his generation in the London docks. Between 1959 and 1972, the wages of dockers trebled. However, they later all lost their jobs as the docks moved to Antwerp and Rotterdam due to the unionised workforce's every-increasing demands. In another memorable moment of genius Jack decided to strike to oppose containerisation as it would stop the pilfering from the cargo ships by the quasi-criminal illiterate dock workers. This incentivised further the move to Antwerp and Rotterdam
After a life-time of struggle Jack retired to become an official London tourist guide and devote more time to his other hobbies of writing and painting. In retirement, Dash became an advocate for pensioners' rights. He was commemorated by the naming of "Jack Dash House", a municipal office building on the Isle of Dogs
. Built by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in 1990 to honour the London dockers Communist leader, it houses local council offices and the Jack Dash Gallery which holds regular exhibitions of contemporary art from Britain and all over the world.
Jack Dash died in London in 1989 at the age of 82. His autobiography Good Morning Brothers!, published in 1969, was a testimony to his work as a militant trade unionist and his lifelong membership of the Communist Party. In it he said that the only epitaph he wanted was: "Here lies Jack Dash / All he wanted was / To separate them from their cash".
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
leader, famous for his role in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
dock strikes.
Born in Southwark
Southwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
to a family which was often in poverty, Dash left school at 14 to work as a page boy at a Lyons Corner House
J. Lyons and Co.
J. Lyons & Co. was a market-dominant British restaurant-chain, food-manufacturing, and hotel conglomerate founded in 1887 as a spin-off from the Salmon & Gluckstein tobacco company....
. He later became a hod carrier
Brick hod
A brick hod is a three-sided box for carrying bricks or other construction materials, often mortar. It bears a long handle and is carried over the shoulder...
for a bricklayer, and worked in other jobs for short periods in between which he was unemployed. He enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
and served for two years; he also became a professional boxer, fighting about a dozen bouts.
Dash joined the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
in 1936 and also joined its front organisation, the National Unemployed Workers' Movement
National Unemployed Workers' Movement
The National Unemployed Workers' Movement was a British organisation set up in 1921 by members of the Communist Party of Great Britain. It aimed to draw attention to the plight of unemployed workers during the post World War I slump, the 1926 General Strike and later the Great Depression, and to...
. He found a long-term job as a docker and a member of the Transport and General Workers Union and the National Dock Labour Board
National Dock Labour Board
The National Dock Labour Board , which administered the National Dock Labour Scheme, was an administrative board for the operation of British docks.-Creation of National Dock Labour Board:...
. Dash prided himself on having been involved in every London dock strike from 1945 to 1969, stating that all but one had been worthwhile; the exception was an inter-union dispute. He was regarded by some as a firebrand and an agitator and was vilified as a bogeyman
Bogeyman
A bogeyman is an amorphous imaginary being used by adults to frighten children into compliant behaviour...
by the conservative media in the same manner as Derek Robinson and Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill is a British politician who was President of the National Union of Mineworkers from 1982 to 2002, leading the union through the 1984–85 miners' strike, a key event in British labour and political history...
would later be. Dash, who was interested in poetry and would quote Samuel Butler
Samuel Butler
Samuel Butler may refer to:*Samuel Butler , author of Hudibras*Samuel Butler , classical scholar, schoolmaster at Shrewsbury, Bishop of Lichfield...
or Robert Browning
Robert Browning
Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets.-Early years:...
in his speeches, was often invited to address prestigious bodies: he spoke at 40 student meetings, and opposed the motion 'This House would outlaw unofficial strikes' at the Oxford Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
debating society.
Jack Dash was the outstanding rank and file leader of his generation in the London docks. Between 1959 and 1972, the wages of dockers trebled. However, they later all lost their jobs as the docks moved to Antwerp and Rotterdam due to the unionised workforce's every-increasing demands. In another memorable moment of genius Jack decided to strike to oppose containerisation as it would stop the pilfering from the cargo ships by the quasi-criminal illiterate dock workers. This incentivised further the move to Antwerp and Rotterdam
After a life-time of struggle Jack retired to become an official London tourist guide and devote more time to his other hobbies of writing and painting. In retirement, Dash became an advocate for pensioners' rights. He was commemorated by the naming of "Jack Dash House", a municipal office building on the Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is bounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames.-Etymology:...
. Built by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in 1990 to honour the London dockers Communist leader, it houses local council offices and the Jack Dash Gallery which holds regular exhibitions of contemporary art from Britain and all over the world.
Jack Dash died in London in 1989 at the age of 82. His autobiography Good Morning Brothers!, published in 1969, was a testimony to his work as a militant trade unionist and his lifelong membership of the Communist Party. In it he said that the only epitaph he wanted was: "Here lies Jack Dash / All he wanted was / To separate them from their cash".
External links
- Jack Dash, British Communist, 82 - The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
obituary - Jack Dash photo - www.portcities.org.uk
- Jack Dash House - www.towerhamlets.gov.uk