John Ward (trade unionist)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel John Ward CB
CMG
(21 November 1866 – 19 December 1934) was an English
politician, trade union leader and soldier.
, Weybridge
, Surrey
, the son of Robert and Caroline Ward. His father, a plasterer
, died when he was three and he and his mother moved back to her home village of Appleshaw
, near Andover, Hampshire
. He had no real education and began working at a variety of odd jobs when he was seven years old. At the age of twelve he began work as a navvy
on the Andover and Weyhill Railway, lodging with a man in Weyhill
. He continued working as a navvy on jobs all over the country, including the Manchester Ship Canal
, for the next seven years. It was only during this time that he learned to read and write.
In 1885, he enlisted in the British Army
and served in the Sudan campaign, where he worked on the uncompleted military railway from Suakin
to Berber
. He was now becoming increasingly interested in politics and in 1886 joined the new Social Democratic Federation
. On 9 November 1886 he took part in the meeting in Trafalgar Square
which had been specially organised by the SDF to test the legality of the proclamation of Sir Charles Warren
, the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
, that demonstrations of the unemployed could not be held there. He was arrested, but due to his military record escaped with a fine.
throughout its existence. He was also a co-founder of the short-lived National Federation of Labour Union the same year. In 1901, he was elected to the management committee of the new General Federation of Trade Unions
and served on it until 1929; from 1913 he was its treasurer.
In 1892, Ward married Lilian Elizabeth Gibbs. They had three sons and a daughter. Lilian Ward died on 14 December 1926.
In 1888 and 1892 Ward unsuccessfully stood as an SDF candidate in local elections. He was prominent in the National Democratic League founded in 1900. In 1906
he was elected as Liberal–Labour
Member of Parliament
for Stoke-upon-Trent
, having refused to sign the Labour Representation Committee constitution three years earlier. He never took the Labour
whip and was generally considered to be a Liberal
for statistical purposes.
. Using his connections in the labour movement, he recruited five labour battalion
s and in 1915 raised and became commanding officer
of a pioneer
battalion, the 25th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (known as "The Navvies' Battalion" and later to become known as the "Diehards"), with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He commanded the battalion in France
for a short period, but was then ordered to the Far East
. On the voyage, on 8 February 1917, the troopship
Tyndareus hit a mine
off the coast of South Africa. He acquitted himself extremely well in this incident, keeping his composure throughout as he organised the evacuation of his men in the lifeboat
s. The battalion later continued with its voyage, serving as garrison
troops in Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements
.
Ward and his battalion were then sent to Siberia
to support the White
forces of Admiral Kolchak during the Russian Civil War
. They were originally only intended for garrison duty, but soon found themselves in the field. Ward took his men from Vladivostock to Omsk
, and effectively served as senior British officer in the region. He was instrumental in saving the lives of the Directorate of Five whom Kolchak replaced, but was on friendly terms with Kolchak throughout the period. His book about these events, With the Diehards in Siberia, was published in 1920, shortly after his return to England on 3 September 1919. He later became secretary of the Russian Relief and Reconstruction Fund, which helped those who had been victims of the Bolsheviks. He also became a vice-president of the British Legion and a trustee of Comrades of the Great War
, another veterans' organisation founded in 1917.
Ward was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
(CMG) in 1918 and Companion of the Order of the Bath
(CB) in 1919. He also received the French Croix de guerre
(for the Battle of Kraevsky) and the Italian and Czechoslovakia
n equivalents, and was given the great honour of being made an ataman
by his Cossack
allies.
and having seen the atrocities committed by the Bolsheviks in Russia, and was returned as a Coalition Liberal in 1918
, unopposed in his absence; in 1922
, with a large majority; and in 1923
, with a much smaller majority. In 1924
he was returned as an independent Constitutionalist, backed by the Liberals
and Conservatives
, although he rejoined the Liberal Party soon afterwards on 16 December 1924. In 1922 he was appointed to the Select Committee on War Service Canteens.
In 1929
, Ward was defeated by Lady Cynthia Mosley
, the Labour candidate, by a large margin, and decided to retire from politics. He retired to Weyhill, where he became a justice of the peace
and president of the Andover branch of the British Legion. Having suffered heart problems for several years, he died at his home in 1934 and was buried in Appleshaw, where he had spent much of his childhood.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(21 November 1866 – 19 December 1934) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
politician, trade union leader and soldier.
Early life
Ward was born at OatlandsOatlands
Oatlands is a village and small district near Weybridge in Surrey which has acquired its name from the Royal Tudor and Stuart Oatlands Palace, the site of which is now a luxury hotel...
, Weybridge
Weybridge
Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England. It is bounded to the north by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, the son of Robert and Caroline Ward. His father, a plasterer
Plasterer
A plasterer is a tradesman who works with plaster, such as forming a layer of plaster on an interior wall or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls...
, died when he was three and he and his mother moved back to her home village of Appleshaw
Appleshaw
Appleshaw is a village in the English county of Hampshire. The name Appleshaw is derived from Old English ‘scarga’ - a shaugh or wood; thus Appleshaw may mean ‘apple wood’. It includes the hamlet of Ragged Appleshaw, the ‘ragged’ possibly being a corruption of ‘roe gate’ - the gate of the Royal...
, near Andover, Hampshire
Andover, Hampshire
Andover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
. He had no real education and began working at a variety of odd jobs when he was seven years old. At the age of twelve he began work as a navvy
Navvy
Navvy is a shorter form of navigator or navigational engineer and is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects...
on the Andover and Weyhill Railway, lodging with a man in Weyhill
Weyhill
Weyhill is a village, three miles west of Andover, Hampshire. Within it there is a church, a nursing home, a pub and an historic Fairground site that houses a number of craft studios, a Village Hall and a Tearoom...
. He continued working as a navvy on jobs all over the country, including the Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
, for the next seven years. It was only during this time that he learned to read and write.
In 1885, he enlisted in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and served in the Sudan campaign, where he worked on the uncompleted military railway from Suakin
Suakin
Suakin or Sawakin is a port in north-eastern Sudan, on the west coast of the Red Sea. In 1983 it had a population of 18,030 and the 2009 estimate is 43, 337.It was formerly the region's chief port, but is now secondary to Port Sudan, about 30 miles north. The old city built of coral is in ruins...
to Berber
Berber, Sudan
Berber is a town in the Nile state of northern Sudan, 50 km north of Atbara, near the junction of the Atbara River and the Nile.The town was the starting-point of the old caravan route across the Nubian Desert to the Red Sea at Suakin....
. He was now becoming increasingly interested in politics and in 1886 joined the new Social Democratic Federation
Social Democratic Federation
The Social Democratic Federation was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on June 7, 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury and Eleanor Marx. However, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx's long-term...
. On 9 November 1886 he took part in the meeting in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
which had been specially organised by the SDF to test the legality of the proclamation of Sir Charles Warren
Charles Warren
General Sir Charles Warren, GCMG, KCB, FRS was an officer in the British Royal Engineers. He was one of the earliest European archaeologists of Biblical Holy Land, and particularly of Temple Mount...
, the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is the head of London's Metropolitan Police Service, classing the holder as a chief police officer...
, that demonstrations of the unemployed could not be held there. He was arrested, but due to his military record escaped with a fine.
Pre-war trade union and political career
In 1889, Ward founded the Navvies, Bricklayers' Labourers and General Labourers' Union, and continued to serve as its general secretaryGeneral secretary
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
throughout its existence. He was also a co-founder of the short-lived National Federation of Labour Union the same year. In 1901, he was elected to the management committee of the new General Federation of Trade Unions
General Federation of Trade Unions (UK)
The General Federation of Trade Unions is a national trade union centre in the United Kingdom. It has 35 affiliates with a membership of just over 214,000 and describes itself as the "federation for specialist unions".-History:...
and served on it until 1929; from 1913 he was its treasurer.
In 1892, Ward married Lilian Elizabeth Gibbs. They had three sons and a daughter. Lilian Ward died on 14 December 1926.
In 1888 and 1892 Ward unsuccessfully stood as an SDF candidate in local elections. He was prominent in the National Democratic League founded in 1900. In 1906
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
he was elected as Liberal–Labour
Liberal-Labour (UK)
The Liberal–Labour movement refers to the practice of local Liberal associations accepting and supporting candidates who were financially maintained by trade unions...
Member of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
for Stoke-upon-Trent
Stoke-upon-Trent (UK Parliament constituency)
Stoke-upon-Trent was a parliamentary borough in Staffordshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1832 until 1885, and then one member from 1885 until 1918, when the borough was enlarged, renamed Stoke-on-Trent, and split into three single-member...
, having refused to sign the Labour Representation Committee constitution three years earlier. He never took the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
whip and was generally considered to be a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
for statistical purposes.
First World War
When the First World War broke out in 1914, Ward rejoined the Army, this time as a commissioned officer in the Middlesex RegimentMiddlesex Regiment
The Middlesex Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms when the 57th and 77th Regiments of Foot were amalgamated with the county's militia and rifle volunteer units.On 31 December 1966 The Middlesex Regiment was amalgamated with three...
. Using his connections in the labour movement, he recruited five labour battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s and in 1915 raised and became commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of a pioneer
Assault Pioneer
An Assault Pioneer is an infantry soldier who is responsible for:* The construction of tools for infantry soldiers to cross natural and man-made obstacles as well as breaching of enemy fortifications;...
battalion, the 25th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (known as "The Navvies' Battalion" and later to become known as the "Diehards"), with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He commanded the battalion in France
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
for a short period, but was then ordered to the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. On the voyage, on 8 February 1917, the troopship
Troopship
A troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime...
Tyndareus hit a mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
off the coast of South Africa. He acquitted himself extremely well in this incident, keeping his composure throughout as he organised the evacuation of his men in the lifeboat
Lifeboat (shipboard)
A lifeboat is a small, rigid or inflatable watercraft carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard ship. In the military, a lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors sometimes...
s. The battalion later continued with its voyage, serving as garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
troops in Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements
Straits Settlements
The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia.Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under direct British control as a crown colony on 1 April 1867...
.
Ward and his battalion were then sent to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
to support the White
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
forces of Admiral Kolchak during the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
. They were originally only intended for garrison duty, but soon found themselves in the field. Ward took his men from Vladivostock to Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
, and effectively served as senior British officer in the region. He was instrumental in saving the lives of the Directorate of Five whom Kolchak replaced, but was on friendly terms with Kolchak throughout the period. His book about these events, With the Diehards in Siberia, was published in 1920, shortly after his return to England on 3 September 1919. He later became secretary of the Russian Relief and Reconstruction Fund, which helped those who had been victims of the Bolsheviks. He also became a vice-president of the British Legion and a trustee of Comrades of the Great War
Comrades of the Great War
The Comrades of The Great War were formed in 1917 as a non-political association to represent the rights of ex-service men and women who had served or had been discharged from service during World War I. Comrades of The Great War was one of the original four ex-service associations that amalgamated...
, another veterans' organisation founded in 1917.
Ward was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(CMG) in 1918 and Companion of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(CB) in 1919. He also received the French Croix de guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
(for the Battle of Kraevsky) and the Italian and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
n equivalents, and was given the great honour of being made an ataman
Ataman
Ataman was a commander title of the Ukrainian People's Army, Cossack, and haidamak leaders, who were in essence the Cossacks...
by his Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
allies.
Post-war
After the war, Ward returned to the House of Commons. He had begun to move further away from Labour, being vehemently opposed to pacifismPacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
and having seen the atrocities committed by the Bolsheviks in Russia, and was returned as a Coalition Liberal in 1918
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
, unopposed in his absence; in 1922
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
, with a large majority; and in 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, with a much smaller majority. In 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
he was returned as an independent Constitutionalist, backed by the Liberals
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
and Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, although he rejoined the Liberal Party soon afterwards on 16 December 1924. In 1922 he was appointed to the Select Committee on War Service Canteens.
In 1929
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, Ward was defeated by Lady Cynthia Mosley
Lady Cynthia Mosley
Lady Cynthia Blanche Mosley was a British politician of Anglo-American parentage and the first wife of the Conservative and Labour MP and British fascist Sir Oswald Mosley...
, the Labour candidate, by a large margin, and decided to retire from politics. He retired to Weyhill, where he became a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and president of the Andover branch of the British Legion. Having suffered heart problems for several years, he died at his home in 1934 and was buried in Appleshaw, where he had spent much of his childhood.