J. T. Eddie Collins (1894–1972) was a

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

Miner A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face (mining), face; cutt ...

, labour activist and

local councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a Municipality, muni ...

. He was particularly active at

Denaby Main Denaby Main is a village between Mexborough and Conisbrough in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. The village falls within the Doncaster MBC ward of Conisbrough and Denaby. It was built by the Denaby Main Collie ...

, where he was for many years branch secretary of the Miners Union there. Eddie was born at

Wombwell Wombwell () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. In the 2011 census, data for the town was split between the ward of Wombwell and small sections that fell into the wards of Darfield (specifically the a ...

, a mining village near

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

. His father was a sinker at

Cadeby Main Colliery The Cadeby Main Colliery was a coal mine sunk in 1889 in Cadeby, South Yorkshire Cadeby is a village and civil parish in the City of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. The population at the census of 2011 was 203. It is about five mile ...

in the 1900s, and the family moved to Denaby Main. Eddie had aspirations to be a school teacher, but after failing the relevant exams he started work at Cadeby Main colliery, transferring to Denaby Main in 1911. However he did enrol in classes with the

Workers Educational Association Workers' Educational Associations (WEA) are not-for-profit bodies that deliver further education to adults in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. WEA UK WEA UK, founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult edu ...

where he was taught by Arnold Freeman.

References

contains some references
1894 births 1972 deaths Industrial Workers of the World members Councillors in Yorkshire and the Humber Labour Party (UK) councillors English trade unionists {{England-politician-stub