Joseph Robert Alwyn Machen (3 May 1900''1939 England and Wales Register'' – 2 March 1960) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...

leader who was president of the

Yorkshire Area of the National Union of Mineworkers The Yorkshire Miners' Association was a British trade union. It is now an integral part of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). History The union was founded in 1881 with the merger of the South Yorkshire Miners' Association, and the ...

and posthumously elected president of the National Union of Mineworkers. Born into a

coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

family in

Clowne Clowne is a village and civil parish in the Bolsover district of Derbyshire, England. The population at the 2001 Census was 7,447 increasing to 7,590 (and including Harlesthorpe) at the 2011 Census. It forms part of the Bolsover constituency. ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the no ...

, Machen left school and began working as a coal miner at the age of 13.''Labour Monthly'', vol.42 (1960), p.180 He continued his education at the Chesterfield Labour College, and soon began to lecture personally at the college. He joined the

Miners' Federation of Great Britain The Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) was established after a meeting of local mining trade unions in Newport, Wales in 1888. The federation was formed to represent and co-ordinate the affairs of local and regional miners' unions in Englan ...

(MFGB), and through this role, helped organise a major demonstration in London in 1925, where he heard

Herbert Smith Herbert Smith LLP was a multinational law firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The firm was founded in the City of London in 1882 by Norman Herbert Smith and merged with the Australian law firm Freehills on 1 October 2012, forming Herber ...

and

A. J. Cook Andrea Joy Cook (born July 22, 1978) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau on the CBS crime drama ''Criminal Minds'' (2005–2020, 2022). Cook has also appeared in ''The Virgi ...

speak, becoming a supporter of the two miners' leaders.Vin Williams, "Miners' Champion", ''The Plebs'', Vols.51-52, p.81 Following the

UK general strike The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 to 12 May 1926. It was called by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British governmen ...

, Machen struggled to find work, but eventually gained employment at a colliery in Thorne in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. There, he joined the

(MFGB), and rapidly rose through its ranks, first within his local union branch, then in 1945 becoming the regional Compensation Agent. In this role, he became well-known and wrote a book on the Industrial Injuries Act, 1946. In 1952, he was elected as President of the

Yorkshire Miners' Association The Yorkshire Miners' Association was a British trade union. It is now an integral part of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). History The union was founded in 1881 with the merger of the South Yorkshire Miners' Association, and the ...

. A member of the Labour Party, Machen was elected as a councillor on the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

County Council, and also on Thorne

Rural District Council Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the ad ...

.''Report of the 59th Annual Conference'' (1960), p.53 Machen first stood for the post of President of the National Union of Mineworkers (successor to the MFGB) in 1945, coming second to

Will Lawther Sir William Lawther (20 May 1889 – 1 February 1976) was a politician and trade union leader in the United Kingdom. Born in Choppington, in Northumberland, Lawther was educated at Choppington Colliery School, then became a coal miner. He becam ...

. He stood again in January 1960, but on 2 March died suddenly in hospital in Leeds, aged 59. The count for the presidential election was completed a few days later, showing that he had been posthumously elected to the position.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Machen, Alwyn 1900 births 1960 deaths Members of West Riding County Council Labour Party (UK) councillors People from Clowne Presidents of the National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain)