Cecil Heap (1902 – 24 March 1967) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

leader and politician. The son of Fred Heap, Cecil was born in Bury, then in Lancashire. In 1919, Heap began working for the Manchester, Salford and District Weavers' Association. In 1925, the union's general secretary died, and Heap beat 26 other applicants in an exam set by the

Amalgamated Weavers' Association The Amalgamated Weavers' Association, often known as the Weavers' Amalgamation, was a trade union in the United Kingdom. Initially, it operated in competition with the North East Lancashire Amalgamated Weavers' Association in part of its area, ...

, to win the post. The union was in decline, but Heap led an organising campaign which doubled its membership in five years, and also improved its finances. He also became active in the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU), and was a leading figure in its organising campaign of the late 1920s. In 1935, Heap moved to become general secretary of the Wallpaper Workers' Union. He followed the policy of his predecessor,

Charles Kean Charles John Kean (18 January 181122 January 1868) was an Irish-born English actor and theatre manager, best known for his revivals of Shakespearean plays. Life Kean was born at Waterford, Ireland, a son of actor Edmund Kean and actress Mary ...

, of engaging in committees with employers, and avoiding industrial action. Membership grew slowly under his leadership, Arthur Marsh and John B. Smethurst, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.5, pp.65, 78-79

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...

,
National Union of Wallcoverings, Decorative and Allied Trades
" In 1938, he was elected to the Management Committee of the GFTU, and he served as its chair in 1956 and 1957. Heap was also active in the Labour Party, and served on Bury Town Council. For a period, he was the leader of the Labour group on the council. In his spare time, Heap was a justice of the peace, chair of the governors of

Bury Grammar School Bury Grammar School is a 3–18 private day school for boys in Bury, Greater Manchester, England, that has existed since c.1570. It is now part of a group of schools for preschool, junior, senior and sixth form studies. Since 2017, when Bu ...

, and chair of Unsworth Cricket Club. Heap was due to retire in March 1967, but died in hospital a few days before his planned retirement date.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heap, Cecil 1902 births 1967 deaths General secretaries of British trade unions Presidents of the General Federation of Trade Unions (UK) People from Bury, Greater Manchester