Gerald Bright Croasdell

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(12 July 1916 – 15 July 1998) was a British trade union leader. Croasdell grew up in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

, and then studied law at

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 students and fellows. It is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from ...

. He was President of the Cambridge Union in Lent term 1937, and was also a member of the

Cambridge Apostles The Cambridge Apostles (also known as the Conversazione Society) is an intellectual society at the University of Cambridge founded in 1820 by George Tomlinson, a Cambridge student who became the first Bishop of Gibraltar. History Student ...

. After graduation, he ran the youth section of the

League of Nations Union The League of Nations Union (LNU) was an organization formed in October 1918 in Great Britain to promote international justice, collective security and a permanent peace between nations based upon the ideals of the League of Nations. The League o ...

, and campaigned on behalf of the Republican side in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Croasdell served as a tank commander, then as an Army officer on board a ship in the Far East. At the end of the war, he was made an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

. He spent time as a lawyer in private practice, but in 1950 became the legal officer of Equity. He was soon also appointed the union's deputy general secretary, then, when in 1958 its general secretary died, he was elected to the post. While Croasdell privately supported Marxism, as leader of the union he focused on taking a non-partisan role in negotiations. In 1974, he moved to become general secretary of the

International Federation of Actors The International Federation of Actors (, FIA) is a global union federation bringing together trade unions representing actors. History The federation was established in 1952, on the initiative of the British Actors' Equity Association, and the S ...

, retiring in 1983.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Croasdell, Gerald 1916 births 1998 deaths Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge British Army personnel of World War II General secretaries of Equity (British trade union) People from Hampstead Presidents of the Cambridge Union British Army officers