Harry Dubery 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 ...

labour movement activist.

Career

Dubery worked as a postman and became active in the

Fawcett Association The Fawcett Association was a trade union representing postal clerks in London. History The union was founded in 1890. It was named after Henry Fawcett, who it considered had been sympathetic to workers when he was Postmaster General. For most o ...

. From 1911 until 1918, he was the editor of the union's journal, ''The Post''. He was also prominent in the

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberal Party (UK), Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse work ...

(ILP), serving on its National Administrative Committee as the representative for London. Within the ILP, he was part of a minority which supported the UK's involvement in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, although he opposed

conscription Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...

. Despite this, he remained a prominent figure in the party throughout the war, and was one of its delegates to the Allied Socialist Conference held in London in 1917. In 1917, Dubery became the full-time secretary of a new Federation of Post Office Supervising Trade Unions, and also general secretary of the Post Office Controlling Officers' Association. He resigned from the ILP, and became labour adviser to the National Association of Employers and Employed. In 1921, he resigned from his trade union posts, but continued with the NAEE on a salary of £1000 per year, promoting the resolution of labour disputes without industrial action.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dubery, Harry Year of birth missing Year of death missing English trade unionists Independent Labour Party National Administrative Committee members