John Edwin Morrish (23 September 1915 – 7 March 2003) 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. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

trade unionist and politician. Born in London, Morrish attended school in Hampstead, then found work with the

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

, becoming a technical officer. He joined the

Post Office Engineering Union The Post Office Engineering Union (POEU) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. It represented engineering staff in the Post Office, mostly working in telecommunications. History The union was founded in 1915 when the Post Office Enginee ...

(POEU), and became known as a militant. He was elected to the union's London District Committee, and Sectional Council A. In March 1940, he asked a clerk to show him some confidential material which he was not entitled to see, believing that it contained information the membership should be aware of. His act was discovered, and he was expelled from the union. At the 1941 annual conference, his brother Harry made the case for his reinstatement, but it was voted down by a large majority. However, the following year, the union leadership agreed to readmit him, believing that with the Soviet Union now part of the Allied war effort, militants would no longer cause any problems. In 1944, he was sent to work in the coal mines until the end of the war as "

Bevin Boy Bevin Boys were young British men conscripted to work in coal mines between December 1943 and March 1948, to increase the rate of coal production, which had declined through the early years of World War II. The programme was named after Erne ...

". By 1948, Morrish was again a leading figure in the London POEU, and he was one of the organisers of a demonstration for wage increases, against the wishes of the union leadership. He was reminded of his previous expulsion, but a motion at conference for harsher measures against him was defeated. Unable to make progress in the POEU, in 1954 he found a full-time position with the

Civil Service Union The Civil Service Union (CSU) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1917 and 1988. It represented lower-paid staff within the British Civil Service such as cleaners and messengers. History The union was formed in 1917 ...

, rising to become the union's assistant general secretary. He remained there until 1972, when he was appointed as the general secretary of the Customs and Excise Group, which he led into a merger with the Society of Civil and Public Servants. Morrish retired in 1976, and moved to Northamptonshire, and in 1981 he won election as a Labour Party member of

Northamptonshire County Council Northamptonshire County Council was the county council that governed the non-metropolitan county of Northamptonshire in England. It was originally formed in 1889 by the Local Government Act 1888, recreated in 1974 by the Local Government Act 19 ...

, also serving as the council's deputy leader, and as chair of its education committee. In 1986, he moved back to London and was elected to the

Hounslow London Borough Council Hounslow London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Hounslow in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. History There have previously been a number ...

, becoming vice-chair of its education committee. He served until 1990, when he returned to Northamptonshire, and from 1993 to 1998 served as a co-opted member of the county council's education committee. He was also involved in training school governors, and in 1994 he led the formation of the National Governors' Council, and serving as its first vice-chair. In 1998, Morrish moved to Somerset, representing the county on the National Governors' Council, and acting as a governor of a local school.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrish, Jack 1915 births 2003 deaths Bevin Boys Councillors in Greater London Members of Northamptonshire County Council General secretaries of British trade unions Labour Party (UK) councillors People from Hampstead