Samuel Watson

CBE 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 ...

(11 March 1898 – 7 May 1967) was Agent of the Durham Miners' Association and member of the British Labour Party’s National Executive Committee. Watson was born on 11 March 1898 in the village of Boldon Colliery, in

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

. After an elementary education, at the age of 14 he became an underground coalminer at Boldon Colliery. By the age of 20 he had become secretary of the Boldon Miner's Lodge, continuing to work down the pit until 1936, when he became an agent of the Durham Miners' Association. In 1947 he became General Secretary of the recently reorganised National Union of Mineworkers (Durham Area). He was active in the Labour Party, was for 22 years a member of its National Executive Committee, and served as its chairman for the year 1949–1950. He declined the possibility of seeking political office in London, however, preferring to remain in Durham. He was a member of committees of the

National Coal Board The National Coal Board (NCB) was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the United Kingdom's collieries on "ve ...

and undertook many other charitable and educational activities. He was made a

in 1946. He died at his home in

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England **County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham *Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States Durham may also refer to: Places ...

on 7 May 1967 aged 69.

References

External links

biography at Durham Mining Museum

biography at the Durham Miner project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Sam 1898 births 1967 deaths English miners British trade union leaders People from The Boldons Trade unionists from Tyne and Wear Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English trade unionists Chairs of the Labour Party (UK)