Heating and Domestic Engineers' Union

Heating and Domestic Engineers' Union

Merged into	National Union of Sheet Metal Workers and Coppersmiths
Founded	1872
Dissolved	1967
Headquarters	917 Warwick Road, Solihull
Location	United Kingdom
Members	23,592 (1966)
Affiliations	TUC, CSEU

The Heating and Domestic Engineers' Union (H&DEU) was a trade union representing a wide range of workers, particularly those involved with domestic pipework, in the United Kingdom.

The union was founded in 1872 as the Amalgamated Stove, Grate and Kitchen Range Fitters' Protection Society. It hoped to compete with the Amalgamated Society of Engineers by restricting its membership to those in a specific trade, but was also less selective in deciding the qualifications for membership.^[1][2]

The union survived, but remained very small for many years with only 360 by the end of the century. It changed its name to the Amalgamated Society of Kitchen Range, Hot Water, Art Metal and Other Fitters Concerned with the Above Trades in 1887, then to the United Society of Fitters and Smiths in 1898.^[1]

In 1908, the Amalgamated Society of Whitesmiths, Domestic Engineers and General Pipe Fitters and the Birmingham Society of Hot Water and Steam Engineers merged into the union, which changed its name to the National Union of Operative Heating and Domestic Engineers, Whitesmiths and General Iron Workers. It relocated its head office to Birmingham, and was finally able to claim a membership of more than 1,000 workers.^[1]

The Society of Smiths, Fitters, Hot Water and Steam Engineers merged into the union in 1911. In 1948, it renamed itself as the National Union of Operative Heating and Domestic Engineers and General Iron Workers, then in 1956 it shortened this to the "Heating and Domestic Engineers' Union".^[1]

In 1967, the union merged into the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers and Coppersmiths.^[1]

General Secretaries[]

1891: Richard Witham

1891: Robert Sewell

1920s: Ted Pacey

1953: Leonard Green

References[]