Ivor Owen Thomas

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Ivor Owen Thomas (5 December 1898 – 11 January 1982)[1] was a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician.

Thomas was the son of Benjamin L. Thomas from Briton Ferry in South Wales.[2] He was educated at Vernon Place School in Briton Ferry. He was employed as a barber's lather boy,[3] and then at Gwalia Tinplate Works from 1912 to 1918, when he was called up for WW1 military service. As a conscientious objector, he refused, and spent a year in prison.[4] Thomas was an engine cleaner on the Great Western Railway from 1919 to 1923.[2] He won a scholarship to the Central Labour College in London, where he studied from 1923 to 1925, then worked at the head office of the National Union of Railwaymen until 1945.[3]

Thomas was a Labour Party councillor on Battersea Metropolitan Borough Council from 1928[3] or 1929[2] to 1945.[2] At the 1945 general election he was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for The Wrekin in Shropshire.[5][6] He was re-elected in 1950[7] and 1951,[8] holding the seat until defeat, by 478 votes, at the 1955 general election in favour of the Conservative William Yates.[3]

He then returned to work at the NUR headquarters until 1958, and worked for British Rail at London Waterloo station from 1960 to 1965.

There is a road named after him in the village of St Georges, situated in Telford (formerly the Wrekin constituency). (Ivor Thomas Road, St George's, Telford, TF2 9EZ, q.v., Google Maps)

Personal life[]

In 1929, Thomas married Beatrice Davis, daughter of William Davis.[3] They had one daughter.[3]

Beatrice died in 1978, and Thomas died in 1982, aged 83.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 5)
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Stenton, Michael; Lees, Stephens (1981). Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume IV, 1945–1979. Brighton: The Harvester Press. p. 365. ISBN 0-85527-335-6.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Obituary: Mr Ivor Owen Thomas". The Times. London. 16 January 1982. p. 8, col F. Retrieved 10 February 2011. (subscription required)
  4. ^ Arthur Horner: Incorrigible Rebel, Macgibbon & Kee, 1960, p 35
  5. ^ "No. 37238". The London Gazette. 24 August 1945. p. 4294.
  6. ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 453. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  7. ^ "No. 38851". The London Gazette. 28 February 1950. p. 1040.
  8. ^ "No. 39372". The London Gazette. 30 October 1951. p. 5664.

External links[]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Arthur Colegate 		Member of Parliament for The Wrekin
1945 – 1955 		Succeeded by
William Yates

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