Shelf Life No. 21 Winter 2008 Ship Constructors’ and 19th and early 20th century. rade Union support continues unabated. You will recall that in the last There were many Tedition of 'Shelf Life' 49 Unite branches had become friends of the library. Shipwright’ Association Since then a further 37 branches have come on board giving a grand total of 95 demarcation issues between rom the shipwrights, carpenters F Trade Unite branches nationally associating themselves with the library. Following n 1882 the Associated Society of Shipwrights was and boilermakers. This can on their heels are 21 GMB branches newly added to our mailing list. Readers formed from many of the local shipwrights' I be seen in the reports and who've been with us a while will remember the GMB's decision to contribute societies that existed around the country. In 1908, Union papers of the Association towards our ever-increasing energy bill. This contribution is paid twice yearly after several major amalgamations, it became the and several arbitration C and our mid year support of just under £3,000 was received in September. Ship Constructive and Shipwrights' Association othe n Support reports from shipyards llectio We would also like to thank for their continuing support regions or branches of around the country. These the CWU, FBU, NUJ and UNISON. awards go into great detail For the fourth year running we've had the usual annual donation from the NASUWT and recently about each individual job to be donations from the national office of the FBU and a separate one from its National Women's Committee. done and who should carry it out, such as who The total this quarter has been just over £9,000. makes racks for capstan bars, or who makes spar We would love to give all of you something in return but all we have is the collection so if you want to beds? embark on some educational projects and think you could make use of our material please let us know. The Executive Committee's reports and papers contain a wealth of information unrelated to shipbuilding collected by Alexander Wilkie, told the story of the police wielding truncheons General Secretary of the Shipwrights' Society and Battle of Bexley charging at unarmed later an early Labour Party MP for Dundee. There Square which took demonstrators. Twelve people are pamphlets on subjects such as pensions, place on October 1st were arrested and four of them housing, the Boer War, National Insurance Act 1911 1931. A peaceful, received custodialsentences. and later changed its name to the Ship and anti-vivisection. Other interesting items well orderedmarch One of these was Edmund Frow, Constructors' and Shipwrights' Association. The include a speech by Alexander Wilkie as part of the set off from a croft on our co-founder, who had his nose broken by the police and records form part of the GMB archive and give us a enquiry into the sinking of the Titanic. t started in America with Liverpool St to deliver a nose broken by the police and charter to Salford Town Hall in served five months' hard labour great insight into the shipbuilding trade of the late Ifoldingbanks and rising unemployment spreading Bexley Square where the local in Strangeways gaol. rapidly throughout the world response to the cuts in The display stand is now in the The Clarions until Britain too was in crisis. expenditure 2,300,000 people were registered was to be he Clarion movement is more studies and the drawing groups, as out of work and a debated in a loose affiliation of like- and each issue had a song sheet T £120,000,000 budget deficit was the Council minded organisations than an insert. The Clarion also predicted for the following year. Chamber. organised movement. First came published a series of pamphlets Not 2008 but 1931 when the There was a The Clarion newspaper, founded giving a socialist perspective on National Government serious by Robert Blatchford and a like- a variety of subjects. responded to the crisis by an act delay minded group of friends and The library has a collection of which reduced all benefits by caused by family in 1891. This inspired the Clarion movement publications 10% and removed 852,000 the police setting up in 1895 of the National including issues of The Scout, claimants from benefits forcing the Clarion Cycling Club with the aim Clarion Cycling Club handbooks altogether through the march to of combining the founders' love of and Clarion pamphlets. We also mechanism of the detested deviate cycling with their love of socialism. have a collection of Sheffield 'Means Test'. In response the from their The Scout was also launched in Clarion Ramblers handbooks 'National Unemployed Workers' intended 1895 to promote, and report on, the dating back to 1915. And if you Movement' (NUWM) organized route. activities of the different Clarion want to visit the library to look at protest demonstrations When they groups (of which there were the material you could even sit throughout the country. One of finally arrived at the Town Hall hall at the Library where visitors many), and to provide activists on a Clarion Club chair to do so! these was a Salford march which the meeting had started and the will be able to see it until the re- with information which would You may also be interested to formed the subject for this year's delegation found their access launch of the ground floor space assist them in “making Socialists”. know that the National Clarion contribution by the WCML to barred by a cordon of mounted in January 2009. Together with the political and Cycling Club is still active today and their Web site is at Salford's Local History Day in police. The square soon became social welfare work, The Scout www.clarioncc.org Peel Park. Our display stand a battlefield with mounted covered the camera clubs, the field Page 4 Shelf Life Tel: 0161 736 3601 Fax: 0161 737 4115 Page 3 Working Class Movement Library Web: www.wcml.org.uk 51 The Crescent, Salford, M5 4WX Email: [email protected] Shelf Life No. 21 Winter 2008 Library Launch Shelf Life hilst we will be celebrating our new image with our Wopen weekend we couldn't resist the temptation to have a formal launch. Tony Benn has very kindly agreed to The Newsletter of the Working Class Movement Library cut the proverbial ribbon the previous Sunday, the 18th Registered Charity No.1115731 Issue No. 21 Winter 2008 January. It's a bit awkward for us because we would have loved to have been able to make an open invitation to all our hundreds of friends and supporters, but Jubilee House Revamp Launch - Open space dictates a maximum number of not many more than 50. Regretfully we have had to restrict invitations for the Charcoal Image of Tony Benn from the Collection Weekend Invitation day and hope you all agree that initial invites should go out to those most involved in keeping the show on the e're finally getting there, after many will reflect the road and those who have put in a lot of hard work over the last few months helping us to put things months of planning and preparation and main purpose W together. With over 40 active volunteers at the moment it doesn't give us much left over. are almost ready to launch our revamped library of the collection which is about recording and in the new year. Finger post signs have been preserving the records of the significant working strategically placed in the vicinity so that, if you class movements for change over the last 200 don't know already, when you get off the bus or plus years. There will be examples of trade union Movements For Peace Finally she spoke about train you will be directed straight to the front struggles in the workplace, items from our vast the immediate need to ur 'Movements for Peace' exhibition campaign against the door. Inside has solidarity material organised jointly with Greater Manchester & undergone quite a including remembering O replacement of the District CND was officially opened on the 26th Trident nuclear transformation now the International November by the Mayor of Salford, Councillor that the redecoration Brigaders, and display Arms system. Margaret Morris. Guest speaker was Kate Hudson, One of the many has been completed objects reflecting our chairperson of National CND. Kate reflected on and new lighting large Irish collection. highlights of the the 50-year history of CND and, picking up from exhibition is a huge 'Tree system installed in Our not inconsiderable the title of the exhibition, pointed out the many the ground floor area. cultural material will of Peace' under which is political, religious and social movements that a bucket full of 'leaves'. also be in evidence. The make up the CND family and the range of NALGO room, also on Members of the public activities in which members participate in the are invited to write on a leaf their the ground floor and struggle against nuclear weapons. Whilst CND has presently used as a wishes for peace and have meeting room, will them added to the tree. double up and be the There are also banners, home for occasional campaigning placards, What was an exhibitions based on films, audio recordings under-used reception area will become a small particular themes. The first one to be mounted and much more. Running permanent exhibition space displaying examples will coincide with our launch and commemorate parallel with the exhibition from the various facets of our holdings.