Walter Stevens (trade unionist)
Walter C. Stevens (1904 – 24 October 1954), often known as Wally Stevens, was a British trade unionist.
Born in Woolwich, Stevens began working at the age of ten, and completed an apprenticeship as an electrician by the age of twenty. He soon became a sound engineer at Denham Studios, and was also active in the Electrical Trades Union (ETU).[1]
Stevens became a full-time employee of the ETU in his thirties, serving for a while as the union's London Area Secretary, and in 1942 he was elected as Assistant General Secretary.[1] Around 1946, he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain and, in 1948, he became General Secretary of the ETU.[2] He won a landslide victory, with more than three times the votes of his opponent.[3]
In office, Stevens moved the union in a more militant direction, organising a wave of strikes in late 1953 and early 1954.[3]
In his spare time, Stevens enjoyed attending boxing matches, and he was involved in founding the Professional Boxers' Association.[1] He stood in the 1952 and 1953 elections for the General Council of the Trades Union Congress, but was unsuccessful.[3]
Stevens was seriously injured in a car accident in October 1954, and died a week later.[3]
References
- 1 2 3 Graham Stevenson, "Stevens, Wally", Compendium of Communist Biography
- ↑ "Communists in the unions", Manchester Guardian, 13 January 1948
- 1 2 3 4 "Obituary: Mr Walter C. Stevens", Manchester Guardian, 25 October 1954
| Trade union offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ernest Bussey |
General Secretary of the Electrical Trades Union 1948 – 1954 |
Succeeded by Frank Haxell |