|
Pay, Strikes and Living
Conditions - W.H. Williams
'The Quarryman's
Gladstone' - third secretary of the Union
Born
at Mynydd Llandygai, William H. Williams, (1848-1917) as one of
eleven children, to his friends he was always William Arafon;
Arafon being the name of his boyhood home. After very little
education he started work at the Penrhyn Quarry when he was ten
years old. Four years later he was splitting slates, so well he
head learnt the skills and techniques. He was soon a leader in
the solid, but jovial monoglot Welsh society that existed in the
quarries of both Arfon and Meirionydd. In the 'Caban,' (being
self taught) one would see him reading 'The Times' and
translating it aloud into Welsh for his fellow workers at the
same time.
Union involvement.
He was influentially involved in the Strike of
1874, though not in the foreground. By 1896-97 though, he had
become one of the safest and wisest leaders the workers of
Northern Wales had. In essence, W. H. Williams was a Trade
Unionist, and when the migratory development towards the Labour
party started, he went as well, but not because of Socialism as
such.
|
|
|
|