Arthur Deakin

At the age of ten he moved with his mother and stepfather to Dowlais in South Wales.

[1] Deakin began his working life at the age of 13 at the Dowlais Ironworks.

[2] https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/32761 In 1910, Deakin moved to Shotton in North Wales and took a job with another steel firm as a roll turner.

In 1940, Deaken effectively took over the position of general secretary, following the appointment of Ernest Bevin as a cabinet minister.

Deakin's period as general secretary was marked by a consolidation of the powers of executive, occasional serious outbreaks of unofficial strike action among union members and a fierce anti-communist line.