[1][2] Born in Bolton, Lancashire, Tomney found himself jobless during the Great Depression and walked to London in search of employment.
[2] After arriving in London he moved into the Rowton House in Hammersmith, a hostel for working men.
Tomney obtained work as a night-watchman in a glass blowing factory, and became an active trade unionist.
[2][1] With an approaching general election in 1950, the Labour Party found itself without a candidate at Hammersmith North.
[3] This was partly a result of his having right-wing views on homosexuality, race and capital punishment which one party official described as being closer to the policies of the National Front.