[1] In Glasgow, Shann worked as warden of the student settlement, and this experience inspired him to join the Fabian Society.
He was also elected as a Labour Party member of King's Norton Urban District Council.
In his spare time, Shann campaigned against sweatshops, and became the first secretary of the National Anti-Sweating League.
[1] Shann supported Britain entry into World War I, putting himself at odds with the majority of the ILP, from which he resigned.
[1] Despite his estrangement from the ILP, Shann remained active in the Labour Party, and stood in the 1918 UK general election as its candidate for Birmingham Yardley.