Born in Norwich, Nobbs joined the Post Office and became active in the Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association (PTCA), working for it full-time in Manchester from 1911.
He also became a supporter of syndicalism, and in 1914 he persuaded the union to back his motion, which called for the Post Office to come under workers' control.
[2] Nobbs was active in the Labour Party, for which he stood in Heywood and Radcliffe at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, with the sponsorship of the union; he took 32.4% of the vote and second place.
[2][3] He was expected to stand in the 1921 Heywood and Radcliffe by-election, but withdrew on the instruction of the union, and the election was won by his replacement, Walter Halls.
[4] In 1919, Nobbs became part of the Union of Post Office Workers, becoming its national organising secretary.