John McGurk
John McGurk (17 September 1874 – 22 November 1944) was a British coal miner and trade unionist.
Born in Barnsley, West Riding of Yorkshire, McGurk grew up in Pendlebury, Lancashire, and began working at a coal mine aged 12.
He became active in the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Federation (LCMF), and in 1908 was elected as the agent for its north-eastern area.
[1] Although McGurk talked down the LCMF's chances of victory in their 1921 lock-out, he fully backed the 1926 general strike.
He also spent some time as a member of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress.
John McGurk, on right, with Henry Roughley, Thomas Greenall and
Henry Twist
visiting the
Western Front
in the First World War, believed to be to discuss mining under enemy lines