He slowly rose to prominence, and became known for his skills in negotiation, in which he was involved as early as World War I.
He was on the right wing of the union, and hoped that a Labour government could eliminate inflation, thereby reducing industrial conflict.
[3] In 1939, Westwood was appointed as the government chief labour adviser, leaving him with insufficient time to attend to union business.
Willcocks began filling the role and, given his experience, especially of wartime conditions, proved successful.
He was officially made acting general secretary in 1941 and, due to the increased demand for shipbuilding during World War II, the union's membership rose from 20,000 to nearly 30,000 over the next few years.