Wilfred Blackwell Beard OBE (18 January 1891[1] – 14 December 1967) was a British trade unionist.
He was elected as general secretary of the Patternmakers in 1941, serving until his death in 1967, in which role he was known for his interest in trade union education, and his opposition to communism.
[2] In addition, he chaired the TUC's Education Committee for many years, and served on a number of government commissions.
[3] He served on the Iron and Steel Board in the early 1950s, but resigned in 1953 following pressure from his union.
[5] Beard stood down from the TUC General Council at its 1967 Congress, and died unexpectedly before the end of the year.