Will Thorne

William James Thorne CBE (8 October 1857 – 2 January 1946) was a British trade unionist, activist and one of the first Labour Members of Parliament.

I had to give up this job finally because my mother said that the work was too hard and the distance too long for me to walk every morning and night.

It is the rebellion that I feel, and will continue to carry on.Thorne served for many years on West Ham Borough Council and was Mayor from 1917 to 1918.

He won the seat of Plaistow in 1918 with 94.9% of the vote, a record for a Labour candidate which stands to this day.

He retained it until his retirement at the 1945 general election, aged 87 — the oldest sitting member at the time.

[3] Thorne was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1930 and Privy Councillor in 1945.

[4] A Greater London Council blue plaque, unveiled in 1987, commemorates Thorne at his home, 1 Lawrence Road, E13 0QD, in West Ham.