History of the Boilermakers' Society

This is the final volume of the history of one of Britain's oldest trade unions. Formed in 1834 among craftsmen employed in the manufacture of boilers for steam power in the early textile industry, no union suffered more than the Boilermakers' Society from the succession of booms and slumps in the industries in which its members were employed. The boilermakers took a prominent part in almost every controversy within the Labour movement and their leaders became known to a very much wider public. The amalgamated union became part of the modern GMB which gave impetus to the eventual development of one of Britain's principal unions.