National Union of Seamen (Great Britain)

The National Union of Seamen was founded in 1893 as the National Sailors and Firemen's Union, the successor to the National Amalgamated Sailors and Firemen's Union of Great Britain and Ireland, founded in 1887 on the initiative of J.H. Wilson. In 1922 a cooks and stewards' section was formed and the Hull Seamen's Union, the oldest and strongest of the local societies, was absorbed. The title of National Union of Seamen was adopted in 1926. In 1990 the union amalgamated with the National Union of Railwaymen to form the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.

Reference: Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, The Seamen - a history of the National Union of Seamen (Oxford, 1989).

From the guide to the National Union of Seamen, 1887-1990, (Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick Library)