Catalogue Number
NMLH.2011.2.4
Object Name
Medal
Title
For God And The Empire
Place
London, Coventry
People
Jack Jones, Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU), King George VI
Events
Second World War
Date
circa 1953
Description
A silver cross topped with a crown. The centre of the medal shows the face of King George VI. The medal hangs from a short pink ribbon with light grey borders.
This medal was presented to the British trade union leader, Jack Jones (1913-2009) by King George VI in 1950. An MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) is a chivalric order awarded by the Crown, on the recommedation of the government, to people have contributed to arts, sciences, charity or public service. Jones' MBE was awarded for his services to the country, particularly his trade union work during the Second World War, in Coventry where he had particularly focused on working with women workers. In 1976, Jones would receive another honour from the crown, becoming a Companion of Honour, awarded by Queen Elizabeth II. By 1977, polls indicated that 54% of people viewed Jones as the most powerful man in the country, outstripping even the Prime Minister and the monarch.
Jones was born in Liverpool, and became a docker after losing his job as an engineer during the Great Depression. He describes being a socialist after reading The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists after being passed the book in workplace. Jones describes this as the method through which many workers became convinced of the need to participate in an organised labour movement. Jones joined the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU), became a shop steward, then joined the National Docks Group Committee, becoming general secretary of the entire TGWU in 1968. One of his achievements as a union leader was helping to establish the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) which acts as a neutral party to help solve disputes and grievances between workers and employers. A committed anti-fascist, Jones also fought in the British Battalion of the XV (Fifteenth) International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War, and was wounded during the Battle of the Ebro in 1938. PHM's
collection of medals from Jones are largely a mix of honours relating to his service in Spain, and acknowledgements of his service to the trade union movement.
