The United Patternmakers Association (UPA) was a trade union in the United Kingdom.

History The association was founded in 1872 to represent skilled patternmakers in England, following a strike by patternmakers along the River Tyne and River Wear for a nine-hour day. Originally based in London, it transferred its headquarters to Manchester in 1896, to Leeds in 1903, then to Eccles in 1908, returning to London in 1912.John B. Smethurst and Alan Carter, Historical Directory of Trade Unions, Volume 6, pp.204-205

The Associated Patternmakers of Scotland union merged into the UPA in 1912. In 1918, the union balloted its members on joining the new Amalgamated Engineering Union, but this was not approved.

During the 1930s, George Buchanan was the union's president, and the union focussed considerable attention on anti-fascist activity. It was initially sympathetic to the Independent Labour Party's split from the Labour Party, although by 1935 Buchanan's union backing was withdrawn.Matthew Worley, Labour's Grass Roots, p.61 It retained a strong craft unionist approach, and resisted the prevailing trend of admitting workers in allied trades.Hugh Armstrong Clegg, Trade Union Officers, p.16

In 1969, the union renamed itself the Association of Patternmakers and Allied Craftsmen.Arthur Ivor Marsh, Concise Encyclopedia of Industrial Relations, p.224 By 1979, its membership stood just under 10,000, mostly in the English Midlands. Only three members were women.Arthur Ivor Marsh, Trade Union Handbook, p.260 In 1984, it merged into the Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section.

Election results The union sponsored candidates in numerous Parliamentary elections between 1909 and 1974, most of whom were elected. Almost all ran as Labour Party candidates, the exception being Buchanan in 1931 who was refused Labour Party endorsement, and instead stood for the Independent Labour Party. He ran for that party again in 1935, on this occasion without official backing from the union, although it did set up a voluntary fund for his support, to which members could choose to donate. By 1945, he had returned to the Labour Party.

Election Constituency Candidate Votes Percentage Position 1909 by-election Sheffield Attercliffe 3,531 27.5 1 1910 Jan general election Sheffield Attercliffe 7,755 56.1 1 1910 Dec general election Sheffield Attercliffe 6,532 55.0 1 1922 general election Glasgow Gorbals 16,478 54.5 1 1923 general election Glasgow Gorbals 17,211 67.2 1 1924 general election Glasgow Gorbals 19,480 65.9 1 1929 general election Glasgow Gorbals 25,134 74.8 1 1931 general election Glasgow Gorbals 19,278 58.1 1 Stoke 13,264 30.3 2 1935 general election Stoke 20,992 52.7 1 1945 general election Glasgow Gorbals 21,073 80.0 1 Stoke 29,551 69.1 1 1950 general election Stoke-on-Trent South 34,339 64.5 1 1951 general election Stoke-on-Trent South 35,261 65.8 1 1955 general election Stoke-on-Trent South 31,003 63.6 1 1959 general election Stoke-on-Trent South 29,578 59.3 1 1964 general election Stoke-on-Trent South 28,928 60.6 1 1974 Feb general election Stretford 19,641 35.2 2

Officials General Secretaries 1872: R. C. Douglas 1872: R. Reay 1884: William Mosses 1917: Alan Findlay 1941: Wilfred Beard 1967: Samuel McLaren 1969: Gerry Eastwood

Presidents 1872: N. Charlton 1876: C. Mothersdale 1880: S. T. Taylor 1884: R. Brown 1884: T. Souter 1885: John Livingston 1888: George E. Wilson 1891: Thomas Goodall 1892: Joseph W. Field 1893: Joseph Taylor 1894: William Williams 1895: Fred W. Kent 1896: John Mills 1897: Ed Appleby 1899: J. M. Whittaker 1900: Thomas Battison 1901: J. M. Whittaker 1902: A. Mackenzie 1903: Arthur Pearson 1909: John Mills 1913: Albert E. WardaleUnited Patternmakers' Association, "Obituary", Annual Report (1963) 1932: George Buchanan 1946: Ellis Smith 1966: Victor MacDonald 1977:

References

External links Catalogue of the UPA archives, held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick