Alwyn Machen

Alwyn Machen (1901–1 March 1960) was a British trade union leader.

Born into a coal mining family in Derbyshire, Machen left school and began working as a coal miner at the age of thirteen. He continued his education at the Chesterfield Labour College, and soon began to lecture personally at the college. He joined the Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB), and through this role, helped organise a major demonstration in London in 1925, where he heard Herbert Smith and A. J. Cook speak, becoming a supporter of the two miners' leaders.

Following the UK general strike, Machen struggled to find work, but eventually gained employment at a colliery in Thorne in Yorkshire. There, he joined the Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB), and rapidly rose through its ranks, first within his local union branch, then in 1945 becoming the regional Compensation Agent. In this role, he became well-known, and wrote a book on the Industrial Injuries Act. In 1952, he was elected as President of the Yorkshire Miners' Association.

Machen

Coordinates: 51°35′46″N 3°08′20″W / 51.596°N 3.139°W / 51.596; -3.139

Machen is a large village 3 miles east of Caerphilly, south Wales, situated in the Caerphilly borough within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It neighbours Bedwas and Trethomas, and forms a council ward in conjunction with those communities. It lies on the Rhymney River. Mynydd Machen (Machen Mountain) provides a view over the village. It is possible to walk up to and along the top of the mountain, where a number of large boulders are present.

Industrial history

Machen was a village rooted in the iron and coal industries stretching from the 17th Century. Though little trace remains, the village was the site of the Machen Forge and several coal mines. A local history trail visits some of these sites. Machen Forge was an early adopter of the Osmond process for the production of wrought iron.

Machen was a station on the Brecon and Merthyr Railway and a branch to Caerphilly on the Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway, closed to passengers in 1956.

Machen (disambiguation)

Machen is a village in South Wales.

Machen may also refer to:

Notes

See also

Machen (surname)

Machen is a surname often but not always of Welsh origin (derived from the town Machen). Notable people with the surname include:

See also