Will Thorne

William James Thorne CBE (8 October 1857 – 2 January 1946), known as Will Thorne, was a British trade unionist, activist and one of the first Labour Members of Parliament (MPs).

Early years

Thorne was born in Hockley, Birmingham, on 8 October 1857. His father and relatives worked as brickmakers. Thorne's father died in a fight when Thorne was seven. Thorne began work at the age of six, turning a wheel for a rope and twine spinner, working from six in the morning to six at night, with half an hour for breakfast and an hour for dinner. Thorne recalls that when the spinner wanted to reduce his wages from 2 shillings and 6 pence to 2 shillings, he "went on strike" and never returned to the job.

The family was on poor relief. Thorne's mother and three sisters worked all hours sewing hooks and eyes. "It was here I had intimate experience with sweated labour", he comments without irony. Thorne took a job with his uncle at a brick and tile works, and later, at another brickworks further away. At the age of nine Thorne recalls "my mother got me up at four o'clock every morning to give me my breakfast". It was a four-mile walk to work.