William John Richard Squance (1 January 1880[1] – 22 August 1948) was aWelshtrade unionist.
Born in theLandore area ofSwansea, Squance found work as a cleaner for theGreat Western Railway in 1894, and four years later became a fireman on the railway. He joined theAssociated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), at which time he was based inAberdare.[2]
In 1907, Squance became an engine driver. He moved toGoodwick to take up the post, and was elected as secretary of the local branch of ASLEF, and he maintained leading roles in local branches as he moved, first toNewport, then toLlanelli.[2] There, he chaired a joint committee of unions during therailway strike of 1911. Increasingly radical, he supported two drivers who refused to move Irish freight during the 1913Dublin lock-out, organising solidarity action which ultimately led to most of the South Wales railway workers going on strike.[3]
ASLEF set up a GWR Delegation Board in 1915, and Squance was chosen as its first secretary; he was elected to the union's executive the following year, then served as vice-president in 1919/20 and president in 1920/21.[2][4] In 1920, he was appointed to theNational Wages Board, serving for eight years.[5] Following Squance's presidency, he became the union's full-time organising secretary.[2] Active during theUK general strike of 1926, he was imprisoned for his role,[3] but this only increased his prestige in the union, and in 1927 he was promoted to Assistant General Secretary.[2]
Squance was a member of theLabour Party, and was selected as theProspective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) forBassetlaw at the1935 UK general election. However, ASLEF decided that, if he were elected, he would need to resign his union posts, and Squance decided instead to stand down as PPC.[6]
During the early 1930s, ASLEF's general secretary,John Bromley, suffered from increasingly poor health, and Squance frequently deputised for him. As such, when Bromley retired in 1936, Squance was the natural choice as his successor.[7] He also served on theGeneral Council of the Trades Union Congress from 1936, until his retirement in 1939.[5]
As general secretary, Squance was known as an outspoken anti-fascist, close to theCommunist Party of Great Britain. He took a leading role in thePeople's Convention of 1940/41, and as a result was expelled by the Labour Party.[3]
| Trade union offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by George Moore | Assistant General Secretary ofASLEF 1927–1936 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | General Secretary ofASLEF 1936–1939 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
