Born in Liverpool in 1904, he began working on the steam engines of the railway as a boy, doing the dirty jobs of cleaning out the ashes and the boilers on the engines. He became involved in the union movement after World War I, rising through various positions to attain the position of General Secretary of the British Labour Party. After retiring from that post he was knighted and appointed Governor-General of Mauritius in 1968 and served in that capacity until his death. He was also involved in the Scout movement.
He was married to Margaret Wiggins. There were no children of the marriage.[2]
