German Trades Unions in Great Britain: Miscellaneous material

Identifier
WL1431
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 69984
Dates
1 Jan 1941 - 31 Jan 1945
Level of Description
Collection
Source
EHRI Partner

Biographical History

The Trade Union Centre for German Workers in Great Britain was founded just before the outbreak of the Second World War, but did not begin its work in earnest until the release of many of the German exiles, who were interned at the outbreak of war. The chairman of the TUCGWGB, Hans Gottfurcht, had for many years been an active trade unionist in Germany, where he helped establish a number of illegal trade unions under the Nazis. The establishment of the TUCGWGB was regarded as necessary because of the particular situation brought about by the large influx of refugees and exiles. Whereas it would normally have been expected for these new arrivals to join existing British trade unions (which they did as well), there was always a sense that their stay in Great Britain would only ever be temporary, and that they needed a representative organisation that would reflect their particular interests. After the war and the demise of the TUCGWGB, Hans Gottfurcht went on to become a pivotal figure as liaison between the newly formed Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund and the occupying British authorities.

Archival History

The provenance of this collection is unknown.

Scope and Content

This collection comprises newsletters, activity reports and and other material relating to the activities of the TUCGWGB.

Conditions Governing Access

Open

Related Units of Description

  • The archives of the Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB) in Germany hold the papers of Hans Gottfurcht.

People

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.