Lancashire Giant : David Shackleton, Labour Leader and Civil Servant

Rating:
Summary: The Fourth Man
Review: David Shackleton, in the opinion of Professor Martin, is one of the great un-sung heroes of the early Labour movement in Britain.In his book, Ross Martin attempts to redress the balance somewhat by re-constructing the life and work of this remarkable gentleman through some very determined research, made difficult at times, as Shackleton seemed wholly uninterested in preserving his image for posterity. As an illustration of the extent to which history has tended to overlook Shackleton, the author notes in his introduction that when in 1956 the Manchester Guardian published a photograph of the leaders of the Labour Party, 1906, the paper could only come up with the names of three of the four men in the foreground (Ramsay McDonald, Kier Hardie and Arthur Henderson). Shackleton was the fourth. On reading the book, one is treated to a review of a remarkable life. From cotton loom operative through to Knight Commander of the Bath, and the Permanent Secretary of the first Ministry of Labour in Britain. On the way, he effectively led the parliamentary Labour Party in the time of Kier Hardie's often nominal leadership - was chairman of the TUC, and took active part in the workings of Lloyd-George's war cabinet. The book is divided into two main sections. The first half is as detailed an account of Shackleton's career as Martin has been able to re-construct. It can be difficult work getting through this section. Professor Martin utilises so many sources (the bibliography bears testimony to a remarkable amount of research under difficult conditions) that keeping track of the main text can be a challenge at times. The second half of the book attempts to build up a profile of Shackleton as a person - often anecdotal, but describes with barely disguised admiration the profile of a man worthy of great respect - and in Ross Martin's opinion, worthy of far more recognition amongst Labour historians than has hitherto been the case. The Lancashire Giant is certainly a book which should be referred to if one wishes to broaden one's perspective of the early Labour movement in Britain. Most other leading figures from that time have been researched in depth, but the Lancashire Giant not only goes some way to putting Shackleton in his proper place in Labour history, but it also sheds light on many other early goings-on in the Labour movement, which less objective biographers may have overlooked. I myself have been aware of Shackleton since my earliest days (he was my Great Grandfather), though never aware of the real nature of the pioneering role which he played in improving the conditions of the working men and women of Britain, until I saw this book. It should be read by anyone with an interest in the history of Labour in Britain.