London Society of Compositors


The London Society of Compositors was a British trade union, representing print workers in London.

History

The union was founded as the London Union of Compositors in 1834 by the merger of the London Trade Society of Compositors and the London General Trade Society of Compositors. The following year, it was joined by the News Society of Compositors. In 1845, the union was officially dissolved, its members designating it the South Eastern District of the National Typographical Association. The national organisation collapsed, and the London group re-established itself as the "London Society of Compositors".
The union had a membership of over 10,000 by 1910, and attempted to expand outside London, but the Trades Union Congress instituted arbitration which limited it to a fifteen-mile radius of central London, the Typographical Association having rights to organise in the remainder of England.
In 1955, the Society merged with the Printing Machine Managers' Trade Society and was renamed the London Typographical Society. In 1964, it merged with the Typographical Association to form the National Graphical Association.

Election results

The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in several Parliamentary elections, many of whom won election.
ElectionConstituencyCandidateVotesPercentagePosition
1906 general electionDeptford6,23652.21
1910 Jan general electionDeptford6,88052.01
1910 Dec general electionDeptford6,35751.41
1918 general electionDeptford14,07354.41
1918 general electionSouthwark South East2,71827.42
1921 by-electionSouthwark South East6,56157.01
1922 general electionDeptford18,51252.61
1922 general electionSouthwark South East7,73443.62
1923 general electionDeptford21,57663.01
1923 general electionSouthwark South East9,37454.31
1924 general electionDeptford21,90354.51
1924 general electionSouthwark South East11,63554.31
1929 general electionDeptford26,84855.21
1929 general electionSouthwark South East13,52760.41
1931 general electionDeptford22,24445.62
1931 general electionSouthwark South East9,67846.72
1935 general electionIslington South12,52652.41
1935 general electionSouthwark South East11,94263.21
1945 general electionIslington South12,89372.51
1945 general electionSouthwark South East9,59976.91

General Secretaries