A J Cook (Arthur James) 1883-1931

Born Wookey, Somerset. Commenced work in his early teens on a farm in Somerset where he also became a Baptist preacher. At sixteen he moved to Wales and was employed in the mines of the Rhondda valley. An active trade unionist, he joined the Independent Labour Party in 1905 and also played a role in the Unofficial Reform Committee.

He was elected as an official of the lodge in Rhondda No. 1 district. During the First World War he was a pacifist which led to him being imprisoned for brief periods. The early 1920s saw him becoming involved in the establishing of the Minority Movement and by 1924 he had become elected as general secretary of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain. Two years later he played a significant role in the 1926 strike.

FURTHER READING:

Davies, Paul A.J.Cook (Manchester, 1987)

Davies, Paul. A.J.Cook: miners` leader 1881-1931. (A.J.Cook Memorial Committee, 1983).

EXAMPLES OF WORK BY A.J.COOK:

Cook, A.J. The Nine Days: the story of the general strike told by the miners` secretary. (1971)

Cook, A.J. The effect of a longer working-day in British coal mines. (1928).

All items listed in the further reading are available for consultation in either the South Wales Miners’ Library or the Library and Information Centre, University of Wales Swansea. Click here to link to the library catalogue. 

LINKS TO USEFUL WEBSITES:

Ymgyrchu! - Photograph of A J Cook addressing the miners during the Great Strike of 1926.