Charlie Gill
Epithet: Union Leader
Record type: First World War Biographies
Biography: Charlie Gill of Ballaugh was a farm labourer before and during the First World War. During the conflict he was active in organising the Manx agricultural labourers into a branch of the Workers' Union. Prior to the First World War, there were scarcely any union members among the Manx workforce, but rapidly rising prices caused by the war were not matched by a rise in wages. Consequently the Great War saw a dramatic increase in trade union activity. One of the main organisers of the Worker's Union on the Island, Alf Teare, paid tribute to Charlie Gill's skills as an orator, and he was a noted 'character' in Ballaugh. (Image ref: PG/13705a)
Gender: Male