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Herbert Blain
Sir Herbert Edwin Blain CBE (14 May 1870 – 16 December 1942) was a British local government administrator, safety campaigner, political agent and businessman who played a pioneering role in the development of 'white-collar' trade unionism amongst municipal workers.
Blain's organising activities establishing inclusive local government associations at Liverpool and West Ham led to his pivotal involvement in the formation in 1905 of a national body representing local government 'white collar' workers. In the period 1913 to early 1924 Blain held prominent positions in a corporate group integral to London's transport system. He was actively involved in transport and safety matters during this period. From about May 1924 to late 1926 Blain was the principal agent of the Conservative Party, appointed after the party's defeat at the December 1923 general election and given to task of modernising the party organisation. From the late 1920s Blain was a director of various companies.
Herbert Edwin Blain was born on 14 May 1870 at Liverpool in county Lancashire, the son of Arbuthnot Harrison Blain and Elizabeth (née Stalker). His father was a chemist and druggist. Herbert was educated at Liverpool Technical School.
In 1886 Blain began his working career as a clerk working for the Liverpool Corporation, the local government authority for the city of Liverpool. During his time with the Liverpool Corporation, Blain rose to become the principal traffic assistant of the tramways department.
Herbert Blain married Clara Louisa Brake on 26 October 1892. The couple had one child, a son named Eric born in May 1904.
Blain was skilled in shorthand and during the 1890s he held prominent roles in the National Federation of Shorthand Writers Associations, serving at various times as secretary, treasurer and president.
In 1896, on his own initiative, Blain formed the Liverpool Municipal Officers' Guild, an association which opened its membership to all local government officers in the city, regardless of grade "from the town clerk to the office boy". The objectives of the Liverpool guild was to "provide means for social intercourse amongst its members, and for their improvement, advancement, and recreation, also promote a knowledge of the principles of local government". It was the first inclusive association of local government officers in Britain, as previous associations limited membership to chief and senior officers or had a narrow objective to implement pensions. In order to secure its position, Blain appointed prominent local officials and politicians to honorary positions in the guild. He persuaded Sir William Forwood, a prominent Liverpool merchand and previous Lord Mayor of the city, to take on the role of the guild's first honorary president. The Liverpool Municipal Officers' Guild organised a wide range of social, educational and sporting activities for its members and their families. Within a short period the guild, with Blain as its chairman, proved to be an efficiently run and highly successful friendly society with 1,200 members, supported by their employers. The success of the Liverpool guild encouraged Blain to extend the idea to other local authorities. Over the next few years he worked with staff at other authorities, resulting in similar guilds being formed at localities such as Hull, Derby, Oldham, Tunbridge Wells and Macclesfield.
With the growing success of local government employees' guilds, Blain began to envisage the possibility of forming a national organisation linking the local guilds. In 1902 the vice-chairman of the Municipal Officers' Association (MOA), a London-based organisation formed in 1894 with the singular purpose of seeking legislative reform to establish pensions for local government officers, travelled to Liverpool to invite the guild to join forces with the MOA. Since its formation the MOA had been frustrated in its attempts to establish pensions for local government officers, resulting in falling membership numbers. Blain and his colleagues had minimal interest in superannuation, as Liverpool was one of only a few local authorities giving pensions to its staff, but nevertheless agreed to join with the MOA. In October 1903 the MOA and the Liverpool guild sent a joint circular to all known guilds, urging the transformation, "on a large and influential scale", of the Municipal Officers' Association into a national body. The stated aims of the association included pensions for all officers, transferable between authorities, and greater security of tenure.
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Herbert Blain
Sir Herbert Edwin Blain CBE (14 May 1870 – 16 December 1942) was a British local government administrator, safety campaigner, political agent and businessman who played a pioneering role in the development of 'white-collar' trade unionism amongst municipal workers.
Blain's organising activities establishing inclusive local government associations at Liverpool and West Ham led to his pivotal involvement in the formation in 1905 of a national body representing local government 'white collar' workers. In the period 1913 to early 1924 Blain held prominent positions in a corporate group integral to London's transport system. He was actively involved in transport and safety matters during this period. From about May 1924 to late 1926 Blain was the principal agent of the Conservative Party, appointed after the party's defeat at the December 1923 general election and given to task of modernising the party organisation. From the late 1920s Blain was a director of various companies.
Herbert Edwin Blain was born on 14 May 1870 at Liverpool in county Lancashire, the son of Arbuthnot Harrison Blain and Elizabeth (née Stalker). His father was a chemist and druggist. Herbert was educated at Liverpool Technical School.
In 1886 Blain began his working career as a clerk working for the Liverpool Corporation, the local government authority for the city of Liverpool. During his time with the Liverpool Corporation, Blain rose to become the principal traffic assistant of the tramways department.
Herbert Blain married Clara Louisa Brake on 26 October 1892. The couple had one child, a son named Eric born in May 1904.
Blain was skilled in shorthand and during the 1890s he held prominent roles in the National Federation of Shorthand Writers Associations, serving at various times as secretary, treasurer and president.
In 1896, on his own initiative, Blain formed the Liverpool Municipal Officers' Guild, an association which opened its membership to all local government officers in the city, regardless of grade "from the town clerk to the office boy". The objectives of the Liverpool guild was to "provide means for social intercourse amongst its members, and for their improvement, advancement, and recreation, also promote a knowledge of the principles of local government". It was the first inclusive association of local government officers in Britain, as previous associations limited membership to chief and senior officers or had a narrow objective to implement pensions. In order to secure its position, Blain appointed prominent local officials and politicians to honorary positions in the guild. He persuaded Sir William Forwood, a prominent Liverpool merchand and previous Lord Mayor of the city, to take on the role of the guild's first honorary president. The Liverpool Municipal Officers' Guild organised a wide range of social, educational and sporting activities for its members and their families. Within a short period the guild, with Blain as its chairman, proved to be an efficiently run and highly successful friendly society with 1,200 members, supported by their employers. The success of the Liverpool guild encouraged Blain to extend the idea to other local authorities. Over the next few years he worked with staff at other authorities, resulting in similar guilds being formed at localities such as Hull, Derby, Oldham, Tunbridge Wells and Macclesfield.
With the growing success of local government employees' guilds, Blain began to envisage the possibility of forming a national organisation linking the local guilds. In 1902 the vice-chairman of the Municipal Officers' Association (MOA), a London-based organisation formed in 1894 with the singular purpose of seeking legislative reform to establish pensions for local government officers, travelled to Liverpool to invite the guild to join forces with the MOA. Since its formation the MOA had been frustrated in its attempts to establish pensions for local government officers, resulting in falling membership numbers. Blain and his colleagues had minimal interest in superannuation, as Liverpool was one of only a few local authorities giving pensions to its staff, but nevertheless agreed to join with the MOA. In October 1903 the MOA and the Liverpool guild sent a joint circular to all known guilds, urging the transformation, "on a large and influential scale", of the Municipal Officers' Association into a national body. The stated aims of the association included pensions for all officers, transferable between authorities, and greater security of tenure.
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