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Record #4297
Name :
: Ernest THORNTON (1907 - )


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 13 Mar 1907

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
:
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Yorkshire, Huddersfield
Abode (2) : Place of Death / Burial
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: Jun 1924
Country
: Australia

Ship
: Demosthenes

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Dreadnought Scheme
NotesFrom Australian Dictionary of Biography Online ({website}adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A160470b.htm):

THORNTON, ERNEST (1907-1969), trade-union leader, was born on 13 March 1907 at Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England, son of Lewis Thornton, tram driver, and his wife Selina, nee Kerry. Ernie's mother, a domestic servant from Ireland, left when he was 2, and he was raised by his father. After taking factory and building jobs, he was brought to Sydney by the Dreadnought Trust. Arriving in the Demosthenes on 12 June 1924 [not found on list], he was sent to the Government Training Farm at Scheyville, near Windsor. He soon left to work in the construction industry and became a militant unionist. Unemployed in the Depression, he joined the communist-led Militant Minority Movement and, through it, the Communist Party of Australia. In a civil ceremony at 157 Collins Street, Melbourne, on 9 August 1934 he married Alice Mary ('Lila') Felstead, nee Curtis, a divorcee with two sons.

Using rigid discipline and a national network of members, the C.P.A. campaigned to take over the trade-union movement as a base for revolution. Thornton led a drive to capture the Federated Ironworkers' Association of Australia, which covered steelworkers, tradesmen's assistants and other semi-skilled metal workers. Young, vigorous and confident in his cause (unlike some F.I.A. officials), he was elected as an organizer in the Melbourne office in 1935. Within a year he was part-time general secretary. From 1937 he was a member of the central committee of the C.P.A.

The recovery in industry in the late 1930s boosted union membership and funds. Thornton's post was made full time and he moved to the national office in Sydney in mid-1939. Despite the embarrassment of the Hitler-Stalin pact and Communist coolness during the early stages of World War II, Thornton and his 'red' colleagues cemented party control over the F.I.A. Communists held most of the paid jobs, and amalgamated the F.I.A. with unions covering wiremakers and munitions workers.

This success was due partly to the dynamism and ruthless militancy of Thornton and his team, but it also owed much to the erratically buoyant wartime economic conditions which persisted into the postwar years. Thornton published numerous propaganda pamphlets, including Stronger Trade Unions (1943). Working with its allies, the Communist Party was almost able to control the Australasian Council of Trade Unions congress in 1945. Like other communist leaders, Thornton proclaimed his allegiance to the Soviet Union and his ardent admiration of Josef Stalin. He frequently travelled to conferences overseas and in 1950 held three valid passports.

In 1946 Thornton's control of the F.I.A. was challenged by a dissident group in the Balmain branch on Sydney's waterfront and by the Australian Labor Party's Industrial Groups. Laurie Short, a Balmain dissident, led a well-organized 'grouper ticket' against Thornton at the 1949 F.I.A. elections. The returns showed that the 'Thornton ticket' had won, but Short challenged the ballot. Following a long, sensational inquiry in the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, Judge E. A. Dunphy found that 'persons unknown' had rigged the ballot (with 1800 or more forged votes) and declared Short elected national secretary. Short's team won most F.I.A. positions in the ensuing national elections (1951 and 1952).

In 1950, however, Thornton had resigned to become Australasian representative at the liaison bureau of the World Federation of Trade Unions, in Peking (Beijing). The A.C.T.U. withdrew recognition of the W.F.T.U. and Thornton returned, jobless, to Australia three years later. The new F.I.A. leaders, fearing a comeback, refused to accept him in any F.I.A. industries. In 1957-67 he was a full-time employee of the Communist Party. With the decline in party finances, he returned, at the age of 60, to manual work, qualified as a crane driver, and became honorary Sydney president of the Federated Engine Drivers' and Firemen's Association of Australasia.

Energetic, fluent, domineering, dogmatic and at times a bully, Thornton was also intensely loyal, warm hearted and committed to the working-class cause. People either loved or hated him. He was of middle height and strongly built, and retained a trace of his Yorkshire accent. Steel-rimmed spectacles and a stubborn 'five-o'clock shadow' made him look more sinister than he was. Thornton remained a communist to the core, but increasingly took the less immoderate side in internal debates. Survived by his wife and two stepsons, he died of myocardial infarction on 29 June 1969 at his Lidcombe home and was cremated.

Select Bibliography

J. Sendy, Comrades Come Rally (Melb, 1978); R. Murray and K. White, The Ironworkers (Syd, 1982); S. Short, Laurie Short (Syd, 1992); People (Sydney), 19 May 1954, p 16; Sydney Morning Herald, 30 June 1969; Tribune (Sydney), 2 July 1969; ASIO file, A6119, items 397 and 398 (National Archives of Australia); private information. More on the resources

Author: Robert Murray

Print Publication Details: Robert Murray, 'Thornton, Ernest (1907 - 1969)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 16, Melbourne University Press, 2002, pp 388-389. 
ContributorsCreated : 2008-09-27 19:57:56 / From original database

Additional Contributions from : mollipops1

Last Updated : 2009-02-01 15:30:59 /

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Surnames starting with:   A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  104 Entries        
Surnames starting with:   T »TAWS »TAYL »TEBB »THOM »THOR »TINK »TONG »TOWN »TRAY »TROT »TUNS »TURN » TZZZ
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
16991 THORBURN, John B1894ENG,     Apr 1907 : Sicilian CAN Quarriers  
14763 THORBY, John1884ENG,     1895 : - Unknown - CAN Marchmont Homes (now Barnardos)  
19949 THORINGTON, Hy L.1887ENG,     Apr 1897 : Labrador CAN Fegan Homes for Boys  
19950 THORINGTON, Ivor1888ENG,     Apr 1897 : Labrador CAN Fegan Homes for Boys  
19028 THORIOUS, Elizabeth Annie1899ENG,     Sep 1912 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
19052 THORIOUS, Helana Mary1902ENG,     Sep 1912 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
3266 THORLEY, Alfred Albert1890ENG, CHS Mar 1900 : Parisian CAN Louisa Birt  
3265 THORLEY, Peter1888ENG, CHS, Crewe Mar 1900 : Parisian CAN Louisa Birt  
27481 THORN, C1864 Aug 1872 : Sarmatian CAN Macpherson Homes  
26389 THORN, Florence1920ENG, HAM, Stoneham Aug 1932 : Oronsay AUS Fairbridge Homes  
26819 THORNBOROUGH, Albert1922ENG, WAR, Birmingham Oct 1934 : Moreton Bay AUS Fairbridge Homes  
26820 THORNBOROUGH, Evelyn1923ENG, WAR, Birmingham Oct 1934 : Moreton Bay AUS Fairbridge Homes  
26965 THORNBOROUGH, John1929ENG, WAR, Birmingham N. Nov 1938 : Themistocles AUS Fairbridge Homes  
26821 THORNBOROUGH, Olive1927ENG, WAR, Birmingham N. Oct 1934 : Moreton Bay AUS Fairbridge Homes  
14332 THORNE, Alice1886ENG,     Jul 1898 : Scotsman CAN Bristol Emigration Society  
13085 THORNE, Alice Louisa1885ENG, MDX, London Sep 1898 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
9708 THORNE, Annie Emily1881ENG,     Sep 1895 : Sardinian CAN Barnardos  
26548 THORNE, Edward1892ENG,     Mar 1906 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
23629 THORNE, Eric1922ENG,     Aug 1937 : Andania CAN Waifs & Strays  
13092 THORNE, Frances Amelia 1889ENG, LND, Shoreditch Oct 1902 : Colonian CAN Barnardos  
23295 THORNE, Harold Redvers1900ENG, ESS, Chelmsford May 1909 : Corsican CAN Barnardos  
12942 THORNE, Henry1888ENG,     Jul 1899 : Montrose CAN Bristol Emigration Society  
22196 THORNE, J. H.1882ENG,     Apr 1897 : Labrador CAN Barnardos  
13445 THORNE, Querina Elizabeth1877ENG, GLS, Barton Regis Jun 1890 : Texas CAN Board of Guardians (Various)  
11775 THORNE, Ruth1891ENG,     May 1902 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
16786 THORNE, Stanley Arthur1897ENG, ESS, Chelmsford May 1909 : Corsican CAN Barnardos  
13091 THORNE, Tom Frank1880ENG, LND, Holborn Oct 1893 : Labrador CAN Barnardos  
14321 THORNE, William1890ENG,     Jul 1899 : Montrose CAN Bristol Emigration Society  
13090 THORNE, William James1875ENG, LND, Shoreditch Mar 1893 : Labrador CAN Barnardos  
10532 THORNETT, Frederick 1911ENG, OXF Sep 1922 : Minnedosa CAN Barnardos  
25035 THORNHILL, Charles1900 Mar 1910 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
25034 THORNHILL, Harry1896 Mar 1910 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
4297 THORNTON, Ernest 1907ENG, YKS, Huddersfield Jun 1924 : Demosthenes AUS Dreadnought Scheme  
24612 THORNTON, Ernest1897 Jun 1906 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
14085 THORNTON, Francis 1888ENG,     Jul 1900 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
24193 THORNTON, Henry1854ENG,     May 1870 : Scandinavian CAN Boy's Home Great Queen Street, London  
16034 THORNTON, John1870ENG,     Sep 1883 : Sardinian CAN Cardinal Manning (now Nugent Care)  
19059 THORNTON, John1911ENG,     Mar 1927 : Melita CAN Salvation Army  
19079 THORNTON, Joseph Henry1908ENG,     Sep 1912 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
27442 THORNTON, Thomas1860 Aug 1872 : Sarmatian CAN Macpherson Homes  
13690 THORNTON, William1877ENG,     Sep 1887 : Circassian CAN Liverpool Catholic Childrens Protective Society (now Nugent Care)  
3889 THORNTON, William Thomas1898ENG, MDX, London Mar 1910 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
5911 THORNWHAITE, Ellen1893ENG,     Oct 1904 : Bavarian CAN Barnardos  
16787 THOROGOOD, William1897ENG, LDN, London Jul 1905 : Southwark CAN Barnardos  
25609 THOROLD, Mary1895ENG,     May 1909 : Corsican CAN Barnardos  
21939 THORP, Daisy Winnifred1889ENG, WIL, Swindon Oct 1903 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
18871 THORPE, John1888ENG,     Sep 1899 : Arawa CAN Barnardos  
19810 THORPE, Stanley1898ENG,     Apr 1911 : Tunisian CAN Unknown  
15182 THORPE, Violet1898ENG,     May 1907 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
4060 THORPE, William1891ENG, NTT, Nottingham Jun 1890 : Vancouver CAN MacPherson Homes  
23016 THORPE, William C.1891ENG,     May 1903 : Kensington CAN Fegan Homes for Boys  
3468 THRING, George Leonard1895ENG, MDX, London May 1908 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
3469 THRING, Lilian1892ENG,     Sep 1905 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
3467 THRING, Percy1897ENG,     Jun 1909 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
11392 THROWER, Albert 1905ENG,     Mar 1913 : Corinthian CAN Barnardos  
27014 THUEL, Caroline Margaret1911ENG, DEV, Kingsbridge Aug 1921 : Themistocles AUS Fairbridge Homes  
27015 THUEL, Philip Henry1913ENG, DEV, Kingsbridge Aug 1921 : Themistocles AUS Fairbridge Homes  
23491 THUNDER, Edwin Harry1896IRL,    , Dublin Jul 1908 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
22893 THURBON, A1893ENG,     May 1906 : Empress of Britain CAN Fegan Homes for Boys  
10648 THURBON, Leopold1902ENG,    , Whitechapel Oct 1913 : Corinthian CAN Barnardos  
13009 THURGOOD, Walter1883ENG,     Apr 1896 : Scotsman CAN Marchmont Homes (now Barnardos)  
23293 THURGOOD, William James1897ENG, LDN, London May 1908 : Tunisian CAN MacPherson Homes  
23291 THURLOW, Cecil Frederick1897ENG, SFK, Ipswich Mar 1908 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
23704 THURSTON, Percival1895ENG,     Mar 1906 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
16240 THWAITE, William1892ENG, NBL, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Jul 1905 : Southwark CAN Barnardos  
10620 THWAITES, Albert Kingsley1910ENG,     Jun 1920 : Scotian CAN Barnardos  
12669 THWAITES, Stephen1894ENG, SSX, St. Leonard by the Sea Aug 1905 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
16990 THYER, Jeph 1882ENG,     May 1899 : Californian CAN Red Hill Reformatory, Surrey   
8123 TIBBERT, William1912SCT, LKS, Glasgow Apr 1927 : Athenia CAN Quarriers  
3976 TIBBLE, Henry1857 Jun 1874 : Scandinavian CAN Royal Philanthropic Farm School  
25020 TICHNER, Edward1899 Mar 1910 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
11509 TICKELL, Percival James Martin1908ENG, DEV, Plymouth Oct 1920 : Scandinavian CAN Barnardos  
2873 TICKNER, Alfred Albert1901ENG,     May 1910 : Sicilian CAN Barnardos  
23562 TICKNER, Arthur Vernon1916ENG, LEI, Blaby Mar 1928 : Benalla AUS Fairbridge Homes  
11105 TICKNER, Walter 1895ENG, SRY, Dorking May 1907 : Empress of Britain CAN Fegan Homes for Boys  
20158 TICKTON, Eliza ENG,     May 1911 : Corsican CAN Louisa Birt  
27449 TIDMUS, John1860 Aug 1872 : Sarmatian CAN Macpherson Homes  
22957 TIETZ, Eugene O.1894ENG,     May 1906 : Empress of Britain CAN Fegan Homes for Boys  
18327 TIGHE, Charles ENG,     Apr 1901 : Dominion CAN Marchmont Homes (now Barnardos)  
12186 TIGHE, Eileen M1916ENG, STS, Burton  Jun 1928 : Ballarat AUS Fairbridge Homes  
18328 TIGHE, John1894ENG,     Apr 1901 : Dominion CAN Marchmont Homes (now Barnardos)  
23290 TIJON, William1895ENG, LDN, London 1906 : - Unknown - CAN Barnardos  
6714 TILBURY, Arthur1908ENG,    , Chertsey Mar 1927 : Montrose CAN Barnardos  
3252 TILBURY, Herbert1888ENG, LND, Lambeth Oct 1900 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
22495 TILBURY, Olive1889ENG,     Jun 1901 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
8579 TILBURY, Sidney1890ENG, LND, Lambeth Jul 1901 : Numidian CAN Barnardos  
7055 TILL, Henry1856ENG,     Aug 1871 : Prussian CAN MacPherson Homes  
19653 TILLATT, Florence1886ENG,     Jun 1897 : Labrador CAN Barnardos  
18608 TILLEY, Albert1900ENG,     Sep 1911 : Lake Manitoba CAN Unknown Catholic Group  
24974 TILLEY, Alfred1898 Mar 1910 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
5039 TILLEY, Don1915ENG,    , Weymouth Sep 1930 : Duchess of Bedford CAN Barnardos  
22855 TILLEY, George1893ENG,     May 1907 : Empress of Britain CAN Fegan Homes for Boys  
9551 TILLMAN, William George1899ENG,    , Camberwell Jun 1913 : Corinthian CAN Barnardos  
14061 TIMMERMAN, Ann1890ENG,     Jun 1900 : Cambroman CAN Barnardos  
26281 TIMMINS, Edward1917ENG, WAR, Aston Apr 1930 : Jervis Bay AUS Fairbridge Homes  
22454 TIMMINS, Stanley Gerald1910ENG,     Jun 1927 : Aurania CAN Unknown  
6215 TIMMS, David1889ENG,     Jul 1900 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
22712 TIMMS, Edward1890ENG,     May 1903 : Kensington CAN Fegan Homes for Boys  
7163 TIMMS, Rachel Gladys1911ENG,     Sep 1921 : Minnedosa CAN Barnardos  
7006 TIMPSON, William Norman1894ENG, LND, Lambeth Sep 1907 : Dominion CAN Barnardos  
24863 TIMS, John F.1895 Mar 1910 : Tunisian CAN Barnardos  
7007 TINDALL, Ethel1898ENG,     Jul 1907 : Kensington CAN Barnardos  
14403 TINGEY, Anna1883ENG,     Jul 1895 : Laurentian CAN Waifs & Strays  
25464 TINGLE, Henry1895ENG,     May 1909 : Corsican CAN Barnardos  
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
Surnames starting with:   T »TAWS »TAYL »TEBB »THOM »THOR »TINK »TONG »TOWN »TRAY »TROT »TUNS »TURN » TZZZ
Surnames starting with:   A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  104 Entries