Thomas West

Postal worker.

On leaving school, he served for a short time as a French polisher and in the loco sheds.

From the age of 17 he served in the Navy for three years before being invalided out.

He joined the Post Office at Westhoughton in 1923 and from 1949 he was in charge of the town's despatch and delivery office.

He was a trade unionist and was on the executive of the Bolton and District branch of the Union of Post Office Workers and served as Chairman of the branch. From 1938 he was organizer of the East Lancashire District of the Union and in 1945 he was elected to the national standing orders Committee.

Represented North Ward from 1933.

He held many Committee Chairmanships, including Housing, Library, Higher Education, Rating and Valuation and the General Purposes Committees.

Chairman of the Fall Birch Joint Hospital Board.

He was made a Justice of the Peace in July 1956.

On 12 June 1958 he was awarded the British Empire Medal for service in many aspects of public life including local government, the postal service and trade unionism.

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