Frederick A. Smith (23 February 1887 – 22 January 1943) was a British trade unionist.
The British people, or the Britons, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies. British nationality law governs modern British citizenship and nationality, which can be acquired, for instance, by descent from British nationals. When used in a historical context, "British" or "Britons" can refer to the Celtic Britons, the indigenous inhabitants of Great Britain and Brittany, whose surviving members are the modern Welsh people, Cornish people, and Bretons. It may also refer to citizens of the former British Empire.
Born in Poplar in the East End of London, Smith completed an apprenticeship as an engineer and joined the London United Metal Turners Society. [1] [2] In 1917, he was elected as general secretary of the union, but in 1920 took it into a merger with the Amalgamated Society of Engineers which formed the Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU). He became the AEU's first assistant general secretary, then in 1933 was elected as its general secretary. Smith was also prominent in the Trades Union Congress, and served as chair of its Standing Orders Committee for many years. [1]
Poplar is a large riverside district in East London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and is a part of the East End and the Port of London. It was a suburb of the metropolitan area of London until 1965 when it was reformed and expanded. It is 5 miles east of Charing Cross and is identified as a major district centre in the London Plan. Although Poplar is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, a part is also in the London Borough of Newham. Poplar district centre is Chrisp Street Market, which forms a significant commercial and retail centre surrounded by extensive residential development and includes Poplar Baths, Coldharbour, and Trinity Buoy Wharf. It also has two localities, Blackwall and South Bromley.
The East End of London, usually called the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London, and north of the River Thames. It does not have universally accepted boundaries, though the various channels of the River Lea are often considered to be the eastern boundary. It comprises areas of Central London, East London and London Docklands.
The Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) was a major British trade union. It merged with the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union to form the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union in 1992.
Smith was taken ill late in 1942 and had his leg amputated in hospital. While there, he heard that he had been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1943 New Year Honours. By late January, he was ready to return home, but died suddenly while waiting for a lift. [3]
The 1943 New Year Honours were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 29 December 1942.
