Heating and Domestic Engineers' Union and predecessors

Minutes, 1935-67; reports and balance sheets, 1937-45 (incomplete); branch minutes: Bradford, 1911-37; Newcastle 1939-46. Journal, 1964; rule book, 1964; membership cards, 1926-1966.

The National Union of Operative Heating and Domestic Engineers, Whitesmiths and General Ironworkers was formed in 1908 by the merger of the Amalgamated Society of Kitchen Range, Hot Water and General Fitters, the Amalgamated Society of Kitchen Range, Stove Grate, Gas Stove, Hot Water, Art Metal and other Smiths and Fitters connected with the above Trades, the Amalgamated Society of Whitesmiths, Domestic Engineers and General Pipe Fitters and the Birmingham Society of Hot Water and Steam Engineers. By 1920 it had been renamed the National Union of Operative Heating and Domestic Engineers and General Metal Workers and in 1948 it changed its name to become the National Union of Operative Heating, Domestic and Ventilating Engineers and General Metal Workers and in 1956 became the Heating and Domestic Engineers' Union. In 1967 it amalgamated with the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers and Coppersmiths to form the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers, Coppersmiths, Heating and Domestic Engineers. In 1983 the union became part of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers (Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section). In 1988, the Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section merged with the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs to form Manufacturing, Science, Finance.

Reference: Ted Brake, Men of Good Character: A history of the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers, Coppersmiths, Heating and Domestic Engineers( Lawrence and Wishart: London, 1985).

The records form part of the archive of Manufacturing, Science, Finance (MSS.101) and within that are a constitutent of the archive of the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers, Coppersmiths, Heating and Domestic Engineers (MSS.101/SM).

This collection is available to researchers by appointment at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick. See http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/using/

Most of this archive was transferred to the Modern Records Centre from the National Museum of Labour History in October 1989 and April 1990. Accession 1193 was transferred from the Working Class Movement Library in 2017.

Link to full catalogue: http://mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/HDE

There are no restrictions on the use of this archive, apart from the requirements of copyright law.

This collection has been weeded for duplicates.

Further deposits are not expected.

The records of the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers, Coppersmiths, Heating and Domestic Engineers and many of its other predecessors are also held at the Modern Records Centre (MSS.101/SM). These include the records of the Amalgamated Society of Whitesmiths, Domestic Engineers and General Pipe Fitters and its predecessors (MSS.101/SM/AMW). The Modern Records Centre also holds further records of the Heating and Domestic Engineers' Union and its predecessors (MSS.411/HD).