National Union of Vehicle Builders

The archive contains the records of the United Kingdom Society of Coachmakers as well as its successor, the National Union of Vehicle Builders. Although the UKSC was only one of the unions which amalgamated to form the NUVB, it was the largest and the sequence of NUVB records generally followed on from those of the UKSC. Some of the district and branch records continue into the TGWU era.

Executive Committee/National Executive Committee minutes, 1907-72; journal and financial reports, 1851-72; proceedings of national conferences, 1941-61; rules, 1859-1967; Birmingham District minutes, 1923-8, 1943-7; Birmingham District files, 1942-53; Leeds District file re Grimsby & Cleethorpes municipal transport, 1947-58; London District minutes, 1919-23; shop stewards' conference minutes, 1921-6; 'Headlight', 1957-67; branch records, 1845-68; various publications, 1860s-1970s; circulars, 1956-72; newsletters, 1957-72.

The United Kingdom Society of Coachmakers was formed in 1834 by the Liverpool and Manchester Coachmakers' Societies after they had co-operated during a strike. In 1919 it amalgamated with the London and Provincial Coachmakers' Society, the Operative Coachmakers and Wheelwrights' Federal Labour Union, and the London Coachsmiths and Vicemen's Trade Society to form the National Union of Vehicle Builders. In 1925, the NUVB absorbed the Amalgamated Wheelwrights, Smiths and Kindred Trades Union and in 1948 the Wheelwrights and Coachmakers' Operative Union. The union transferred engagements to the Transport and General Workers' Union in 1972.

Prior written permission to consult unpublished records in this archive is required. Details are given in the full catalogue. Subject to permission being granted, the archive is available to researchers by appointment at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick. See http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/using/

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

The NUVB archive was split into two parts in the 1970s. Older records, including those of the London and Provincial Coachmakers' Society and the Amalgamated Wheelwrights, Smiths and Kindred Trades Union, were deposited in the Vehicle Building and Automotive Museum established in Coventry by the Transport and General Workers' Union. The museum opened in 1976 and closed in 1980, when the records were transferred to the union's regional office in West Bromwich. They were transferred to the Modern Records Centre in June 1987 and form the bulk of the NUVB archive. All items form part of this deposit unless otherwise specified.

The second part of the archive consists of more recent records, mainly 1947-72. They were taken to the London headquarters of the TGWU following the transfer of engagements from the NUVB. This part of the archive was deposited by the TGWU in January 1985.

See also MSS.126/TG (Transport and General Workers' Union), MSS.126/LP (London and Provincial Coachmakers' Society) and MSS.126/WH (Amalgamated Wheelwrights, Smiths and Kindred Trades Union). Other branch records are held by Aberdeen University, Coventry, Devon, Hull University, London Metropolitan, Mitchell Library (Glasgow), National Library of Scotland, Ruskin College (Oxford), Surrey, Wakefield, University of Wales Swansea, and Wiltshire and Swindon archives.