Birmingham and Midland Sheet Metal Workers' Society and predecessors

Rules, Minutes, 1859-71; annual reports and balance sheets, 1892-1972, price lists.

The Birmingham Operative Tin-Plate Workers' Society was founded on 12 February 1859. In 1906 it was renamed the Birmingham Operative Tin-Plate, Sheet Metal Workers and Braziers' Society and in 1925 the Birmingham and Midland Sheet Metal Workers' Society. In 1876 the Society federated with the Wolverhampton Operative Tin-Plate Workers' Society and the Wolverhampton Co-operative Tin Plate Workers' Society to form the Amalgamated Tin Plate Workers of Birmingham, Wolverhampton and District, but in 1909 seceded from its successor organisation, the National Amalgamated Sheet Metal Workers and Braziers. It later expanded out of Birmingham to form branches in Burton-upon-Trent, Coventry, Dudley, Loughborough, Redditch and Rugby. In 1973 it rejoined its fellow sheet metal workers' organisations by merging with the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers, Coppersmiths, Heating and Domestic Engineers.

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/

This archive was transferred to the Modern Records Centre from the National Museum of Labour History in October 1989 and April 1990.

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

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). Additional material relating to the Birmingham sheet metal workers (MSS.101/SM/BIM and MSS.101/SM/BIW) was deposited separately but has been added to this catalogue.