Papers of Ron Todd (1927-2005), trade union leader

Personal and trade union papers.

Ronald Todd was born on 11 March 1927 in Walthamstow, the fifth child of George Thomas Todd, a builder's labourer and market trader, and his wife Emily (née Pauline). He was educated at St Patrick's Roman Catholic School until the age of 14, when he got a job sweeping floors in a barber's shop and then became a plumber's mate. Soon after his eighteenth birthday in 1945 he was called up and joined the Royal Marines. His father had been a regular marine and had returned to service during the war, and for a while they served in the same camp. Todd qualified as a commando and at the very end of the war was posted to Hong Kong with 42 Commando, guarding the Chinese border and Japanese prisoners of war. On 17 November 1945 he married Josephine Mary Elsie (Jo) Tarrant, daughter of a Walthamstow builder. They had a son and two daughters.

After being demobilised in 1947, Todd became a gas fitter, but in 1954 joined Ford's Dagenham plant as an assembly line worker. He also joined the Transport and General Workers' Union and rose rapidly in its hierarchy in the plant, becoming deputy plant convenor within five years. In 1962 he was appointed a full-time official with the TGWU. In 1969 he became a regional officer and in 1975 regional secretary for Region No.2 (London and South East). In 1978 he was appointed national organiser, the number three post in the union.

On 28 June 1984 he was elected general secretary to succeed Moss Evans. Considered a left-winger, he won the ballot with a large majority in an unusually high turnout. His main rival, the moderate George Wright, immediately challenged the validity of the ballot. Although Evans declared that Todd had won, Todd demanded a second ballot, which he won with an even greater majority with a similar turnout.

During his general secretaryship, Todd clashed with both the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher and the Labour Party under Neil Kinnock, who he considered was moving the party away from its traditional loyalties. A committed anti-apartheid and anti-nuclear activist, he was also troubled by Labour's abandonment of the policy of unilateral nuclear disarmament. Nevertheless, despite refusing all honours, he was deeply patriotic and royalist, and was immensely proud of his military service.

Todd retired from the TGWU at the age of 65 in 1992. He was chairman of the Trade Union Side of the Ford National Joint Council from 1978 to 1985, joint secretary of the National Joint Council for Stable Staff (Workpeople's Side) from 1978 to 1985, a member of the TUC General Council from 1984 to 1992 (and was chair of the International Committee from 1985), a TUC member of the National Economic Development Committee from 1985 to 1992, a member of the Employment Appeal Tribunal from 1986 to 1989, and president of Unity Trust plc from 1986 to 1989. His main hobby was palaeontology and he had a large collection of fossils (to which he was frequently likened by critics who saw his brand of socialism and trade unionism as a relic of the past). He also wrote poetry and had five volumes published. His wife died in 1996 and Todd himself died of acute myeloblastic leukaemia on 30 April 2005.

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