Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers
The Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers (AUBTW) was formed in 1921 by the amalgamation of the Manchester Unity of Operative Bricklayers' Accident, Sick and Burial Society of Great Britain and Ireland, the Operative Bricklayers' Society and the Operative Society of Masons, Quarrymen and Allied Trades of England and Wales. It amalgamated with the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers and Painters in 1971 to form the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers, Painters and Builders, which was renamed the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) five months later. UCATT merged with Unite in 2017.
Members on amalgamation
A ten-volume register of all existing members of the three amalgamating unions was compiled in 1921 (MSS.78/AU/2/2/1-10). This is arranged alphabetically by branch and within that by union if more than one union had a branch in the particular town. It lists name, age when admitted and date admitted.
Quarterly Branch Balance Sheets
The most useful source for genealogical information is the series of Quarterly Branch Balance Sheets (MSS.78/AU/2/3/1-149), 1921-1940, collected into annual volumes (between 5 and 15 covering every year) which are arranged by division and within them alphabetically by branch and then by quarter.
The many branches of the AUBTW, which covered the whole of the United Kingdom, were grouped into eleven Divisions. These covered the following counties (although a few border branches came under a neighbouring division):
Division 1: London (1921-1940)
Division 2: Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Sussex (1921-1938)
Division 3: Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Norfolk, Suffolk (1921-1932)
Division 4: South Wales (1921-1931)
Division 5: Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Somerset, Wiltshire (1921-1930)
Division 6: Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, South Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire (1921-1937)
Division 7: Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire (1921-1937)
Division 8: Cheshire, Lancashire, North Shropshire, North Wales (1921-1933)
Division 9: Cumberland, Durham, Northumberland, Teesside, Westmorland (1921-1930)
Division 10: Scotland (1921-1930)
Division 11: Northern Ireland (1921-1930)
The series of volumes held by the MRC is not complete after 1930. The years covered for each division are listed above.
New members
Members new to the union are listed in the Quarterly Branch Balance Sheets, with name, date admitted, age and marital status.
Transferred members
Members transferring out of or into the branch are listed in the Quarterly Branch Balance Sheets, with name, date admitted to the union, age when admitted, marital status, branch transferred from or to, and date of transfer.
Excluded members
Members excluded, usually for non-payment of arrears, are listed in the Quarterly Branch Balance Sheets, with name, date admitted to the union, age when admitted, weeks in arrears, and total amount of arrears.
Members receiving sickness benefits
Members receiving sickness benefits are listed in the Quarterly Branch Balance Sheets, with name, date declared ill, nature of illness and date declared off benefits.
Members receiving benefit payments, 1965-1972, are listed by date in the Benefit Payment Books (MSS.78/AU/2/11/1-2), with name, branch and amount received.
Superannuated members
Members receiving superannuation (i.e. retirement) benefits are listed in the Quarterly Branch Balance Sheets, with name, date admitted to the union, age when admitted and date of superannuation.
Deceased members and wives
Deceased members and their wives are listed in the Quarterly Branch Balance Sheets, with name, date admitted to the union, age when admitted, date of death, age at death and cause of death.
Some prominent members receive obituaries in the Annual Reports (MSS.78/AU/4/1/1-60). These are unlikely to be searchable by MRC staff.
Branch officers
Names and addresses of all branch officers are listed in the Quarterly Branch Balance Sheets.
Accident claims
Members claiming accident benefits from their employers are listed in the Annual Reports (MSS.78/AU/4/1/1-60), 1921-1970, with name, branch, nature of injury and result of claim.
There is also a series of compensation case papers (MSS.78/AU/6/Com/1-19). These are unindexed and are arranged chronologically, 1925-1930.
Branch records
The Lambeth and Borough Branch Contribution Books (MSS.78/AU/6/LAM/1-2) list all branch members, 1921-1928, with name, date of admission, age at admission, contributions and address. They are arranged alphabetically within each quarter.
The London shop stewards' address book (MSS.78/AU/6/Lon/1) lists the names and addresses of all shop stewards in the London Division in 1924. It is arranged alphabetically by employer.