Ernest Bevin

The ashes of trade unionist Ernest Bevin were buried in the north aisle of the nave of Westminster Abbey on 8th June 1951. The address was given by Prime Minister Clement Attlee. A memorial service had been held on 24th April. The inscription on the stone reads:

THE RIGHT HON. ERNEST BEVIN M.P. TRADE UNIONIST AND STATESMAN 1881-1951

He was born at Winsford in Somerset on 7th March 1881 a son of Diana Bevin (nee Tidbould). After school he took various jobs including van driver and waiter. He had a daughter by Florence Townley. In 1911 he became a paid union official and member of the Dockers' Union. After the war he was General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union and during the second world war was elected a Member of Parliament and Minister of Labour. In Attlee's Labour government he held the post of Foreign Secretary. He died on 14th April 1951.

Further reading

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004

"The life and times of Ernest Bevin" by A. Bullock (1960-83)

Order of Service - Choral Evensong with The Interment of the Ashes of The Right Hon. Ernest Bevin, M.P. in the North Aisle of the Nave (PDF, 231KB)