First name/s: Michael
Last name: Welsh
Known names / nicknames: Mick /Mickey
Date of birth: 23/11/1926
Year of birth: 1926

Life before Ruskin

Date and place of birth:Doncaster 23 November 1926

Family:Father Danny, a miner, who died when Mick was 8; mother Winnie who encouraged Mick to attend night school.

Work:Shot-firer in the pit

Politics/Trade union activity:junior union representative

Trade Union membership (at time of entry to Ruskin) NUM

Life at Ruskin

Dates at Ruskin:early 1960s? After attending the extramural department of the University of Sheffield

Source of funding:

Campaigns/political activity:According to Harry Barnes on this website, Mick was a supporter of nuclear disarmament when at Ruskin.

Subjects studied at Ruskin:

Dissertation:

Qualification:

Life after Ruskin

Education:

Work:

Politics/trade union activity:Elected to Doncaster council in 1962 and served until 1969. MP for Don Valley 1979 – 1983; and Doncaster North 1983 -1992. Served on Select Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Family:Married Brenda Nicholson 1950 and had two sons

Place & date of death:Carcroft, South Yorkshire, 24 January 2012

Date of death: 24/01/2012
Year of death: 2012

Achievements / Publications

Of him Arthur Scargill said, “I first knew Mick in the early 1960s, when together we formed the Left Forum, which led to the transformation of the NUM from a right-wing majority organisation into a progressive left-wing organisation. I nominated him as Labour member for Don Valley, and in those days in mining constituencies the NUM could command the majority of delegates, and therefore it was a foregone conclusion. In fact he was selected overwhelmingly, and well-received by delegates other than those sponsored by the NUM. He had been a person of great significance to the NUM in our numerous contacts with miners in other countries.”

Material in archives or already published articles

Image

Notes on Image/s

Comment of contributor/s and sources

This entry is drawn from the obituary in the Independent written by Tam Dalyell

Author/s

Hilda Kean