The National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers (‘NUGWGL’) was founded in 1889 and by 1915 was known as the National Union of Gas and General Workers (‘NUGGW’). Its successor, the National Union of General Workers, was amalgamated into what is now the GMB.

Prior to the war, Langholm was not unionised, but the development of a huge munitions factory in nearby Gretna in 1915 led to the formation of a Langholm branch of the NUGGW. The Gretna facility provided alternative job opportunities in the area and paid relatively high wages to address the Shell Crisis, causing significant concern to nearby agricultural and industrial businesses.

After a rousing speech in Gretna in November 1915, the union’s leader Ernest Lowthian (1874-1925) visited Langholm on 23rd December 1915, prompting the formation of a Langholm branch. Nevertheless, Langholm continued to be essentially non-unionised.

Ernest Lowthian’s son was George Lowthian (1908-1986), president of the Trades Union Congress in 1964.

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