Jack Bailey

Sir John Bailey (1 January 1898 – 18 January 1969) was a Welsh co-operative activist and politician.

Born in Miskin, near Mountain Ash, Bailey attended the Gwyn Ivor School until he was twelve, then worked for a cobbler before becoming a coal miner. However, in 1915 he suffered an accident which prevented him from working underground, and in 1917 he enlisted in the South Wales Borderers.

In 1919, Bailey returned to mining, becoming more involved with the South Wales Miners' Federation, who funded him to complete a correspondence course with Ruskin College and then to attend the Central Labour College. He also joined the Independent Labour Party, and in 1922, while studying in London, he unsuccessfully stood for the party in Kensington. The following year, he returned to Mountain Ash, and was elected to the local council.