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Les Wood

1920 – 2010

British trade unionist

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About Les Wood

Lived 1920 – 2010 (aged 89). Les Wood was a British trade unionist.

Leslie Walter Wood (27 November 1920 – 11 October 2010) was a British trade unionist.

Wood was educated at Birmingham Central Technical College before becoming an apprentice carpenter in 1935. He served in the Royal Air Force during World War II. After the war, he returned to carpentry, working for Cadbury's in Bournville. He became active in the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers (ASW), who sponsored his study at Ruskin College and, from 1953, he worked full-time for the union.

In 1962, Wood was elected as assistant general secretary of the ASW, and he remained in post as it underwent successive mergers to become the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT). In 1978, he was elected as general secretary of UCATT, serving until his retirement in 1985. He joined the General Council of the Trades Union Congress in 1979, and Acas in 1980. He wrote a history of trade unionism in the building trades, A Union to Build, which was published in 1979.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Education
Ruskin College
Also known as
Leslie Walter Wood

People in Les Wood's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Les Wood's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Les Wood?

British trade unionist

When was Les Wood born?

Les Wood was born on 27 November 1920.

When did Les Wood die?

Les Wood died on 11 October 2010.

What was Les Wood's occupation?

Les Wood was a trade unionist.

What nationality was Les Wood?

Les Wood was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Les Wood

· Wikidata: Q25850897

· DBpedia: Les Wood (trade unionist)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Les Wood. https://biography.guide/les-wood-trade-unionist/

MLA: "Les Wood." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/les-wood-trade-unionist/.

Chicago: "Les Wood." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/les-wood-trade-unionist/.

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