People Australia

Glen Fingleton, 1952

Maritime Worker (Melbourne), 18 October 1952, p 3

Glen Harold James (‘Fingo’) Fingleton (1911-1965) clerk, trade union official 

Birth: 1911 at Waverley, Sydney, New South Wales, son of James Fingleton (1876-1920), tram driver and politician, and Belinda May (Mary), née Webb (1878-1955). Marriage: 1937 at Newtown, Sydney, to Mavis Magdalene Kessey (1916-1994). They had two daughters. Death: 18 June 1965 at Glebe Island, Sydney. Religion: Catholic. 

• Fingleton family were well-known in Waverley. Father was a Labor politician. One brother was mayor of Waverley 1930-40; another Jack, was a distinguished cricketer, and Glen himself was a capable flannelled fool, captain of Waverley Cricket Club for 12 years.
• Telegraph messenger in Postmaster-General’s Department in 1925. Later gave occupation as civil servant then clerk, later as union secretary.
• Foundation member of Sydney Crane and Auto Truck Drivers’ Union, 1943, which became Mechanical Branch, Waterside Workers’ Federation (WWF). Secretary of branch from 1946 to 1965.
• Long-term Australian Labor Party member, and spoke often during 1951 referendum re banning of Communist Party of Australia, advocating ‘No’ vote.
• Selected as WWF observer on trade union delegation to Soviet Union which attended November 7 celebrations in Moscow in 1952. Clashed with WWF Sydney branch and its secretary Tom Nelson when he disclosed “that his report would be anti-communist”.
• Died in harness, after ‘making one of the most emotional speeches of his career’ to wharfies at Glebe Island.
• Cause of Death: acute myocardial infarction and coronary arteriosclerosis. 

Sources
Maritime Worker (Melbourne), 23 August 1952, 30 June 1965, 14 July 1965.