Albert "Ginger" Goodwin
| Albert "Ginger" Goodwin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Albert Goodwin May 10, 1887 Treeton, Yorkshire, England |
| Died | July 27, 1918 (aged 31) "Mount Ginger Goodwin" west of Cumberland |
| Cause of death | Single gunshot/head trauma |
| Resting place | Cumberland cemetery 49°38′15″N 125°00′24″W / 49.637485°N 125.006775°W |
| Monuments | Memorial headstone |
| Nationality | English |
| Other names | Ginger Goodwin |
| Citizenship | Canadian dual national |
| Occupation | Coal miner, labour unionist |
| Years active | 16 |
| Known for | Advocating organized labour, dying a controversial death, martyrdom |
| Home town | Treeton, Yorkshire, England |
| Political party | Socialist Party of Canada (SPC) |
| Movement | Organized labour movement |
| Criminal charge | Evading conscription into the Canadian Army |
| Criminal penalty | State ordered apprehension |
| Criminal status | Killed during apprehension |
Albert "Ginger" Goodwin (May 10, 1887 – July 27, 1918) of Treeton, England, affectionately named for his bright red hair, was a migrant coal miner who found work in the Cumberland mines, arriving on Vancouver Island in late 1910. Goodwin was disgruntled by the working conditions and management's ubiquitous disregard of all labour factions. Zealous for change, Goodwin became an advocate for workers rights, organizing and promoting the proliferation of trade unions. Goodwin increased in stature to become a highly prominent leader of the social movement that organized labour, but died rather suddenly under highly controversial circumstances that have not been settled to this day. The widely held belief was that Goodwin was murdered in an attempt to stifle collective bargaining; his death inspired the 1918 Vancouver general strike on August 2, 1918, Canada's first General Strike ever. This strike was a precursor to the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, a defining moment in Canadian labour history.
Goodwin was born in Treeton, Yorkshire, England, and was a coal miner for most of his working life. Goodwin immigrated to Canada at the age of 19, and spent time working in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. In 1910, Goodwin moved to the East Kootenay region of British Columbia. He moved a third time to Cumberland, to work for James Dunsmuir on Vancouver Island. Mayse's book Ginger: The Life and Death of Albert Goodwin says that Goodwin found the working conditions in the Cumberland mines to be "appalling". The lack of care regarding miners safety radicalized him. After only a year and half, he was swept up in the vicious Coal Miners' Strike on Vancouver Island, which began in Cumberland and lasted from September 1912 until the beginning of World War I in 1914. Although the strike did not garner favorable change for workers, it was regarded as an extreme economic burden on Canada. Goodwin emerged as a dedicated socialist and union leader. After the strike of 1912, he spoke out against the inhumane conditions miners were subject to. As a result of his vocal opposition, Goodwins role was noted by employers and he was subsequently blacklisted and never allowed to mine again.
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