Tribute to Higham Ferrers 'extraordinary bloke' Derek Dormer OBE, who was CIU national secretary

A Higham Ferrers man who dedicated his life to supporting the country’s network of working men’s clubs has died at the age of 97.

Derek Dormer started volunteering for the CIU (Club & Institute Union) in 1947, eventually racking up 60 years of service and being awarded the OBE for ‘services to working people’.

He continued his association with working men’s clubs right up to the end of his life by popping into the Higham Ferrers WMC for a daily pint.

Speaking with pride, son Tom Dormer paid tribute to his father saying he had been a man with real passion for helping workers.

He said: “He was an extraordinary bloke. His life was dedicated to social change through the working men’s clubs. He was driven by social conscience – that working people should be able to enjoy themselves. Working people to organise themselves for the sake of themselves.”

Born in Wolverton, Buckinghamshire, as one of 12 children, Derek left grammar school after being unable to afford university despite a winning a scholarship.

After a spell serving with REME during World War Two, Derek took a job on the railways as a clerk but his real passion was social change.

In 1947 he was elected as a union official. Three years later he started working for the CIU in 1950 as secretary of his local branch, following in the footsteps of his eldest brother.Four years later he joined the national executive committee and spent 11 years as national vice-president and 22 years as national president before returning to local work.

Son Tom was born in 1953 with daughter Linda born in 1960. In 1964, Derek and wife Gladys moved to Meadow Walk in Higham Ferrers.

Derek set up a family stocktaking and valuing business, DJ Dormer and Son in Rushden.

Over the years Derek helped make big changes to protect working men’s clubs including setting up the All-Party Parliamentary Committee and the national joint industrial council, working alongside Labour MP Michael Martin, Speaker of the House of Commons.

During his tenure he saw big changes in social conditions and the attitudes of working people from the downsizing of clubs to the smoking ban.

Tom said: “He led several campaigns including the introduction of women to have a pass card and the independence of working men’s clubs to police themselves. These are things that nowadays we just take for granted.

“He should have been a politician. He was an old-fashioned co-operative Labour man through and through. He never forgot his roots – they were crazy poor. He saw that people were inherently decent.

"For me it’s about the end of an era. He was a family man and cast a long shadow. He knew everyone under the sun. Every Sunday we’d go as a family for a drink before lunch. But is wasn’t about drinking, it was a respectful thing to do. He would play pool and snooker. He loved dancing and was fiercely competitive at dominoes, and he was an amazing pianist. He was a member of Rotary. He was an incredibly clever man.”

On retirement in 2010, Derek told the Northants Telegraph: “It has always been my motivation to protect the rights of workers and every day every member of every club derives some benefit from the CIU. It has been a life’s work and it has been very rewarding.”

Derek leaves two children, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

His funeral service is at 2pm on Wednesday, October 25, at Nene Valley Crematorium in Wellingborough.

Family flowers only. Donations for NSPCC and Save the Children may be sent to A. Abbott & Sons, Independent Family Funeral Directors, Rushden, NN10 0LZ.