Hall of Fame

15 November 1897 in Tredegar, South Wales

6 July 1960

Politician who was the driving force behind the foundation of the National Health Service.

Labour

'The purpose of getting power is to be able to give it away'.

Nye

In Cardiff

The Manic Street Preachers named an album after a Bevan quote - 'This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours'.

Bevan's father was a miner and he was one of ten children. He left school at thirteen and like his father became a collier. Support for the Independent Labour Party was strong amongst South Wales miners and Bevan joined the South Wales branch of the South Wales Miners' Federation. He became an active trade unionist and aged just nineteen, became the head of his local Miners' Lodge. The colliery management saw him as a troublemaker and sacked him.

In 1919, he went to study at the Central Labour College in London. When he returned to Tredegar, the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company refused to employ him. He became a paid union official, and one of the leaders of the South Wales Miners.

In 1929, he successfully stood as a Labour Party candidate for Ebbw Vale in the general election, and gained a reputation for his support of the working class. In 1945, Clement Atlee gave Bevan the position of Minister of Health, and he steered through Parliament the National Health Service.

The NHS came into being on July 5th, 1948, and healthcare was now free - helping those who could least afford to help themselves. Bevan later served as shadow Colonial Secretary, Shadow Foreign Secretary and was elected Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. He died of cancer in 1960, aged 62.

• 1919 Studies at the Central Labour College.
• 1926 Appointed a union official.
• 1929 MP for Ebbw Vale.
• 1934 Married a fellow left-wing Labour MP, Jennie Lee.
• 1945 General election - Labour wins the election.
• 1948 5 July - The National Health Service was created. Bevan was secretary of state for health.
• 1955-56 Lost the leadership election to Gaitskill, but was made shadow colonial then shadow foreign secretary.
• 1959 Elected deputy leader of the Labour Party.
• 1960 Dies of cancer.