Percy Astins

Percy Astins was a British trade unionist and politician.
Astins became active in the London United Society of Plate Printers, and served as its final general secretary. In 1919, he took the union into a merger with the Printing Machine Managers' Trade Society, and began working part-time as an official for the larger union. He was also active in the Labour Party, standing unsuccessfully in Bury St Edmunds at the 1929 [United Kingdom general election], and in Ilford at the 1931 and 1935 United Kingdom general elections. He did succeed in winning election to Essex [County Council], spending several years as the council's chairman.
In 1945, Astins became the full-time general secretary of the Printing Machine Managers' Trade Society. Ten years later, he took the union into a merger with the London Society of Compositors. That union was renamed as the "London Typographical Society", and Astins served as its joint general secretary for a year before he retired.
In retirement, Astins continued to serve as an alderman on Essex County Council, and was also chair of the governors of Essex Technical College, and a magistrate.
In 1947, Astins was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.