In March 1906 Jimmy Thomas left the GWR and resigned from the council.

He started to work in Manchester as a full time local union organiser.

The council voted to fine him a guinea for standing down during his term and the people of Swindon made a collection to pay this and had money left over to give him a parting gift.

The Mayor of Swindon, Mr WH Williams, a Superintendent of the GWR, made the presentation to him in the Mechanics’ Institute.

Thomas thought to himself the mayor was pleased to be seeing the back of him!

On April 24, 1906, his wife Agnes, who had stayed in Swindon, gave birth to a son, Leslie Montague Thomas.

Time on Swindon Council stood Thomas in good stead as he represented the union at the hearings into the death of its members at work, work previously undertaken by legal officers. His ability, confidence and competence in this task was duly noted, and, within a year he moved his family to Cardiff to become a union organiser and later president of the Rhymney Valley Mutual Improvement Class.

He wanted to promote and consolidate the Independent Labour Party in Cardiff and as a result borrowed the money to build a meeting hall for them in Neath Street.

Though Thomas stood twice for the council, and could be been seen regularly in the Splott Road standing on a soap box under a street lamp holding a crowd as he spoke of hardship and politics, he failed to be elected to the municipal council.

In late 1909 he was asked to stand as a Labour candidate in Derby with its 10,000 railway staff, a place where he was well known for his electioneering and speaking during previous elections.

Thomas was already electioneering in Cardiff where he intended to stand as a Labour Candidate.

Surprisingly, Thomas was suspended without pay by the union for accepting the Derby offer.

It also meant he would not be supported by the union with funds for his campaign.

Despite this, on January 14, 1910 Thomas was swept into Parliament, easily beating his opponents by 2000 votes.

Fortunately, he had been appointed a union organiser in London before his Parliamentary success, so would now have a day job to fund his role as an MP.

In May 1910 Edward VII died. At this point Thomas came into contact with the young George V, who later would become a close friend.

At this time he became assistant secretary in the union, and settled his family in London.

However, in November 1910 there was another election called, and, strange as it may seem now, this election started on December 3 and finished on December 19.

It was to be the last British general election held over several days, and the last one for eight years, due to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.