Wales, while John Beard, who had been working part-time for the union among agricultural workers, was transferred to a full-time post in Birmingham. 1911 saw increased unrest among workers in the UK, and the Workers' Union capitalised on this. Membership increased rapidly, to 18,000 by the end of 1911, 91,000 by the end of 1913, and 143,000 by mid-1914. It was now a similar size to the National Union of Gasworkers and General Labourers, the largest general union in the UK. The additional funds allowed Duncan to launch a publicity campaign, principally through the Daily Citizen, and take on several members of administrative staff, and increase the number of full-time organisers from six to forty. They included George Dallas in London, and George Kerr in Scotland Beard defeated Morley in the 1913 presidential election, his victory coming on the back of the recruitment of large numbers of semi-skilled engineering workers in the West Midlands by him, Arthur Ellery, and Julia Varley. The union also recruited strongly among agricultural workers, with Sidney Box and R. O. Hornagold being the principal organisers. On formation, the union affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the General Federation of Trade Unions, but it left both bodies in 1900, as a money-saving measure. It attempted to rejoin the TUC in 1913, but was blocked by other unions which claimed that it was poaching their members. The union was a founder member of the Labour Representation Committee, and remained affiliated as it became the Labour Party. Despite its original aim of sponsoring labour candidates, it was unable to do so until 1918. However, Duncan managed to gain the sponsorship of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, and served as an MP from 1906 onwards. The union's leadership supported World War I, with both Beard and Duncan joining the British Workers' League, although they left in 1918 when it supported anti-Labour Party Parliamentary candidates. Duncan and Morley stood for the Labour Party in the 1918 UK general election, but both were unsuccessful. Neil Maclean, a union member, did win a seat with the backing of the Independent Labour Party, and in 1919 he was elected to the union's executive. The union's growth stalled during World War I, but then leapt dramatically in 1918, reaching 495,000 by the end of the year, making it the largest trade union in the country. It tried to recruit more women, and