derby holds an important position in the history of the labour movement, because it was one of two seats (the other being keir hardie's in merthyr tydfil) gained by the recently formed labour representation committee at the 1900 general election. the mp was richard bell, general secretary of the railway servants union. bell was succeeded in 1910 by jimmy thomas and he in turn by the distinguished polymath and nobel laureate philip noel-baker in 1936.