Challenge Established 1935Challenge is the Journal of Young Communist League (YCL), The Youth Section of the Communist Party of Britain, and is probably one of the most famous and renowned British political youth journals.
The British Communist Parties youth journal was originally entitled "The Young Worker" and was edited by William Rust, who would later become the editor of the Daily Worker.
The Young Worker was replaced by "The Young Communist" which was selling 6,500 copies by the mid 1920's.
The first edition of the YCL's "Challenge" was produced in March 1935.
A letter in Challenge Saturday 17th February 1945 vol 11 issue 7 recorded the first edition of Challenge.
"our paper will be 10 years old in March (1945), I remember the very first issue - the months of excitement beforehand, preparing to launch this glorious venture - a real live fighting youth paper"
"In these ten years, we haven't done so badly, in fact we've done darn well. first every time with youth news, we've packed a punch in every issue".
Challenge was sold outside factories, schools and on Saturdays along with Daily Worker's at the Saturday "pitch" (selling point) usually in the centre of town.
By 1971 Challenge was selling 9,000 per issue. 17,000 copies of a special summer 1971 edition of Challenge were produced.
The Young Communist League was formed in 1921 as the youth wing of the Communist Party by the merger of the Young Workers' League and the International Communist Schools Movement.
The Young Communist League headquarters in 1926 were in Great Ormand Street, London.Web site of the Young Communist League (YCL) and Challenge.
http://www.ycl.org.uk/
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