Brentford & Chiswick Victory 1942

Reginal Silverthorne - Brentford and Chiswick Communist Party 1942




A socialist tradesman in Brentford who refused to display union jack flags in his windows during the Royal Jubilee of 1935 arranged instead to take 100 children to the pictures on Saturday Morning "to celebrate Labour Sunday"

Maud Brown - National Unemployed Workers Movement

Maud Brown


Maud Brown was the women's organiser of the National Unemployed Workers Movement (NUWM) and in that capacity helped lead the great hunger marches of the nineteen thirties.

In 1929 a Women's section of the NUWM was established on the initiative of a Mrs Youle of Sheffield Women's Section of the NUWM.

Maud Brown became the head of the new department, according to Richard Croucher who wrote a comprehensive history of the NUWM "her appointment marked the beginning of a rapid and qualitive improvement in the movements work among women".

Maud Brown, was unlike many other leaders of the NUWM not a member of the Communist Party

With the failure of the Government to abolish the "not genuinely seeking work" clause or address other unemployed grievances It was decided that the "hunger march" of march 1930 consisted of some 1,100 men included twelve contingents coming chiefly from Scotland, Durham, Northumberland, Plymouth, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, derby, south wales, Staffordshire, Midlands and Kent would include

It was also agreed that for the first time a women's contingent . This contingent from the derelict textile areas comprised of eight women from Barnsley and fourteen from Bradford. This decision may partly be explained by the appointment of Margaret Bondfield as Minister of Labour.


They set off from Leeds with Maud Brown at the head of the Women's contingent and arrived in London on may day to be greeted by 50,000 supporters May Day. However, the women's contingent marched separately according to Margaret McCarthy Secretary of Burnley NUWM "to avoid scandalous gossip".

The women's contingent was met in London by the London Committee of Action set up to support the Hunger March. This committee presented with a red scarf

After the rally in Hyde Park many of the marchers sought accommodation In Fulham Workhouse, after a major stand off with the marchers and the huge crowd who supported them, they were allowed inside, almost immediately a huge red flag was hoisted, despite the protestations of the workhouse master.

In 1935 the NUWM published "stop this starvation of mother and child", Maud Browns booklet presented a wealth of medical evidence to show the close relationship between poverty and mother and child morbidity.

At her eightieth birthday in August 1968 Maud Brown spoke of her role in the unemployment movement and her part in Aberdeen, when tenants hauled rats from homes at councillors. Her special job was to throw the only live one.

Nan Macmillan stated of her role in the hunger marches that she organised them with "courage and fearlessness".

Hilda Vernon speaking at Brown's eightieth birthday she did so "With a stern sense of duty, a kind heart and a sense of humour".

Michael Walker



29th June 1975
died aged 86


Maud Brown (below)

Lyons - Corn-merge Veridique et Social - Co-operative

Attention has recently been called to the distinctive positionheld by the city of Lyons in the annals of co-operation in France. It was out of strikes and bloodshed that the first co-operative society of Lyons emerged, largely through the efforts of two earnest souls : Michel Demon and Joseph L. Reynier.

Michael Demon (born in 1803) owned a small silk factory, and his sympathies would naturally be with the employer. But brought in early manhood into touch with the socialist teaching of St. Simon and Fourier, he became one of the school whose object was " the association of workers of thought and of the workshop, and the establishment of a society of producers." In a book published in 1834, Demon declared that the remedy for the unrest of the people was " the peaceful organisation of industry and commerce." Joseph Reynier was a manager under Demon. Born in 1811, the only boy in a family of seven—all silk weavers—he early became a strong champion of the workers.

Unlike the 28 of Rochdale his ability brought him into some prominence in various spheres in Lyons. He died at the great age of 86, and in his will he wrote the touching lesson for his children and his colleagues : Aimez vous les uns les autres. In 1835 Demon and Reynier—par nobile fratrum—started the " Corn-merge Veridique et Social," in plain English, a co-operative society. It lived three years, and was then killed through bitter local influences. Like the phoenix, a new society," L'Avenir Regional," rose from the ashes which flourishes to-day.

Not so isolated, one may note, but that July 7th was celebrated in fitting fashion as the first Co-operators' Day. The names of Demon and Reynier are dear to the weavers of Lyons. At the unveiling of a monument to the memory of Reynier in 1920, M. Gaumont (a prominent co-operator) pronounced a glowing eulogium upon these brother pioneers.

The oration begins : " The tomb before which we here reunite for a solemn and grateful homage, is not that of a lord of the earth, of a hero in politics or war.

This modest monument is worthy of the modest man, a son of the people, who rests under this slab of stone." Further on we read :— "Let us piously consider the name of Michel Derrion, henceforth sacred to men of goodwill who, by millions, are grouped now in co-operation, with the same ideals.

By the side of him we will place the name of Joseph Reynier, associated with him during 10 years of misfortunes and difficulties, and which should shine in the same peaceful glory for co-operators of the entire world as those of Charles Howarth, James Smithies, and William Cooper, founders of the Rochdale Society."

Co-operative Wholesale Society CWS Year Book 1924

British Light Steel Pressings (BLSP) Acton Strike 1961

British Light Steel Pressings (Rootes Group) at Warple Road, Acton strike entered it's 12th strike against redundancies and work sharing at Acton (West London) factory, according to the Daily Worker 18th November 1961

600 men and women union members meet at Ealing Town Hall on the 17th November 1961 and agreed almost unanimously (1 vote against 3 abstained) to continue until the workers received a "fair and Honorable settlement".

At the conclusion of the meeting the audience broke into a rendition of "Solidarity Forever" song, which had become a tradition during the strike. The union members while solid had meet with indifference from right winger Engineering Union (AEU) President William Carron. The Acton factory was during the strike only producing 200 sets rather usual 3,000 sets - BLSP produced car body shells for cars such as the Hillman

Reg Hooper was the Joint Union Dispute Chairman at British Light Steel Pressings Acton

A spate of 82 mainly unofficial strikes in 1961 caused the loss of over 27,000 man hours at the BLSP plants.

BLSP formed in 1930.

The Workers Olympics

The International Workers’ Federation
For Physical Education and Sport
Clarion
Co-operative Wholesale Society CWS People’s Year Book 1924

By TOM GROOM, International Secretary.

THE International Workers' Federation for Physical Education and Sport, has for its chief object the substitution of the spirit of sport for the spirit of militarism. In place of deadly strife on the battle field, it seeks to promote a healthy rivalry on the fields of sport. For cannon balls, it would substitute footballs ; for trench warfare, tennis tournaments; for submarine fighting, swimming galas ; and that when the workers of the world shall confront each other in mass formation it shall be as friendly competitors in massed physical-drill displays, rather than as foes seeking to kill and to maim.

What is this but a modernised version of the old dream of beating swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning-hooks ? And lest the modern dream should seem too fantastical for serious consideration, let us quote from an article by Sir lan Malcolm, K.C.B., dealing with the growth of athletic and sporting clubs in France :— And, apart from the executants, sport has taken a real hold upon the French public, who flock in their thousands to every first-class " fixture," and follow the match with all the enthusiasm of an English crowd. Here we move into an atmosphere of international comity ; speaking and thinking in a kind of Esperanto, the sportsman's lingua franca, which obviates misunderstandings and is comprehended of all nations as easily as the humour of Charlie Chaplin.

Can it be that in the future an international federation of athletic clubs will play a striking part in the pacification of the world ? If so, the League of Nations should be up and doing, and should initiate a " Sports Department" on the banks of the Lake of Geneva ! Here, in the jargon of the day, is " an avenue of peace that might well be explored."

It is precisely in this spirit of seeking to " play a striking part in the pacification of the world " that the International Workers' Federation is moving. Whatever motive it may be that brings the peoples of the world into friendly rivalry it will, by just that much, help to break down old enmities and to remove the prejudices that arise from ignorance. And the true sporting spirit makes, perhaps, a more widely popular appeal to-day than any other single motive.

It was in 1913, and at Ghent, Belgium, that the preliminary conference for the purpose of forming an International Workers' Federation for Physical Education and Sport was held. At that conference were represented Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and England. The discussion was voluble and discursive, but the underlying motive of all the speeches was the desire to oust the spirit of militarism and in its place to substitute the spirit of fraternal sport. A tentative constitution and many pious resolutions were considered.

* The address of the International Secretary is 44 Worship Street, London, E.C.2.


All were referred back to the constituent bodies for further consideration and for definite adoption at a second conference to be held the following year, at Frankfort-on-Main.

Such international gatherings as were held in 1914 were anything but fraternal in character, and the International Federation looked like being still-born. But the Armistice of 1918 had hardly been signed when the International Bureau sent out invitations to all for a renewal of friendly relations. The meeting was held in Seraing, near Liege, in 1919 ; but owing to the great expense of travelling in that year, and to the difficulties of obtaining passports, Belgium, France, and England alone were able to be represented. Definite action was postponed until 1920, when, at Lucerne, France, Belgium, England, Germany, Austria, Czeoho-Slovakia, Finland, and Switzerland sent representatives and the constitution was agreed to.

GROWTH OF THE FEDERATION.
In the meantime, the Federation had been expanding. At Ghent, in 1913, there were but five nations at the inaugural meeting. At Lucerne there were eight nations, representing a total of 770,000 members (as against 242,000 in 1919) ; whilst to-day there are seventeen nations, with a total affiliation of over a million and a half.

The following list, recently supplied by the International Bureau, gives the names of the adherent countries and numbers of affiliated members for each :—

Germany.... ............ 1,295,739
Italy .................. 1070
England ................ 2,220
Lithuania .............. 900
Austria ................ 25,000
Poland ................. 6,000
Belgium ................ 20,000
Portugal ................ 6,000
Esthonia................ 100
Switzerland ............ 16166
Finland ................ 27,000
Czecho-Slovakia (Prague).. 97,000
Czecho-Slovakia (Provinces) . . 48 300
Alsace-Lorraine .......... 12,000 „
France.................. 3,000
Yugo-Slavia ............ 135
Luxembourg ............500
Hungary................ 5,000

TOTAL 1,565,130

Without actually being the lowest in the list, in point of numbers, England, -with its importance in the comity of nations, and with its sporting traditions, is far too low. If through international sport there is any hope of reducing the chances of future wars being waged, then it is our duty to give such support to this new movement towards peace as is possible. The comparatively rapid growth of the Federation under surely the most adverse circumstances, would suggest that it has the hall-marks of success. And the work it has already accomplished lends encouragement.

INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIADS.

Since its formation numerous international sports and athletic gatherings—as between individual nations—have been held, and three international Olympiads have been authorised by the International Bureau. Of these latter the most important was the one held in Prague, in June, 1921. Its importance lay in the fact that it was held so soon after the war, and that the invitations, sent out by the Gymnast Association of Czecho-Slovakia, were so warmly responded to. Upwards of 72,000 athletes gathered together in the great stadium, specially erected for the purpose, and of these at least 12,000 were from foreign countries. In the perfect cordiality with which the Czecho-Slovakians welcomed their guests, and in the warm fraternal spirit with which the various representatives from the different nations co mingled—nations that had but recently been flying at each others throats—lay the great significance of that 1921 Olympiad.

Last year, in Leipzig, the German Workers' Gymnast Clubs entertained 3,000 worker athletes from other countries, and upwards of' 16,000 athletes took part in the great march past.

During the present year (1923) international sports meetings in Switzerland, France, Germany, Belgium, Czecho-Slovakia, and Lithuania have been sanctioned by the International Federation. To each and to all of these gatherings some representatives of the various nations affiliated, with the exception of England, have been sent, for the purpose of demonstrating their belief in this new endeavour towards international fraternity.

But England has not been entirely lacking in its support to the new movement. When, in 1912, the first tentative invitations to help in the formation of the Federation were sent out, the only working-class athletic society in this country with any pretence to a national organisation was the Clarion Cycling Club.

That club accepted the invitation and, so far as its poor means allow, has endeavoured, both nationally and internationally, to strengthen the cause for which the International Workers' Federation was formed. By the sending of football teams, cyclists, swimmers, and runners to France and to Belgium, and by entertaining, in this country, football teams from France, it has done what it can to forward the objects of the Federation. But it is too weak, both in membership and in finances, to keep in step with the rapid advance made by the Federation on the continent.

And in no case can it ever claim to be truly representative of the working-class movements in Great Britain. At most it can but hope to hold the position until the general Labour and Co-operative movements of this country recognise the value of this endeavour towards peace by substituting the spirit of sport for the spirit of militarism.

The co-operative movement is essentially a peace-loving movement. The common aim of co-operators the whole world over makes for fraternity of interests. On the continent the co-operators have interested themselves whole-heartedly in the work of the International Federation. They recognise that the future of co-operation, and the welfare of the workers generally, depends upon securing the interests of the young. Youth demands the healthy recreation that sports and athletics give. The continental co-operators cater for that demand, and, by affiliation to the International Federation, are helping to bring the youth of the various nations together in friendly sportive rivalry, and by so doing will help to clear the way of those international prejudices and misunderstandings that make wars possible.

With the exception of a few isolated sports clubs and tennis clubs —and these for the most part formed by employees—the British co-operative movement has done nothing at all in the way of physical education for its younger members. Most certainly there is nothing in this country to equal, or even to approach, the magnificent gymnast organisations for which the movement on the continent is responsible. Yet here, surely, is an opportunity which should be exploited.


FORTHCOMTNG EVENTS.

In September, 1924, at Ghent, is to be held an International Co- operative Exhibition. An invitation to take over an English team of footballers, to play in a series of international matches, to be held during the Exhibition festival, has already been sent by the Executive Committee of the International Workers' Federation for Sport. The acceptance of that invitation will depend on funds being available. -But the purpose of that visit would be immeasurably strengthened if the national organisation of this country could be made to include representatives of the British co-operative movement.

In August 1925 at Frankfort-on-Main, is to be held a great Workers Olympiad. It is quite safe to say at least 20 nations will be represented at that Olympiad. Whether England, the birthplace of co-operation, of trades unionism, and the home of sport will have its representatives there will depend on whether the co-operative and Labour movements of this country are prepared to take their part in the endeavour to substitute sport for war.

Were these gatherings merely sports gatherings they might be treated with comparative indifference. It is because of the purpose behind them that they gain importance. It is because of the conscious and avowed endeavour to combat militarism with the healthy friendly rivalry of sport that the International Workers' Federation for Physical Education and Sport demands your help.

For the present the National Clarion Cycling Club is the officially recognised affiliated body in this country to the International Federation. A Scottish federation and a London group has been formed. So soon as the interest in the movement warrants, a British Workers' federation for Sport will be formed and affiliated to the International Federation.

The Federation was formed in 1913. For five years its work was interrupted, yet to-day it is receiving an ever-widening and an ever-increasing support. This is a call to co-operators to help forward a movement that cannot fail to have a beneficial effect in bringing about greater friendliness among the peoples of the world, and because of that to postpone, if not to abolish altogether, the possibilities of war.

Tom Groom
The International Workers’ Federation For Physical Education and Sport Report
CWS Handbook 1924

London Labour MP's in the First Labour Governmnet 1924

General Election 1923

6th December 1923

London Labour MP's in the First Labour Governmnet 1924

Labour MP’s TOTAL 192

Consituency: Name of Labour MP: Majority over Lib or Con: Labour Gain or Hold

LONDON LABOUR MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT 1923

Bermondsey & Rotherhithe Ben Smith 3,278 over Con LAB GAIN
Bethnal Green NE Walter Windsor 625 over Lib LAB GAIN

Camberwell North Charles G Ammon 4,686 Over Con LAB HOLD

Deptford Charles William Bowman 8,910 over Con LAB HOLD

East Ham North Susan Lawrence 416 over Con LAB GAIN

East Ham South Alfred Barnes 2630 over Lib LAB HOLD

Edmonton Frank Board 4792 over Con LAB HOLD

Enfield William Henderson 1162 over Con LAB GAIN

Finsbury George Masterman Gillett 1844 over Con LAB GAIN

Greenwich Edward Timothy Palmer 1568 over Con LAB GAIN

Hackney South Herbert Morrison 2821 over Con LAB GAIN

Hammersmith North James Patrick Gardner 845 over Con LAB GAIN

Islington South William Sampson Cluse 233 over Lib LAB GAIN

Islington West Frederick Montague 2126 over Con LAB GAIN

Kennington Col Thomas S B Williams 510 over Con LAB GAIN

Leyton East Major Archibald George Church 1411 over Con LAB GAIN

Poplar Bow & Bromley George Lansbury 8395 over Con LAB HOLD
Poplar South Samuel March 6638 over Lib LAB HOLD

Shoreditch Ernest Thurtle 3216 over Lib LAB GAIN

Southwark North Dr Leslie Haden Guest 362 over Lib LAB GAIN

Southwark South East Thomas Ellis Naylor 1490 over Lib LAB GAIN

Stepney Limehouse Major Clem Atlee 6185 over Con LAB HOLD

Stepney Mile End John Scurr 1478 over Con LAB GAIN

St Pancras N James Marley 2872 0ver Con LAB GAIN

St Pancras SE Herbert George Romeril 692 over Con LAB GAIN

Tottenham N Robert C Morrison 4373 over Con LAB HOLD

Tottenham S Percy Alden 2625 over Con LAB GAIN

Walthamstow W Valentine La Touche McEntee 1792 over Lib LAB HOLD

West Ham Plaistow Will Thorne 8995 over Con LAB HOLD
West Ham Silvertown Jack Jones 9829 over Con LAB HOLD
West Ham Stratford Thomas Groves 6023 over Con LAB HOLD
West Ham Upton Benjamin Walter Gardner 1025 over Con LAB GAIN

Willesden Samuel P Viant 5748 over Con LAB GAIN

LABOUR WOMEN ELECTED 1923

Northampton Margaret Bondfield 4036 over Con LAB GAIN

Norwich Dorothy Jewson 3082 over Lib LAB GAIN

East Ham North Susan Lawrence 416 over Con LAB GAIN

Labour Party and Trades Council affiliation 1900-1922

*Click on table to enlarge image

Labour Party membership and Labour Party and Trades Council affiliation 1900-1922.

Note large increase in local Labour Party, Trades Councils and Trades & Labour Councils affiliation in 1907-1908 and 1916 onwards.

Herbert George Romeril MP

Herbert George Romeril MP

Born 1881 Walworth, South London
Educated Castle Hill School, West Ealing

Started work as a railway clerk at thee Railway Clearing House, London in 1896 aged 15.

Railway Clerk and active Trade Unionist he became Chairman of the Clearing House branch and a member of the National Executive Committee of the Railway Clerks Association (Union, now TSSA). Romeril was President of the Railway Clerks Association 1912-1916

Romeril joined the Independent Labour Party in 1906 and served as the ILP Branch Secretary for Ealing and Chairman of West London ILP Federation and Chairman of the ILP Metropolitan London District Council

He was elected as the Member of Parliament for St Pancras South East in 1923, he was the first Railway Clerks Association (TSSA) member to enter Parliament 6 December 1923

Later lived at 57 Grenoble Gardens, Palmers Green
Herbert George Romeril Died 2nd October 1963.


(above picture) Southall Station

London I.L.P. Speakers. 1908

Directory of Independent Labour Party I.L.P
Speakers 1908

Every speaker on this list has been nominated by his or her branch,but as some branches have not sent any names this list is necessarily
incomplete.

An attempt has been made to secure an indication from branches as to the special suitability of the speakers for different kinds of meetings.

The classifying letters before speakers' names therefore mean : —

a. Suitable for Indoor Educational Lectures.

b. „ „ Addressing Trade Union Branches.

c. „ ,, Open- Air Propaganda Meetings.

By means of this indication it is hoped to save Lecture Secretaries and others much unnecessary correspondence. Where no letters appear the
information has not been furnished.

Lecture Secretaries should note that when writing speakers a stamped addressed postcard for reply should always be included.




LONDON, SOUTHERN. AND EASTERN COUNTIES
INDEPENDENT LABOUR PARTY (ILP) DIVISION

abc Ablett, Noah, Ruskin College, Oxford
ac Adams, E., 48, Cholmeley road, Reading
abc Albery, A. Stuart, 16, St. George's road. Southwark
a Allnutt, Henry C, Fordwich, near Canterbury
c Ames, B. T., 2, Wilton avenue, Chiswick, W
Anderson, W. C.,Chadworth buildingis, Lever'street, Goswell road, E.C.
c Anderton, A. H., 91, Dunstan's road, E. Diilwich, S.E.
a Andrews, Miss C. E., 160, Norwich road, Ipswich
abc Amot, A. R., 31, Torridge road, Thornton Heath
be Bainbridge, C., 86, Carr road, Walthamstow, N.E.
be Bancroft, John, 18, Petley road, Fulham, S.W.
be Band, Robert, i5, Victoria Cottages, Sandycombe road, Kew
be Banks, J. H., 6, Campbell road, Bow. E,
ac Banner, R., 16, Mil ward street, Woolwich
be Bannochie, J. M., 49, Tackbrook street, Pimlico
ab Barber, T. W.,'5, Culverden road, Balham, S.W.
b Batstone, A., 33, Mall road, Hammersmith, W.
a Beazley, N. G., 32, Ferndale road, Stockwell
abc Bell, G. Moore, 229, Eglinton road, Plumstead
c Bitton, Ben, 18, Pretoria terrace, Dover
a Bostock, H. G., 47, Dalkeith road. West Dulwich
ac Bottle, E., " Morris House," Waddon Station
c Briault, H. G., 6, Burlington Gardens, Acton, W.
ac Brooks, E., 27, St. Helen's street, Ipswich
abc Brown, Geo., Ruskin College, Oxford
abe Brownlie, J. T., 6, Chancelot road, Abbey Wood
ac Burrow, E. H., 130, Queen's road, Norwich
be Button, A., 21, Horsa road. Belvedere
abc Cadman, Coun. H., 55, Carrow road, Norwich
abc Cameron, A. G., 10, Sundridge terrace, South Ealing, W.
abc Campbell, P., 16, Ravenswood road, Walthamstow, N.E
ab Campbell, Mrs., 16, Ravenswood road, Walthamstow, N.E.
abc Chapman, J. S., 51, Seaview road, Gillingham, Kent
c Clarke, W., 41, Station road, Plumstead
a Coit, Dr. S., 30, Hyde Park Gate, S.W
c Collins, R., no, Ditching road, Brighton
ab Coppuck, G., 26, Boult's Walk, Reading
ac Cosedge, Allan P., 21, Beauchamp road. Upper Norwood, S.E.
b Cowie, J., 18, Miriam road, Plumstead
c Crawford, T., 8, St. Stephen's avenue, Shepherds Bush, W
b Croot, Coun. G., 79, Sutton Court road, Plaistow, E.
c Cunningham, Cecil, 45, Speldhurst road, Bedford Park, W.
abc Curran, Mrs., i, Pretoria avenue, Walthamstow, N.E.
b Curson, J. W, Waveney Hotel, Sufiolk road, Lowestoft
ac Dale, J. G., Parliament Chambers, Great Smith street, S.W.
abc Darby, A. H., 49, Gough street, Poplar, E.
ac Davidson, J., 43, Federation road. Abbey Wood
a Davidson, Dr. W. A., Glen Shea, 235, Uxbridge road. Shepherd's Bush, W.
be Davies, R., 903, Ramford road. Manor Park, E.
abc Davies, R., 2, Marlborough road, Wimbledon Park, S.W.
abc Davis, Coun. D. J., 2, Custom street, Victoria Docks. E.
ac Day, Coun. H. A., Woodhurst, Newmarket road, Norwich
abc Dean, G. P., 34, Creighton avenue. East Ham
a Despard, Mrs. C, 2, Currie street. Nine Elms
abc Devaney, Coun. W., 3, Charford road. Canning Town, E.
a Dodd, F. Lawson, 41, Wimpole street, London, W.
ac Dodd, J. Fletcher Socialist Holiday Camp, Caister-on-Sea
abc Dubery, H., 40, Lavenham road, Southfields, S.W.
be Duckworth, J., Ruskin College, Oxford
a Dukes, Ashley, 49, Ia,wford road, N,W.
abc Duncan, C, M.P., 16, Agincourt road, Hampstead, N.W
be Dunnett, Coun. A., 87, Marlborough road, Norwich
c Dunsmore, Coun. R., 12, Osborne road. South Acton, W.
ac Easton, Coun. F., 82, Pitt street, Norwich
ac Eder, Dr. M. D., 46, Fitzroy street, Fitzroy Square, W.C.
ac Edwards, R. P., 149, Thorold road, Chatham
abc Ensor. R. C. K., 49, Ontario Buildings, Blackwall, E.
abc Evans, Jack. Ruskin College, Oxford
abc Evans, Tom, Ruskin College, Oxford
be Evans, W. A., King's road, Haslemere
be Farland, A. W., i, Brompton lane, Strood
c Farley, Rev. R. P., B.A., The Mission, Bell street, Marylebone, N.W.
be Fiddyment, Geo. W., 6» Church road, Teddington
c Foster, H. G., 61,^ Iflley road, Hammersmith, W.
c Freeman, C. J., 23, Willis street^ Norwich
be Fuller, J. C, 8, Leighton road. West Ealing
be Gardner, Coun. B., 15, Ling road, Canning Town, E.
c Gamer, E. T., 334, High Road, Wood Green, N.
e Geeson, J. senr., 108, St. Leonard's street, Bromley-by-Bow, E.
e Gildon, F., 22, Powis street, Woolwich
be Gill, Edward, Ruskin College, Oxford
Golding, Henry J., 11, Wiesbaden road. Stoke Newington N.
Goode, S. B., 48, Upper Park road. New Southgate
Gossip, Alex., 125, Mirabel road, Fulham, S.W.
e Gourd, A. G., i, Cowper road, Kingston, Portsmouth
Grafton, W., 15, ArUngford road, Tulse Hill, S.E.
Green, A. Romney, Foundry Meadow, Haslemere
Green, J. F.'N., 15, Bramshill Gardens, N.W.
Green, W. M., 129, Chapter road, Willesden, N.W.
Grinling, C. H., 17, Rectory place, Woolwich
be Guest, Dr. L. Haden, 119a, Broadwall, London, S.E.
Guest, Mrs. L. Haden, 305, Shrewsbury road. East Hain
Hall, A., 1ll, Maxey road, Plumstead
e Harding, W. H., 61, Ifflley road. Hammersmith, W
Hardy, A. P., Shepherd's Hut, Bear's road, Brighton
be Harley, Coun. J. H., M.A., 8, Kingston House, Camden street, N.W.
be Harris, Joseph, 66, Roman road, Lowestoft
c Hawksley, T. W., 92, Marquis road, N.W.
Healy, Miss, 82, Sutton Court, Chiswiek, W
be Hellicar, Mr., 131, Montague road, Leytonstone, NJE.
be Henderson, F., Earlham Rise, Earlham road, Norwich
be Hewson, A., 33, Foulsham road, Thornton Heath
Higgs, Richard, Coxhill Farm, Shepherdswell, Dover
Hillyard, Brame, 155, Bedford Hill, Balham, S.W.
: Holmes, F. G. C, 36, Gathorne road, Wood Green, N.
be Holmes, Coun. W., 128, Churchill road, Norwich
b Hopkins, Clement, 5, Byron villas, Bound's Green road. New Southgate,
c Home, George, 26, York Rise, N.W.
be Humby, Mr., 24, Chichester road, North End, Portsmouth
tx: Hunter, Edmund, College Hill, Haslemere
: Hutley, S. F., 9, Caudwell Hall road, Ipswich
: Ingham, Frank, 84, Sandgate road, Brighton
be Jackson, R. F., School House, Whitton, Ipswich
James, Coun. H., 44, Park street. Regent's Park, N.W.
: Jay, A. E., 49, Cobham road, Wood Green, N.
z Jebb, George, 26, Broad street, Banbury, Oxfordshire
Jenner, Sid, 11, Victoria road, N.W.
Joplin, J., Rotterdam road, Lowestoft
: Jones, Rev. L. Jenkins, ** Broomhill,"
ac Jordan, T., i8, Broomhall road, Sanderstead, Croydon
abc Kelly, W. T., 68, Denman road, Peckham, S.E.
abc Kerr, H. D., Hampden House, Hampden street, N.W
c Key, C, lo. East Bourne, West Grove, Woodford, Essex
c Kille, Coun., 28, St. Alban's road, Portslade, Sussex
a Kirkman, F. B., 19, Dartmouth Park Hill, N.W
b Knights, G. M., 27, Salisbury road, Lowestoft
ac Lake, Harold, Blean, near Canterbury
abc Lansbury, Geo., 103, St. Stephen's road, Bow, E.
abc Lawson John, Ruskin College, Oxford
ac Le Cerf, F. J, 48, Leamington Road villas, Paddington, W
abc Lethaby, T. J., 43, Wanlip road, Plaistow, E.
ac Lewis, A; Dv, 73, Westbourne terrace, Paddington
be Ling, W., ** lolanthe," Larner road, Erith v , .
ac Lloyd, C. C, B.A., 105, St. Benedict's place, Norwich
a Lombardie, E. M., 14, Harvest road, Paddington .
abc Luckett, H., 5, St. George's terrace, Buckland, Portsmouth
abc Lynds, Archibald J. D., 4, Shawfield street, Chelsea .
abc McAllen, E., 43a, Winstead street, Battersea Park, S.W.-
Mac Arthur, Mary R., Club Union Buildings, Clerkenwell rd, London S.W.
a MacDonald, J. R., M.P., 3, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.
ac MacDonald, Mrs., 3, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.
be Macnamara, T., 42, Wilmount street, Woolwich .
abc Mactavish, J. M., 68, Cuthbert road, Kingston, Portsmouth '
ab Mahoney, H., 2, Soudan noad, Battersea, S.W.
be Mann, Charles, HiU View, Horsted Keynes, Sussex
abc March, S., 9, Upper North street, Pbplar, E. ' '
ac Maynard, Bertram, 42, Crescent rbad, Upton Manor, E. "
c Maynard, G. M., 6, Knoll road. East Hill, Wandsworth, S.E.
a McMillan, Miss* Margaret, 51, Twefcdy road, Bromlfey, Kfent
a Millard, E., 146, High street, Harlesden, N.W. >
ac Moore, Mrs. Margaret, 4, Playfield Crescent, East Dulwich, S.E.
ac Moorman, Mr., I.L.P. Institute, St. Stephen's Church lane, Ipswich
a Muir, Miss Mary, 36, Navarino Mansions, Dalston, E. '
be Morris, E., 16, DeVonport road, Shepherd's Bush, W. '
abc Muggeridge, H. T., 10, Broomhall road, Sanderstead
abc Murray, Harold, King's road, Haslemere
abc Mylles, J., 8, St. Stephen's avenue, Shepherd's Bush, W.
abc Naysmith, D., 123, Jessie road, Southsea, Portsmouth
e Newman, J., 75, Heavitree road, Plumstead
c Nightingale, H., 2, Devonshire road, Walthamstow, N.
abc Nokes, Alf., Ruskin College, Oxford
abc Norris, F., 60, Mersham road, Thornton Heath
ac Norris, Tom, 2, Wimborne Gardens, Ealing, W.
O'Brien, Coun., 5, Brackley terrace, Chiswick, W.
ac O'Dell, G. E., 21, Highlever road, North Kensington, W.
a Osmotherley, E., i, Crofton road, Plaistow, E.
abc Pattinson, Cruris., Ruskin College, Oxford
ac Payne, Coun. H., Ivy Dene, Queen street, Banbury, Oxfordshire
abc Pedley, A. B., Woodville^ Canterbury road. Ley ton .
abc Penfold, F. W., 3?, Rampagne street, Westminster
abc Penfold, J. R., 27, Chapter street, Westminster
ac Perriman, F., I.L.P. Institute, St. Stephen's Church lane^ Ipswich
abc Piggott, W., 5, South road, Southall, W.
abc Fleming, H., Weycombe lodge, Haslemere
abc Quin, Mr. C., 77a, Jersey road, Leyton
ab Ramage, A., 17, Mirrow buildings. Green street, Blackfriars, S.E.
c Rean, W. F., loi, Kitchener road, Forest Gate, E.
b Reed, Coun. E., 4, Portland road, Victoria Docks, E.
ac Reeve, Harry, Brampton Old Hall, Wangford, Suffolk
c Reeves, A. C, 15, Newark place, Brighton
a Rite, Ed., 26, Cecil road, Rochester
abc Romeril, H., 66, Norther oft road. West Ealing, W.
c Ross, H., 6, Cantwell road, Plumstead
c Rowntree, J. W., 178, Stafford road, Southtown, Yarmouth
ac Rowlette, Miss J., c/o. Dr. W. Evans Darby, 47, New Broad street, E.C.
a Sanders, Wm., 18, Brynmaer road, Battersea, S.E.
Sanderson, Mrs. Cobden, River House, The Mall, Hammersmith, W.
b Saunders, F. W., 13, Patnick road, Caversham, near Reading
a Schloesser, H., 44, Beloize square, N.W.
c J. Sheppard, i, Havelock place, Anglesey Hill, Plumstead
ac Shillaker, Coun. J. F., 95, Fielding road, Bedford Park, W.
ac Simmons, T. Bayard, 5, Heathfield road, Croydon
abc Sidey, Coun. H. A., 31, Clarence road, Croydon
a Slater, Dr. G., 84, Eglington road, Plumstead
a Smith, F. H. B., Havelock street, Canterbury
abc Smith, Coun. W. R., 41, Denmark road, Norwich
abc Snell, Harry, 12, Leighton grove, W.
abc Speed, Walter, 32, York road, Canterbury
b Stafford, J.. 13, Shieldhall road. Abbey Wood
abc Stranghan, J. W., 12, Broomhall road, Sanderstead, Croydon
b G. Steer, 49, Odger street, Battersea, S.W.
ac Steffens, Rev. C. W., 13, Wrotham road, Camden Town, N.W.
be Stephenson, Wilfrid, Ruskin College, Oxford
be Sumner, C. E., 61, Knapp road, Bromley-by-Bow, E.
a Swales, A. B., 58, Broughton road, Fulham, S.W.
be Tanner, W. H,. 53, Salisbury road. West Ealing
abc Tapp, A. W., 104, Windmill road, Gillingham, Kent
b A. Taylor,, 138, First avenue. Manor Park, E.
ac Thompson, Rev. G. W., 74, Oakley square, London, N.W.
ab Thrussell, J. C, 12, Chapter street, Westminster
ac Timms, Coun. W., 9, Duke street, Banbury, Oxfordshire
abc Trainer, E., 159, Grove Green road, Leyton
a Tribe, Reginald, 31, St. Leonard's terrace, Chelsea
b Turner, C, 26, Dore road. Manor Park
ac Tynemouth, A., 25, Greenvale road. Well Hall, Eltham
ac Vaughan, Percy, 21, Thurloe square, S.W.
be Walker, R. B., 4, Bridge bank, Banbury, Oxfordshire 

Paddington Station Colour Bar 1961

South Paddington Labour Party requested Dr Beeching ,the Chairman of British Rail Board to investigate immediately into employment of coloured workers at Paddington Station, London.

This followed a statement by British Rail Western Region Staff officer to the press where he was quoted as stating...

"All things being equal, we prefer taking on white people....they are preferred to coloured people for reasons of intelligence and education"

Daily Worker 20 June 1961

Men of Steel - Gartcosh to London 1986

Men of steel who marched into Scots industrial folklore

• 

• The 12 men who departed from Gartcosh included those from all the main political parties and attracted supporters along the way.

Elizabeth McMeekin

Herald Scotland

3 Jan 2011

Cloaked in matching jackets and with only three caravanettes to shelter them from the bitter cold, 12 determined men started their long march from Gartcosh, in Lanarkshire, to London.

It was January 3 1986, 25 years ago today.

Social and political unease was brewing in Scotland as Conservative privatisation policies and economic cutbacks meant many industries were being closed down.

Ravenscraig, the famous steel works near Motherwell, was among the plants facing cuts, along with its nearby Gartcosh finishing mill, which had recently been threatened with closure.

The 12 Gartcosh to London marchers, led by Ravenscraig union convener Tommy Brennan, were determined to fight against those cuts.

Among them were representatives from all the major political parties, including Iain Lawson, then chairman of the Conservative parliamentary candidates’ association.

Evening Times reporter Ken Smith, who now writes The Herald’s Diary column, and photographer Craig Halkett marched alongside the campaigners and documented their 10-day journey.

“The closure of Gartcosh would have taken away some of our economic argument to keep Ravenscraig open as well,” remembered Mr Brennan. “Gartcosh finished our produce and was important to the whole process, so we got all the political parties together to march our petition down to London to keep it open.”

The march would go on to become one of the defining moments in the fight to keep steel jobs in Scotland. Covered by newspapers, radio and TV stations across the UK, the Gartcosh to London march became a national event.

“It was all about getting publicity,” said Mr Brennan. “When we came up with the idea we knew we had to get every political party involved, and we did. At first they said it couldn’t be organised, but after a night in The Griffin bar we decided just to do it ourselves.”

The men, who included Jim Wright, the SNP spokesman for steelworks, Jim Bannerman, the Liberal representative, and Celtic chairman and former MP John Reid, as the Labour representative, marched down the east side of the UK past other steel factories to gather support.

In order to make it to London within 10 days, when a debate on the Scottish steelworks was planned for the House of Commons, each of the men walked the distance in relay shifts.

Ken Smith remembers the camaraderie on the trip. He said: “We had a good time. It was confined living though – those caravanettes were designed for a family, not four grown men. We would each walk some of the journey and then have a few pints at night. It was bitterly cold though.

“One of the guys decided to bring a chicken to cook in the oven for dinner one night. But we were so busy we forgot all about it. When we arrived in London we found a green-looking chicken still in that caravan oven. I’ll never forget that sight.”

The marchers finally made it to Downing Street, their ultimate destination, after 10 days of walking. By the time they got there, the closure of the Gartcosh finishing mill had become a subject of national interest. The men planned to hand in a 22,000-strong petition to then prime minister Margaret Thatcher, although she refused to meet them at the doors of Number 10.

Mr Brennan explained what happened next: “We decided to go to Buckingham Palace instead. When we got there the flag was down, so we knew the Queen was away.

“We went inside anyway and were met by one of her aides who accepted the petition on her behalf. We did get a letter from the Queen after that, and it was even more good publicity.”

The parliamentary debate was also cancelled, as a result of the Westland Helicopter scan-dal and Michael Heseltine’s resignation.

But while the march was hailed as a great success, it did not succeed in stopping the closure of the Gartcosh mill, which shut in 1986. Although the Ravenscraig plant also closed in 1992, it was later than originally planned.

“The Gartcosh campaign could never be described as a 100% success,” explains Iain Lawson, now honorary consul for the Republic of Estonia in Scotland, and who left the Conservative Party during the campaign to save Gartcosh.

He added: “There were partial victories: the Ravenscraig plant closed some years after it probably would have, which considering the number of jobs there at the time was an important achievement.”

Today, the marchers and the widows of those who marched will meet up to mark the 25th anniversary of their journey and watch a new documentary made about their efforts.

Tace Dorris, who has produced the film, believes the march was an important moment in Scottish industrial history. She said: “I think it is essential that these men be remembered. I have never met a more wonderful, sincere and down-to-earth group of people. They are ordinary people who did an extraordinary thing and should be honoured for doing so.”

Stan Young - The people's artist

The people's artist

Tuesday 05 October 2010
Morning Star

John Green

Stan Young is 90 years young and still painting every day.

He was born in Hanwell, west London, in 1920 into a large family. His father was a carpenter and joiner, and his mother a seamstress.

Stan left school at 14 and worked in various jobs, but with the help of one of his teachers he was given the encouragement to foster his drawing talents.

The poverty he saw around him as a result of the economic slump and later the outbreak of the Spanish civil war led him to join the Young Communist League aged only 16, and then the Communist Party at 18.

In 1941 he joined the army serving in the Middle East and in Italy. As an aide in his work as a sapper undertaking bomb-disposals, he made detailed isometric drawings of the bombs' ignition devices. Ironically this talented draughtsmanship and his expertise in bomb disposal probably gave him his big break.

At the end of the war in Europe the army gave him the opportunity to attend the Formation College in Florence, at the Institute of Art in the grounds of the Pitti Palace. Here he discovered Renaissance art and it remained a solid influence in his later work.

When one of the new officers sent out from London talked of taking the war onwards to Soviet Russia, this only confirmed his lack of trust in the ruling class and his determination to leave the army as soon as possible. On returning to Britain he was "demobbed" and he used his ex-service grant to attend Ealing College of Art.

In the 1950s he earned his bread and butter as a freelance artist producing mainly educational material. With his wife and co-painter Muriel, they set up their own studio gallery in 1960 and helped to establish the Communist Party's West Middlesex Artists' Group which produced banners and posters for party campaigns and demonstrations.

In 1956 Young went on a cultural delegation to Czechoslovakia and after a visit to Lidice, inspired by Picasso's Guernica, he made a painting depicting the infamous nazi massacre.

He painted many industrial landscapes around the rebuilding of London after the war, especially on the Thames near Woolwich.

Young also became involved in the Artists International and exhibited at a number of their shows. In the 1970s, along with other progressive artists, he donated paintings to raise money for Vietnam's struggle against US aggression.

His main influences have been very much central European - from Cezanne, Modigliani, Fernand Leger and cubists like Juan Gris and Picasso. After meeting the Italian Communist and painter Renato Guttoso at an exhibition of his work in London, he came under the spell of his strong neo-realist style.

Young's work is steeped in the realist tradition. Starting out with naturalist portraiture, impressionist landscapes and cubist-influenced industrial-dockland vistas to stylised groups of figures. Now he paints mainly groups of figures, alongside individual portraits and landscape scenes around where he now lives.

Young is an accomplished portraitist completing various commissions of party members, both local and national, including former Daily Worker women's editor and feminist Mikki Doyle, theoretician Raji Palme Dutt, former chairman of the William Morris Society Ray Watkinson, and the Afro-American progressive icon Angela Davis.

His work is characterised by a strong feeling for colour and formal composition. Perhaps influenced by his time in Italy and the clear and vibrant light of the south, his colours are invariably ardent - he often uses contrasting or complementary primaries. In that sense his work goes against the grain of most traditional as well as contemporary British art.

A theme which he has returned to time and again over many decades is groups of musicians in various guises and poses, often multicultural. In a sense these, more than any other of his subjects, encapsulate his philosophy of life - the joy and pleasure of creating art together, what we can achieve with a unity of purpose and, through his use of brilliant colour, a vibrancy and optimism.

Although his work has been widely recognised and admired, Stan has never really achieved the fame he deserves - probably because he has refused to follow trends and fashions in the search for celebrity status and he never courted the art world's aristocracy. He has preferred to stay close to those artists he profoundly admires and the ideas which have inspired him since his youth, and still do.

Stan lives and works with his wife Muriel in Worcester.