Our History Bulletin 1

“Our History”

New Series No 1: May 2006

Our History

History Group of the Communist Party of Britain – newsletter

Why an e-mail bulletin?

In this issue:

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Why an email bulletin?

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Local sources for local Party history

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Ewan McColl

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Bert Ramelson

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Foundation members

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Cable St. – 70th anniversary

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A final note on oral history

The response to the call for interest in the work to reclaim Communist Party’s history for ourselves, published in `Communist Review’, has been encouraging. The text can be found on the Party’s website under `Our History’; note also the innovation of `Old Party Pamphlets’ – this covers some historic pamphlets and an explanation of their context – more contributions of this kind welcome. Is there a possibility of extending this sort of on-line archive, perhaps with a charge for non-Party members to access? Help welcome!

The first discussion at the Communist University of Britain showed that there is a demand for some sort of coordination amongst those who are working on this area – presently in isolation.

Obviously, an occasional meeting to discuss ideas and collective projects would be useful. There can be no ideal replacement for face-to-face contact, but with demands on the time of activists and with a scattered contact list, it may be difficult to justify meetings of a History Group for the time being.

We need to consider alternative ways to communicate and to assist each other in our specialized interest and to provide opportunities for those who are working on particular aspects of Party history to communicate with others.

This `e-mail bulletin’ is an exploratory attempt to bridge the gap. We aim to use this newsletter to make announcements, call for assistance and ideas, and to consider next steps. If you have any news of interest about Communist history, or wish to be added to the circulation list for future issues, please send details to “Our history” c/o the Party office: office@communist-party.org.uk

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“Our History” Feature on a locality….

Leicester leads the way………

Can you supply any details of local work for the next bulletin?

A tale of one Communist banner and sources for local oral history Leicester branch of the CPB has raised whether anyone knows anything about a Bill Smith, who their 1930s banner is dedicated to. The query stimulated `Our History’ to look into what archives may exist so as to answer the question. Before elaborating, Party branches may wish to consider the advice on keeping old banners preserved, available from the People’s History Museum.

See: http://www.phm.org.uk/ Then go to `textile conservation’; you can download a PDF pamphlet, `Taking Care of Banners’ here.

Whilst we have not yet, alas, pinned this down (can anyone solve the puzzle?), the available archives point the way to what may be available to those interested. Very many areas of the country have archival deposits and are often particularly interested in Communist Party materials, so the story may have general interest. The question arises: should and can local branches recover their own histories?

The Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland includes sound recordings in the East Midlands Oral History Archive. This offers prospects for further discovery but it would need someone to visit, listen to the tapes and make as detailed notes as possible, for future reference. The archive covers many topics, including working lives, social history and migration and scores of veteran Leicestershire residents have been recorded speaking of their lives.

See: http://www.le.ac.uk/emoha/catalogue.html A perusal of this shows that there are a couple of dozen interviews that mention unions, including Frank and Peter Smith, both from the mining community, but it would take a detailing listening of their comments to ascertain whether they are related to Bill Smith (a common name after all!) and whether any mention of the Communist Party is made.

Unfortunately, the on-line catalogue details only one interview that mentions the Communist Party. A Miss D M Adams recalls being a member of the Leicester Communist Party in the 1930s. She describes the problems of teaching and being a Communist and mentions attending public meetings and various Peace Council activities, Basque refugees and her visits to the USSR. But no less than eight interviewees recall the struggles against unemployment in Leicester during the 1920s and 1930s. Details are given of a large unemployment demonstration which started outside the Poor Law Board of Guardians office, spreading to the Town Hall Square, resulting in a blockade of the police station! Amongst other material, the effects of the 1926 General Strike in Leicester are recalled. Contributors to this recording are: Mssrs Monk, Peacock, Redfern, Riley, Stacey and Callow.

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“Our History”

Communist biographies make a great read…

But let’s make sure that the real story is told by working with authors to improve their understanding

New biographies of Communists: Authors make contact and seek assistance.

Bert Ramelson’s story Charles Lubelski is writing a biography of Bert Ramelson, who he knew quite well in Leeds in the 1950s and 60s when he was a member of the YCL. He asks if anyone has any information that may be useful to his project. There are a number of areas of his life and work which he has big gaps at present and he and would welcome any help. Bert’s widow, Joan Ramelson, now living in Whitstable, has been very helpful to Charles and he has her support.

Party comrades and supporters of the CPB History Group can be assured of a sympathetic treatment in this new project and should provide as much assistance as possible. Contact Charles Lubelski at his address: 20 Aislabie Garth, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 2DX; or telephone 01765 698353, or e-mail on charleslubelski@tiscali.co.uk.

New book on Ewan McColl Dr Ben Harker of York has approached the Party for information on Ewan McColl. He is currently preparing the authorised biography of Ewan MacColl, which has been commissioned by Pluto Press and is due to be published next year. `Our History’ has held extensive e-mail discussions with Dr Harker on MacColl and his relationship with the Party. If you have anything of interest, or know of a veteran Party member able to comment in detail, do let the bulletin know and we’ll communicate for you. In particular, what do we know about MacColl’s view on the debates raging in the `cultural squad’ in the 1950s, why and when did MacColl leave the Party?

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“Our History” Many untold yet fascinating stories remain to be told about the pioneers of British Communism…

Foundation members of the Party….

Elsie Oliver, the daughter of James Arthur Cousins who was a foundation member of the Communist Party and Alice Cousins who joined the party shortly after it was founded has contacted Graham Stevenson, after seeing his weblog, which includes 300 biographies of Party members. See: http://graham.thewebtailor.co.uk/ Elsie’s mother was the sister of Mary Morgan, who was married to John Morgan - a librarian at Marx House before the second world war. She has offered Graham material for his site. If anyone has any knowledge of this remarkable family please contact Graham direct through his website.

Mrs Christina Wilson, of Chesterfield, has written to the Party, seeking information on her father, Alfred Comrie. Alfred was a world war one veteran, who was one of the many SLP members who was a foundation member of the Communist Party. Although he died in 1954, Christina is still very proud of her father and his generation and, like Elsie, is trying to find out more so she can pass on this knowledge to the younger members of her family. `Our History’ was not able to provide much direct information about Alfred (can anyone else, especially in the East Midlands?). But we were able to send a detailed history of the foundation of the Party and some information about the SLP. We hope she can supply first hand information and materials that can be saved on her father and his experiences.

Are there answers to any of these queries, or similar as yet untold stories out there? Let us know, if so …

Any veterans’ of Cable Street for a 70th anniversary documentary film?

An independent film-maker, Stephen Matthews, is currently putting together a plan to shoot a documentary film to mark the 70th anniversary of The Battle of Cable Street. Stephen is both Producer and Director of the film, and tells us that it will trace the story of the day itself, its cultural impact and ask what Cable Street tells us about tackling the continued threat of Fascism in this country.

He’s keen to base as much of the film as possible around the first-hand accounts of those who experienced Cable Street - and fascism in all its guises - and is wondering if anyone in the Party can put him in touch with any of the

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“Our History” surviving veterans, who may be able to give accounts. [cont’d] Stephen is filming this June and July and hopes to have the finished film ready for the anniversary this October. If you can help, either contact Stephen direct on: stephen.matthews@cheekyfilms.co.uk ... or, contact the Party office, which can do this for you if you prefer. Either way, do ensure that `Our History’ knows what you come up with!

A final note on Oral history: Gwyneth Francis (née Westacott) has supplied a series of tapes of veteran local Communists recorded as part of an Oxford Party branch initiative in the mid-1980s. She has also written an excellent children’s `long’ story, well deserving of publication, on the 1817 Pentrich provocation that led to an abortive uprising. Indeed, the Party is poised to contemplate more publishing. Mary Davies reports that she has the unpublished typed manuscript autobiography of Jock Nicholson, “Burnt Porridge”! Are there others gathering dust out there somewhere?

Meanwhile, the story of “Henry Suss and the Jewish working class of Manchester and Salford”, a series of interviews with Henry Suss, who now lives in Somerset, has now been published by Dave Chapple. Henry was born in 1915, the son of a Jewish pedlar from Austrian Galicia.

An active trades unionist in the Manchester clothing industry from the 1930s, he was a Communist councillor for Pendlebury near Salford from 1964. This is a good example of how the judicious use of a tape recorder can be used – tapes are cheap and easy.

A few tips before you break open the cellophane wrapper! Fix the date the interview happens and who is present at the outset. Make sure you get your subject relaxed, comfortable and talking clearly. Communists are usually good at this but we can call digress. Don’t be afraid to interrupt, so as to get clarity about accounts down on tape, you may forget it afterwards. Try to get dates fixed for happenings, get as much precision as you can about names and relationships; detail is all-important but colour and texture is one of the charms of oral testimony. A future bulletin may well include more detail on this technique - ideas and other tips welcome.

STOP PRESS Meanwhile, Michael reports that new left history weblogs are now up and running on the Hayes Labour Party and on COHSE. They’re well worth looking at; go to: http://cohse-union.blogspot.com/

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