Clive Edwards: teacher, trade unionist, socialist

CLIVE EDWARDS: TEACHER, TRADE UNIONIST, SOCIALIST

In memory of Clive Edwards, 1930-2014

CONTENTS Foreword

Derek Tatton

Clive Edwards – speech at TUC Congress, 9 September 2001 Biographies: Who was Clive Edwards?

Les Frankish

Clive Hugh Edwards

Gareth Thomas

Tributes: Gerald and Gwenda Davies Joan Evans Les Frankish Michael Hindley Dr Ajaz Ahmed Khan Anne and Tom Killen Sian Oakley (nee Killen) Harry Lees Jonty Lees Sarah Blomfield (nee Lees) Mick Pickup Don Rishton Peter Billington

FOREWORD Derek Tatton I got to know Clive during a very formative stage in his life - his period as an adult student at Coleg Harlech in the 1960s. As with others, writing in this booklet (and many more), he had a big influence on me and that mainly owing, I think, to his even more formative earlier experience in the valleys of South Wales, with its working class culture giving him strengths which he nurtured and never lost throughout his 84 years. So too with that inimitable Welsh accent which was not diluted or changed by his many years working through to retirement in Lancashire. Clive was a one-off, special guy and the accounts here of his life and achievements, pay eloquent tribute to his qualities as teacher, friend and comrade in struggles for social justice.

Clive's extraordinary 'lived experience' through varied work situations before Harlech is documented, as is his contribution to Coleg Harlech during the two years as a student where he was in his own words `privileged to be under the scholarship of the Warden, JeffreysJones'. He had the highest regard for JJ and also for the other dedicated teachers at the Coleg. He put what he learned from them, his fellow students and the whole WEA 'liberal studies'/ Labour College traditions of adult education to use afterwards as Coleg Librarian and Secretary of the revived Old Students' Association. That was followed by his long and quite outstanding career in trade union education, during which he established Britain's first Trade Union Studies Centre in Blackburn, open by Len Murray, General Secretary of the TUC 'as a personal gesture to Clive. His huge contribution to the movement was justly acknowledged through the TUC's gold medal award (Clive's acceptance speech is a gem). All this is narrated in some detail, captured for enduring record by friends, colleagues and students in these pages. The memories and reflections bring out not just the serious bookloving, politically engaged educator extraordinaire but the generous, witty, caring and sympathetic man, (`Uncle Clive'), who loved to talk and advise but who was also a good listener. All who knew him have their favourite anecdotes and quotes to illustrate his character, wisdom and wit.

I like particularly the quote 'Put your faith in principles rather than people as eventually the latter will let you down' and his reply when an innocent colleague asked: Have you ever voted Tory, Clive?' responding with a chuckle 'No, I was properly brought up....' A reference there to his mother, whom Clive loved and admired, and who battled through the misery of the depression years, suffering a terrible industrial injury with courage and dignity. It's significant to note that despite the dominant male culture, which his passion for sport through cricket and especially rugby fostered, Clive challenged sexism as he did racism, gaining such exceptional respect within the Asian community in Blackburn he was known as 'checha' or 'uncle' in Punjabi and Urdu.

We kept in touch sporadically but Clive came back into my life when he joined residential weekends based on themes from Raymond Williams' work from the 1990s at the

Wedgwood Memorial College where I was Warden/Principal. He became a Trustee of the voluntary organisation which evolved into The Raymond Williams Foundation. His experience especially through knowledge of the law and industrial tribunals was particularly helpful and he gave personal support to me and my partner/wife, Erica, through a highly charged and pressured time. His participation in the weekends at Barlaston was treasured by many, who learned to expect and relish Clive's contributions including his throaty grunts of assent (or dissent) during lectures, which also carried a strong Welsh intonation. There was one episode which stands out in my memory illustrating the positive, even lifechanging, educational impact he had on a diverse range of people.

A lecture on Anarchism featured within a RW weekend when the impeccably pin-striped suited anarchist lecturer (deliberately challenging stereotypes with his dress code) began his excellent presentation acknowledging that his own life-changing educational journey had begun when he was taught 'liberal studies' at a Lancashire technical college. His tutor was a Welshman whom he had difficulty understanding at first because of the tutor's idiosyncratic accent and language but who proved to be a quite inspirational teacher guiding the anarchist into higher education. After the warm applause at the end of the lecture Clive made an appreciative but critical point from the back of the room. The lecturer's face was a picture as it hit him that his mentor was in the audience, putting him right on an issue. They shared a pint or two up in The Duke later...

Raymond Williams wrote about the remarkably rich culture of the mining communities in the valleys of South Wales out of which developed a workers' education movement which 'stood for the principle that ordinary people should be highly educated, as an end justifying itself and not just as a means to power. ..' Anyone in touch with them (the committed teachers and students) will be getting in touch, Williams emphasised, with one of the best and deepest traditions in Britain. Clive was one such, and this publication helps us all keep Clive's memory, spirit, values and commitments alive and fresh. It is most appropriate that its launch takes place at The Sylvia Pankhurst Library, Wortley Hall, with the library retaining copies, of course, for future readers and researchers.

Derek Tatton Administrator, The Raymond Williams Foundation (www.raymondwilliamsfoundation.org.uk )

CLIVE EDWARDS: speech at TUC Congress, Brighton, on receiving TUC Gold Badge, 9 September 2001 I will have to be careful to hang on to myself because of such kind words by the TUC President. I had problems as a boy with the ‘tuppenny rush’. I used to get very misty-eyed when Shirley Temple had been attacked by the villains. So you can see there is a soft centre there to start with.

I am also glad that the two unions I am connected with were mentioned. It is something of a unique event in that I have been a loyal member of NATFHE for 31 years into retirement and a very proud member. The additional connection there for me is that the present General Secretary, Paul Mackney, was in the same area as I was years’ ago as head of the Birmingham Trade Union Centre in the late 1980s.

The second union which nominated me in Lancashire is a small union. I remember years’ ago in the economics papers the question "'Big is beautiful'. Discuss" appearing. It was not referring to the TUC President [Ian McCartney], but I am certain that what could be said about the Loom Overlookers' Union is that "Small is beautiful". That union has been with us since 1885, admirably led by Don Rishton, the General Secretary, who is here today with his family, Maureen and Nina, who has huge respect in Lancashire for what he does in that area.

If you talk to his members – I am familiar with his members in terms of their durability because I act as scrutineer for the industrial ballots in the area - I can tell you now that they have always been on the right side over the years. The essential point is that although it is a small union, it gets great service from Don. My first union was USDAW. It is appropriate for Sylvia [women’s Gold Badge recipient] to be here today because USDAW was my first union as a warehouse boy. I was only thinking back the other day that typical of my upbringing then, on almost the first day I came home, the first thing my mother said to me was "Have you seen the union man?”

The second union I joined was the ETU when I was an electrical mains stud welder in the 1950s, and that is where my education really took off in terms of the guerrilla strike in the 1950s when we were out for about two months. This was my introduction to the subtleties of collective bargaining, because the basis of the claim was the cost of living; the sparks at six pence and the mates at three pence. I remember making the point to my convenor "Wasn't it unfair in that the cost of a loaf of bread was the same to me as to him?" Quick on his feet as possible, he said, "It is like this, Clive. It is the flexible differential". (Laughter) From there I went into two happy years of farming, and I joined my third union. Then I finished up in Coleg Harlech, first as a student and then as a member of the staff in the '60s, which was a watershed in many ways in terms of my life. It is the Welsh Ruskin. It is not as large as Ruskin in terms of trade union activities, but an adequate college in all respects. I was privileged to be under the scholarship of Jeffrey Jones, who was the warden, as we called them then - not 'principal'. I went from there, as Ian McCartney said, to Blackburn. It was there that I really got involved. I took to Blackburn the teaching concepts of heart and head. Though they had been successful in the saloon bars in terms of arguments, I think we gave them a structure which made the students much more confident when facing management.

I would like to thank, as Sylvia did, certain people. The huge expansion [in trade union education] which took place from Blackburn and its local sister towns was largely due to John Connell, who was the Regional Education officer in the north-west at that time. He was a pretty durable Jock who when he went to meet the college principals took no prisoners.

He certainly set out for us, even though he was on virgin ground, what the TUC expected from us and what they got. He was followed on his retirement by an equally outstanding regional officer, who is now with the T&G, Jim Mowatt. He took on and expanded what John did in a great way.

Above all, I am coming round to my colleagues, such as Les Frankish and Mike Hindley, who went on to become a European MP. Let me refer to Ken Slater, who has now passed on, and was a great supporter of trade union education, as was Harry Lees, who is now with the T&G in the West Country.

Let me refer to two students in particular, although there were thousands to pick from.

Harry Howarth is a good example. He went to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in the end. He is a lay representative who has appeared at the EAT and has an 80 percent success record on unfair dismissal cases in Manchester. One student is particularly active, namely, Peter Billington, who is working in Accrington and is Secretary of the Lancashire Trades Council.

Lastly, I would like to pay tribute to the Trade Union Congress's education department which at that time produced superb material for us. It is so exciting to see the reports today about what is going on and the huge expansion that is taking place. Finally, let me say that I am so grateful for the opportunity here today to come and speak particularly on behalf those colleagues who I have mentioned.

I think I can sum-up the position like this. I was at home last week and my contemporaries knew that I had received this award. One of them said, "Clive, Bach, it is the ermine. It is the real working class ermine". I would not challenge that in any way. (Applause)

WHO WAS CLIVE EDWARDS?

Les Frankish

Above all else he would want to be remembered as being a Socialist. Socialism and what it meant to him completely underpinned who he was, what he did, what he said and how he related to and interacted with all the many and varied people he came in contact with. This was not champagne socialism worn as a badge or accessory but was practised every day in what he did and the values he expounded.

Why was he a Socialist? Being the youngest of four children and brought up in a tight knit mining community in a South Wales valley, he had obviously had the right start! Born in 1930, he would have felt the impact of the “depression�. The history, experience,

circumstances and impact of his mum’s injury, his dad’s illness and his own early accident would have fuelled a realisation that fair play and social justice would need to be hard won from reluctant employers. It would be this keen awareness of what injustice was, in all its many forms, which would form the bed rock of what he believed, and knew, had to be done to remove it. His teenage years coincided with the post war Labour Government being in power, with Nye Bevan and the creation of the NHS amongst many massive steps forward in achieving a better future. He never tired of talking about those years.

So, what else was he?

Having left school at 14 to work at the Co-op, followed by stints as an electrician’s mate and then a farm worker, it was not until he was 27 that he “embraced” education again. Having worked all week, he would spend the weekends down at the library and reading whatever he could get his hands on. Interestingly his first qualifications, gained in 1957, came from an NCCL correspondence course in, you’ve guessed it, Shop Stewarding and English Language!

From then on his thirst for knowledge grew as he developed his lifelong belief in the value and importance of education which took him eventually from his local Technical College to Coleg Harlech, where first as a student and then as a Librarian, he absorbed so much that it would be an understatement to say that he was “well read”.

Although he had taught in a secondary modern school in Smethwick for a year in the Sixties and then gained his Teacher’s Training Certificate at Wolverhampton in 1970, it was his move to Further Education in Blackburn and then into Trade Union Studies there that the title of “Educator” was really earned. His creation and support of the various activities of the local WEA added to this title. There is no doubt that he was an inspirational tutor and many students massively gained from their period of study with Clive. This is clearly echoed in the various contributions from friends and ex-students in this pamphlet and is a clear tribute to the impact he had on those he came into contact with. However, this was not just classroom education. People in the local community, shops, pub and working men clubs, on the sports field and even at the bus stop would pick up things from Clive, not in an ‘in your face’ way but just by listening to his observations and chat.

Being a trade union member was fundamental to Clive having joined USDAW at the age of 14. Membership of the GMB and the ETU followed, culminating in a 30-plus year role in NATFHE. He was more than just a member and played an active part in all the above, holding numerous positions but never forgetting the value of being a shop steward. He recognised that workplace improvements would come through strong trade unions which would, in turn, need to have members and activists educated in such a way to be able to stand toe-to-toe with the employers. Hence his desire to establish and be associated with a TUC Trade Union Study Centre for over 25 years. His arrival in Blackburn in 1970 allowed him to link his educator role with that of a trade unionist. In doing so, local shop stewards were more than able to at least hold their own in negotiations with employers. His

contribution was clearly valued elsewhere as he was awarded the TUC Gold Badge in 2001, the highest accolade the movement could bestow on one of its members.

Clive’s role was much more than the classroom. He joined the picket lines, he organised and attended the marches, and he advised and helped many trade unionists outside normal working hours. He never turned away an enquiry or request for help. He was active in the local and area’s Trades Council. The commissioning and design of the Blackburn Trades Council’s banner was testament to Clive’s desire to promote, wherever possible, the labour movement.

Clive’s membership of the Blackburn Health Authority, the local Manpower Services Commission, School Governing Bodies and the Industrial (Employment) Tribunal in Manchester allowed him the chance to get his message across to a much larger audience.

He was a lifelong member of the Labour Party but always regarded it as a means to an end rather than an end in itself. He was clear that it provided the political wing to the trade union movement, realising that any one piece of legislation could achieve at a stroke what thousands of workplace negotiations were trying to implement. However, being a member of the broad left, he was constantly at odds with the right wing of the party at local, regional and national level. He had no time for New Labour and would have had some of his faith restored by the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the party. This would have vindicated his view that sooner or later working people would see through the spin and reject what was being offered. Only time will tell whether this hope will be realised.

Clive was pro-European, once again recognising the importance of EU legislation in making fundamental gains at the workplace, especially in the area of health and safety. Ironically it was within the European context he was able to severely dent the right wing hold in East Lancashire by being very instrumental in enabling Michael Hindley to be elected as a left wing MEP. He held very clear views on the need for all communities to integrate and had the ability to create rapport with young people from all walks of life. He took a keen interest in their continued development, especially linked to further and higher education, coupled with career development and the achievement of their potential. He was very knowledgeable about his cricket, especially Glamorgan, and also passionate about his rugby. He preferred real ale and, like many other socialists, enjoyed his fell walking and thoroughly believed in the right to roam. He had an allotment where he grew vegetables and fruit, most of which he gave away.

He was an atheist and had a funeral which reflected this belief.

In essence, Clive was a man of extreme warmth, a genuine concern for others, commitment, determination, enthusiasm and dedication to a cause which he hoped would one day secure a better world for working people.

The many contributions following on should be read to fully appreciate the unique person Clive undoubtedly was. His legacy lives on in the multitude of people he came across in his life who will never forget him.

CLIVE HUGH EDWARDS Gareth Thomas Clive Hugh Edwards was born in Nantyfyllon and was the youngest of four children. His dad was a miner who suffered epileptic fits following an accident in the pit, and his mum was a housewife who had lost most of one arm when a tray of detonators she was carrying in the munitions factory exploded. Perhaps his first experience of workers solidarity came on the mornings when his dad had been rendered motionless by a fit and his mum would put a sign in the window and his comrades would get off the bus, dress and carry him to the transport, past the clock and cut his coal until he could move. The nutritional implications to a family of a missed shift were too great.

Clive continued the family tradition of industrial injury when, at 14 while working for the CoOp, he unfortunately followed a sack of potatoes he had thrown from the loading dock landing several feet below and permanently damaging his elbow joint. Maybe the fruitless two year fight for compensation galvanised a conviction that fair play and social justice would need, in many cases, to be hard won from reluctant employers. During this time he discovered the Miner’s institute and with it beer and snooker, but more usefully the reading room and library provided there.

The next years saw spells as an electrician’s mate and farm labourer, but more significantly self-education, better documented elsewhere in this pamphlet, leading via Harlech College to Blackburn College and the setting up of the Trade Union Studies Department.

I was first introduced to Clive by my father. They both originated from the Llynfi Valley in South Wales; dad from the town of Maesteg and Clive from the village of Nantyfyllon – geographically only a mile apart but separated by a gulf of club rugby loyalties. They met in the unlikely rugby community of Blackburn Lancashire; and it was membership of the rugby ‘Taffia’ in exile that was to be a constant thread through our friendship over the next forty years.

I suppose Clive’s ideal community would have included a school, a shop, a library, a pub and/or working men’s club, ideally a cricket club and some allotments but definitely a rugby club. Clive may have started trade union studies at Blackburn College, but he also started the rugby team there; an unlikely mix of HND, Trade and A level students with a full range of experience from nil to representative, where I was able to lend playing and coaching support to his initiative. It lasted several years, with eventually regular fixtures against university and college opposition, but more importantly for Clive introduced many to a new

and valid experience which might provide insights into themselves and others that could run through their lives.

Clive had been a governor at the challenging and long since demised Everton school, and gardening leave, courtesy of a broken arm, saw me in there as a volunteer rugby coach for six weeks culminating, much to Clive’s delight, in a close fought win over the then prestigious QEGS Blackburn independent school where they were seldom, if ever, visitors never mind winners!

After that Clive, along with well-known former England Captain and coach Richard Greenwood, became a patron of the imaginary Cross-Cultural Sporting Association, which was in reality a thinly veiled attempt to bring rugby to the expanding Asian population of Blackburn, operating from Bangor Street Community Centre. It became a two year long unlikely amalgamation of Muslims, Rastafarians, one Hindu and several pale skinned individuals whose previous disposition could be politely described as racially sceptical. As an excellent article by Dr Ajaz Khan, enclosed, will show Clive was a constant worker for racial equality and fully aware that integration was not a theoretical process but an actuality that would be hard earned and where better, for Clive, than the rugby field for a great up close and personal opportunity, both within the team and in the exchanges with opponents, to confront the perceived differences, sometimes literally, head on. “Nothing like a good ruck for breaking down barriers Boyo!”

Then a strange thing happened; the aforementioned Dick Greenwood saw a financial vulnerability in the birth of my first child and persuaded me into coaching rugby at Stonyhurst College, the Jesuit English public school where he had been teacher and bursar and where his youngest son was a pupil. Clive was a constant companion through both those significant life changes, parenthood and public school rugby. The Valleys socialist on the touch lines of English public schools, not casing the layout for imminent revolution but following and supporting boys on the journey to manhood involved in an activity he firmly believed, at its best, had valid fundamental values for character building.

We had much in common other than Wales and rugby, not least atheism and socialism. The first of these earned me a presiding role at his funeral. An outcome which tips its hat to Clive’s negotiating skills even post-mortem – he left the instructions in his will – no negotiations!! Of the second, while small s socialism and all the fair play and justice it implies, was the bedrock of our friendship, big S Socialism was the root of many over-loud over-heated debates. I never trusted fragile hard won philosophies to organised political or labour groups. Clive, however, nearly a generation older, invested much in the promotion of and contribution to the Labour Party and the Trade Union movement in the hope of real change. He was responsible, through this, for much educational enlightenment. However, disillusionment with both was to be a feature of his later years, perhaps best expressed in his advice to close friend and working colleague, Les Frankish, to put his faith in principles

not people as the latter will let you down. The somewhat grotesque contradictions of multimillionaire Labour leaders, and the steady abandonment of principles in favour of stylised electability saw Clive come to believe that a new party would need to emerge to champion true socialist beliefs. Sadly he didn’t live long enough to know whether the recent success of Jeremy Corbyn would give rise to values he would have identified with.

What really separated Clive from the rest was that he allowed his beliefs to inform his way of life. Modest financial ambitions, his allotment while it lasted, a well-kept garden, an ever open front door for those in need of any help or advice that he could provide. A consistency of opinion and belief and the application of those in both his working day and his conversations over a pie and a pint. Definitely no stranger to an argument, often with a side order of belligerence, but seldom for argument’s sake.

He was a man who you wanted around your family, and to have a dialogue with your children to expose them to a standpoint they might not encounter elsewhere, delivered without prejudice or agenda. He never forgot a birthday and it was always books or book tokens.

Clive’s final years were, for that group of close friends that supported him, at times a very hard watch. A firm Aneurin Bevan fan, he was treated to two sides of that man’s best work.

Unfortunately there was the downside of privatised home-visit health care services, with its dash in dash out, billing schedules to meet approach. Fortunately the brilliant intervention of his NHS GP who, through careful doctoring, as I’m sure Mr Bevan intended, gave us back a rational Clive for the run in.

In Clive’s will he left these funeral wishes: “An atheist event organised by my friends” and in conclusion I would like to reproduce a section from the funeral pamphlet, which applies also to this article.

The organisers apologise now for what will necessarily be an inadequate attempt to summarise and capture the near 84 years of this Welshman, trade unionist and political activist, sports fan and thinker whose human essence touched and influenced more people and situations than an apparently ordinary life could hope for.

From Blackburn crematorium we travelled for his wake, fittingly at a local cricket club, where a presentation by Les Frankish shone a light on what they had achieved through applied socialism and captured the passion and humour of the journey, not least when he revealed the socialist motivation behind, and the name of the recipient of, the only recorded punch Clive ever threw!! This opened the gates for accounts from Scotland to South Wales and all points in between, of the simple influence Clive had been on two, or in some cases three, generations of families.

A few weeks later Peter Billington, who for his last years had been the mainstay and human face, beyond the call of duty, of Clive’s care, accompanied myself and another close friend

Bryan Peake, as we took his beautifully boxed ashes back to the Llynfi Valley. There we joined his older sister Olive, niece Ann and her family and a few friends, as on a hillside graveyard in his spiritual home, he was interred in his Mum and Dad’s grave to the tune of (again according to his funeral wishes) “Wish me luck as you wave me good-bye”.

If Clive’s passing this way could be summed up in one expression it would be in the following Welsh one which, if translation is possible, is a combination of “Get in!!”, “Brilliant” and Hallelujah, which those gathered at the crematorium were charged to raise the roof with BENDIGEDIG

TRIBUTES Gerald and Gwenda Davies Even though we only saw Clive on average once a year, we still regarded him as a close friend and a huge influence on our lives since we first met in the late ‘sixties. That’s a big claim to make but it’s true. He was a touchstone for right actions and just behaviour for anyone who knew him well. Many of his sayings have been woven into the fabric of our family life. He was a big man in the best meaning possible and he will live on through his influence on all who met and loved him.

Joan Evans When I think of Clive Edwards I immediately think of a rolled up newspaper poking out of his jacket pocket and his passion for books. He was hardly ever without a newspaper and when working on a farm in Caerphilly he would spend his days off in Cardiff buying books.

Clive was my cousin and a very good friend of my late husband Tyssul Evans, another ‘Nanty’ boy. Over the years they enjoyed plenty of in-depth and often heated discussions about Rugby, Cricket and politics amongst other things.

In the early days in South Wales Clive was very accident prone. I recall him going through the Co-op window on the delivery bike and falling down a shop trap door. But the incident that still makes me smile was when Clive was working as an electrician’s mate at Lynfi Valley Power station near Bridgend. He had been out the night before and slipped whilst up on some scaffolding. As he was hanging on there was a chorus of ‘He’d fly through the air with the greatest of ease ‘ from below. Clive was never allowed to forget this as my brother Reuben Edwards was one of the singers.

Clive was a very generous and considerate man and is sadly missed.

Les Frankish I first met Clive in early 1974 when I was Personnel Manager at Crown Paints, Darwen. The company, recently taken over by Reed International and chaired by a charismatic ex-Spitfire pilot, had embarked on a revolutionary programme of introducing Single Status for all staff with a clear indication of investing in people. Clive had been invited to visit the company at the request of two maintenance shop stewards, who were attending one of his courses at Blackburn College, to come and see a new approach to reduce the “us and them” attitude at the workplace. Company Sick Pay for all, Company Pension Scheme for all, abolition of clocking on and off, a new Medical Centre, a new Sports and Social Club, Equal Pay, and one canteen for everybody were among many other new ideas. This was very different to what was happening in most other employers. Clive recognised this as going some way to recognising the contribution working people made at the workplace We got on instantly.

I had been toying with the idea of becoming an F.E. (Further Education) lecturer and had applied in the previous year, unsuccessfully, for a post at Blackburn College. Clive gave me early notice that the vacancy had recently arisen again and that I should apply once more and see what happens. He said he would “put a good word” in as only he could! Well, I got the job and started in September, shared a classroom with Clive from day 1 and had the pleasure of working with him for the next 16 years. Although I was involved with IPM (Institute of Personnel Management) and DMS (Diploma in Management Studies) Courses, my philosophy surrounding the “employer employee relationship” quickly drew me towards Trade Union Studies, which Clive had introduced to the College, aided by Clive’s encouragement, support and in the end “gentle” insistence We became a double act, both as friends and colleagues.

Back then Clive Edwards’ name became synonymous with trade union education in East Lancashire. In fact Clive Edwards initially WAS trade union education in East Lancashire.

However his determination, commitment, enthusiasm and desire to secure fundamental work place improvements for trade union members meant that from the humble beginnings of one shop steward’s course at the College the trade union provision grew to, at its height, over sixty courses a year covering the whole of Lancashire. The result of this growth meant a team of six full time and six part time members of staff was involved in spreading the benefits of trade union education over a very wide area.

However Clive’s dedication meant more than classroom commitment.

He was involved in all aspects of the trade union movement outside of the College, and was a constant source of knowledge and information for hundreds of “out of hours” enquirers.

He never turned anyone away or refused to go anywhere to help the movement. He fought many battles within the College and with local employers to ensure that trade union

members received the required support within the education service, being involved with a famous tribunal case surrounding the ”right to have time off for trade union training”. His enthusiasm never wavered. The Trade Union Study Centre at Blackburn College, the first in the country and opened officially by the then Len Murray , General Secretary of the TUC, as a personal gesture to Clive, was a fitting testament to the hard work Clive put in to secure adequate recognition of trade unionists’ needs During these challenging years Clive would be seen at any rally or Right to Work march proudly behind the Blackburn Trades Council banner, which he had been instrumental in commissioning. He was present on the picket lines at Silent Night, Barnoldswick, Roach Bridge Mill, Samlesbury and provided fuel, food and support to the pickets at Walker Steel, Blackburn during the bitterly cold winter of 1970 and the National Steel strike. By being a member of the “Broad Left” he had difficulty in accepting the validity of right-wing attitudes within the labour movement who did not share his enthusiasm for a less accommodating approach to workplace relationships. The Thatcherite years of the 1980s were a difficult time for all trade unionists, but the thousands of lay officials/shop stewards within East Lancashire would remember Clive as a person who gave them the inspiration to keep on being active within the movement and not to succumb to the pessimistic view prevailing at the time. Trade Union Education would not have been the same without Clive, who provided, on a daily basis, both tutors and stewards the “never say die” attitude. He fully deserved the accolade of being awarded the TUC Gold Medal in 2001 for his services to the movement.

I was privileged to be asked to support his nomination.

Ironically it was only by accident that Clive came to Blackburn. Back in 1970 he had to come to come to the area for some reason and noticed that there was a vacancy at the College for a Liberal Studies lecturer and by applying and getting an interview he hoped the “expenses” from the College would cover the cost of the trip. The surprise was that he was offered the job, which he duly accepted.

What a loss we would have had if he had not been short of cash!

Clive always rose and responded to a challenge. The bigger the better. For example , following the introduction of The Health and Safety at Work Act in 1974 and the 1978 Representation Regulations he was able to negotiate that every Health and Safety Representative in the Lancashire Area Health Authority would carry out the ten-day TUC Health and Safety Course. This meant visiting every hospital in Lancashire and training over a thousand representatives. The logistic of doing this did not daunt him at all. An even bigger challenge, albeit in a very different way, was our quarterly invitation to carry out a half-day session on the Police Inspectors’ course provided by Lancashire Constabulary. Our task was to extol the benefits of trade unionism and its positive role in society! Clive revelled in this opportunity to engage in such a very lively debate, not knowing that his out

of date car tax had been noticed in the car park with his car being hurriedly parked in the vacant spot next to the Chief Constable’s car!

Clive had always recognised the importance of education for himself, working people and the next generation. To study was to learn and develop and to do this you had to read, read, and more read, in your quest for knowledge. Ironically it was over educational strategy that he eventually disagreed with the TUC over its Student Centred approach to experiential learning which was being favoured in the late 70’s and early 80’s. This required learning from your own and others’ experiences, which although Clive accepted had a role to play, felt that for newly appointed stewards a more didactic response was required.

Clive was pro-European realising that the trade union movement and working people were more likely to benefit from legislation emanating from the European Parliament rather than Westminster. He was involved with a number of links between the College and Brussels. On the political scene he was very actively involved in the election of Michael Hindley as an M.E.P. Coming from the left of the Labour Party his success was in marked contrast to the plethora of right-wing politicians who dominated the local East Lancashire political landscape. He often said to me that I should put my faith in principles rather than people as eventually the latter will let you down. However he did put his faith in the many people who he interacted with and continually encouraged to get more involved, that is until they did something to lessen that faith! He was a very good delegator which was his way of allowing you to develop yourself! Even for his funeral he had a clear list for others to carry out his wishes!

Finally, Clive was able to create rapport with young people and it is through them that his legacy lives on. He took a massive and sincere interest in their well-being, development and growth into adulthood. Without exception all the children of his friends benefited from his generosity and support. He never ever forgot Christmas or a birthday. My own three children have fond memories of a larger than life character, his warmth and his never ending interest and enthusiasm over their achievements. They are left with respect and affection for a person they will never forget.

Clive was unique, a one-off, fitted to time in our history never likely to be repeated when capital and labour battled for supremacy. Where would we have been without him?

Michael Hindley I first met Clive through his good friend Ken Slater. Given their characters and habits, the meeting was inevitably in a pub over a pint after a political meeting.

All these years later, I still think of Clive and Ken together; good loyal friends and comrades.

Wherever Socialists go when they pass on, Ken and Clive will be in a pub discussing with a mixture of wry humour and exasperation the latest short-comings of the Labour movement.

Clive was lively, challenging but not aggressive in discussions; well-read and always humorous. On the one hand sure of his convictions but always fair and open to a wellargued case.

His convictions stemmed from that South Wales mining background which has contributed so much to the British Labour Movement and Clive felt passionately that he had to continue and live those principles of progress and solidarity in the working class. And not just the male side of that mining community – he told with love and admiration of his mother battling through the misery of the depression with courage and dignity.

This all was summed up neatly when an innocent colleague at the College asked if he had ever voted Tory. Clive laughed “No, I was properly brought up” Les Frankish mentions Clive’s interest in Europe and it was this interest which brought me and Clive together when he asked me to help with hosting and interpreting for a group of visiting Germans invited by the Social Mission of Anglican Church. Clive decided to put together a return trip, relying heavily on the excellent organisational skills of Klaus Gutbrod, a Regional Officer of the German equivalent of the Workers Education Association.

Klaus, Clive and myself cobbled together small grants and goodwill hospitality, which sufficed to fund two exchanges. Clive was not a starry-eyed admirer of the German codetermination system of Industrial Relations but he had great respect for the practical skills and organisational talents of the German unions.

Clive encouraged me to seek nomination for the 1984 Euro-elections. Each constituency had their own nominee but what tipped the scales in my favour was the fact that Clive and Ken had been on the phone to trusted Comrades throughout East Lancashire.

For my fifteen years as MEP, I relied heavily on Clive’s advice and judgement. He had a good knack of thinking through a tactical problem. He was never discouraged or discouraging.

Clive loved to talk and unusually for a fluent man, was a good listener, too. Above all, Clive was an outstanding teacher. He had come to education later in life and was to a great extent self-taught and this gave him great sympathy for younger friends, pupils whom he helped to find their feet and to enjoy that second chance which our class system had denied them first time around.

The watchword for Clive was “loyalty”. He was loyal to the best traditions and aspirations of the working class community he came from; loyal to his family and loyal to his friends. It was a loyalty enthused with passion, energy and humour.

I was privileged to know him.

Dr Ajaz Ahmed Khan

Clive Edwards was a staunch supporter of the Asian community in East Lancashire and a man who in return was widely respected and admired for his principles and integrity.

At a time when the Asian community faced overt discrimination, particularly in the workplace, and did not have any representation whatsoever in local politics, he encouraged and supported them to become more involved in the trade union movement in order to improve their working conditions, and also to seek better political representation through standing as local councillors for the Labour Party. While this process began in the mid-1970s when Clive first moved to live and work in Blackburn, it continued for the best part of four decades until shortly before his death in 2014. The fact that the Asian community in Blackburn is now so much better represented in local politics and involved with the trade union movement is in no small part due to his contribution. Clive’s support for the immigrant community had actually begun much earlier during the 1960s and early 1970s when he had shown solidarity with the Afro-Caribbean and Asian communities in the West Midlands at a time when Enoch Powell was MP for Wolverhampton South-West and the Smethwick Riots broke out in Birmingham.

Facing the challenges typical to most immigrants, but particularly a lack of employment opportunities and career progression, my family and others from the local Asian community in East Lancashire have spoken to me of how Clive supported their applications for positions in the trade union movement, the Labour Party, apprenticeships, educational scholarships and employment in the public sector, particularly the NHS. Beginning at a time when few in the community could speak English well, let alone write, Clive was the person to whom many went to when they needed advice, support and encouragement in dealing with all things that were considered ‘official’.

What distinguished Clive was that he not only put into practice his principles but he was also quite selfless - he did not turn anyone away and did not expect anything in return. He patiently helped those seeking assistance to complete application forms, prepare presentations and even anticipate possible questions from interview panels. He went as far as to provide tutoring and mentoring. Clive was held in such high esteem that he was affectionately, and respectfully, known as ‘checha’ or ‘uncle’ in Punjabi and Urdu. When they were successful with their applications friends and relatives have remarked that more than one employer mentioned that the decisive factor was the glowing reference provided by a certain Mr Edwards who could not have been more effusive in his praise. Clive was passionate about education and self-improvement and his contribution was instrumental in enhancing the education and employment careers of so many people.

From a personal perspective, Clive actually knew three generations of my family. When he first moved to Blackburn Clive knew my father, Ahmed Khan, who was also active in the Transport and General Workers Union and the Labour Party. When my father passed away in 1993, Clive took to discussing politics, economics and international affairs with me. His interest was not confined to the United Kingdom; rather he was concerned with the struggle of exploited peoples throughout the world and how societies might be made fairer – in this regard he took great interest in my work with poor and marginalised communities in South America, Africa and Asia. Largely self-educated and extremely well-read, Clive had an ability to quickly grasp and analyse issues and place the debate in a historical context. In recent years he discussed school, sports and their hobbies with my two daughters, encouraging them to read with the frequent gifts of book tokens, and he took great interest and delight in their success.

I am not sure if it was Clive’s own experiences growing up in the South Wales mining valleys and struggling as a working man to improve himself, whether as a proud Welshman he identified with being the outsider, or simply his strong sense of social justice and doing what was right; however at a difficult time he was constant in his support and encouragement for those from humble working backgrounds in the Asian community who wanted to progress.

Anne and Tom Killen I am afraid we had not seen Clive in recent years as ill-health had caught up with all of us and made long journeys difficult. However, we have wonderful memories of our time with Clive over the years, especially when our daughters were young, as they saw him as a surrogate Grandad.

We met Clive at Coleg Harlech in the early 1960's and he was the Best Man at our wedding in 1967. Clive was one of the most kind and caring people we have ever known. His political philosophy was an example to others who preached but did not practice his humanitarian values and the world is a poorer place for his passing. Both our daughters, Sian Oakley and Fiona Killen Quinan, who loved Clive dearly, represented us at his funeral. I was brought up just over the hill from Clive at Baglan and we were great rugby rivals whenever the Parish played Aberavon. We will be thinking of Clive.

Sian Oakley (nee Killen) I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know Clive - ‘Uncle Clive’ as I called him. He was a constant presence in my life. He often came to my house to have dinner with my parents when I was a child and I always got very excited when I knew he was coming. He would arrive, larger than life, and immediately start asking me and my sister questions, about school, life, politics and lots of other things. And he was genuinely interested in the

answers. Me and my sister would ask him to help us with spelling tests and other academic tasks and he would happily oblige. I think we just wanted to impress him because he was such an inspiring and wonderfully warm person.

When I started applying for jobs and educational courses he was a willing referee and I knew that the person reading my application would be treated to a long and well written testimony. If it was something very important, Clive would deliberately leave his reference late so that he had an excuse to telephone the individual receiving the application (apologising for the late response by saying he’d been on holiday) and talk to them in person about me. He felt it had much more of an impact this way and it certainly did the trick on many occasions.

As I got older, Clive was at many of my important events. He came to my wedding and was one of the first people to meet my daughter, in whom he showed a strong interest over the years too. She has a bookcase full of books bought for her by Clive over the years and all the presents Clive sent were accompanied by a lovely letter of some sort. His writing was always a challenge to me and I’d often have to ask my mum to help decipher it. Half the time it turned out that he had written some of the sentences in Welsh, which is why I hadn’t been able to work out what the words were.

In my 30’s I used to visit Blackburn frequently to climb on the indoor wall. I’d either pop in to see Clive or we’d meet in the Postal Order pub, where he enjoyed a pint with his newspaper most days. I loved meeting him. He was such wonderful company and would always have something thought-provoking to say on what was going on in the world. I just loved listening to him.

The first time I visited him in his house in Hope Street I was struck by how frugally he lived, but how rich his life was. I remember that he had a big armchair in the front room and that every surface was covered with books. I went away imagining him sitting reading in that chair, expanding his vast knowledge every day and sitting thinking about how the world was and how it should be. That image will never leave me.

I continued to visit him over the years whenever I was in the area and always left feeling inspired by Clive. He was such a generous person – generous with his time, generous with his thoughts and generous with his resources. The humanity in him was immense.

I will miss him greatly but I will always be able to hear his voice – “never give up the books Cariad. Never give up the books”.

Harry Lees Both Irene and I and, of course our children in the UK, Spain and Australia, who also remember Clive as a part of our family, were very sad at the painful loss of our dear comrade.

However, as humanists, we believe that no one is ever dead until all the ripples they have caused throughout the world have also disappeared. This means that Bro Clive Edwards will live on for many, many, years to come.

Clive was, to all who knew him, the type of 'leader' that all Socialist/Trade Unionists hope to become - indeed all the progressive Trade Union activists in the northwest went on to benefit from his extensive knowledge of working class history.

He encouraged Trade Unionists to learn from workers who had fought unbelievable battles in the past and to take note of their courageous tenacity of purpose and apply that elementary first principal of working class solidarity as the main building block of our strategy to resolve our present day disputes.

In my mind’s eye I see Clive, as one of the principal players, striding through the pages of “The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists" — "Union Man” and "The Awkward Warrior". In fact I remember taking part in Trade Union Study programmes on Radio Blackburn with Clive. We discussed the work of the Trade Unions and applauded the ground-breaking Health and Safety at Work Act, during which Clive sounded just like 'Frank Owen’ - Jack Jones and Frank Cousins all rolled into one.

Clive's contribution to the advancement of the cause of organised labour' has been profound. When Len Murray asked Clive to head-up the introduction of the very first UK TUC Study Centre in the Blackburn Tech the whole concept of Shop Stewards Education and Training took a giant leap forward.

As a direct consequence of that one ground-breaking event we were all so much more confident and competent in representing our members, whether this was as Full Time Officers, Works Conveners, Shop Stewards, Health and Safety Stewards and Branch Officials etc.

I equate Clive's rote as a workers’ 'educationalist' as being on a par with Jennie Lee's political battle to establish the 'Open University' and Barbara Castle's fight for the Equal Pay Act. It must have had something to do with the radical air in the Lanark and Blackburn Constituency Labour Parties.

I'm not going to list all the wonderful and inspiring initiatives that Clive was responsible for because many of you were there in the early 1970's and were, like me, a part of that TU and LP renaissance generated and inspired by Clive.

The comradeship, of those long-gone days is still a source of very happy memories for me and for all my family. Walking side by side with Clive on this journey of learning, about collectivism, politics and economics, in discussions at The Big Pit' - Pontypridd Uni - Ruskin Tolpuddle - Burford, TUC and LP Conferences et al were inspiring times.

Nevertheless we still had time at the weekends to enjoy listening to Gabe Essiens Five Piece ‘Salutation Stompers’ in our local pub …. Happy times indeed.

Jonty Lees I knew Clive as a child, and as such feel well placed to corroborate the assertion in the Lancashire Telegraph that Clive was a good and kind man.

He sent us, my brothers and sister, membership to the RSPB, book tokens, money.

Something good always fell out of a card from Uncle Clive.

I loved his cards, they were important, his handwriting, the Welsh phrases he used, ‘brechan’ or ‘bechgen bach’ - I think it means little boy.

When my own children were born he sent book tokens for them. I remember Clive visiting Stroud when he walked the Cotswold Way with his friend. It must have been in the 1980s.

They were just walking and laughing and getting excited about pubs and ale, and the splendid countryside, and the riot they must have been having, but were also like resistance fighters, getting quiet and low for some serious talk about disputes and fairness and how the world could be made better for everyone, a project not finished. Anyway, it’s sad when someone you love dies, but not so sad if you know they lived a good life and made the world a better place by being in it.

I am delighted that a great life has been celebrated publicly. Jonty Lees, Milly Ainley, Kitty Lees, Rosy Lees, Bertie Lees.

Sarah Blomfield (nee Lees) Clive was a dear friend of my Dads having met through the trade union movement and Labour Party. He came into our lives in 1972 and became known as our Uncle. He was always encouraging me to read, telling my mum that any reading material was positive encouraging a delivery of "twinkle" and later the "look in". He encouraged me to achieve as best as I could educationally, always telling me it was as important for girls as boys. He always encouraged reading anything as it was reading. Book tokens were his gift of choice and I still have my C S Lewis collection from 1973 which my three siblings and my four children enjoyed.

When I went to college for my degree and then on to train in social work he took great delight and pleasure in my achievements and also those of my siblings and latterly my children.

He came to my wedding and was regarded with love, warmth, affection and respect. I often wrote with updates and he was pleased to hear of the children's achievements as he was

with my brothers and me. His obituary says how he never married and of course had no children of his own but he certainly influenced many children's lives with encouragement, generosity, warmth and positivity.

He had loved his walking as we all do as a family. We obtained our new puppy called Otto, fittingly from Bridgend and named after my daughter Sophie's favourite book, Anne Frank, and of course her father's name. Uncle Clive would have approved.

I am now a family court adviser and children's guardian, a role Uncle Clive was so proud of.

Mick Pickup Back in 1971, I was a 20 year old apprentice engineering draughtsman, coming to the end of serving my time. I was in a job I hated and looking for something different. One of the requirements for an apprenticeship at that time was to attend Blackburn College one day and one evening a week. The evening sessions were practical ones, whereas the day sessions consisted of lectures in Maths, Technical Drawing, and various other engineering related subjects, all of which were an anathema to me.

The one session which did pique my interest were the hour long sessions called “Liberal Studies. “ These were delivered by a succession of social workers, community workers and people of various religions. They were interesting insofar as they were different and in a small way allowed me to use my imagination.

So, September 1971, I settled down with my classmates to meet the new liberal studies tutor. It is safe to say that none of the other apprentices were interested in liberal studies, they all thought it was a joke, but there we were, ready for this new lecturer.

The door burst open, and in bowled this bloke, who reminded me of a rugby prop forward.

Over his glasses he eyed up the assembled group and began to talk, in an accent that was initially, difficult to understand, but eventually, our ears got used to it. Whilst he was talking, he handed out a piece of paper for us to write our names on. On receiving it back, he read through the names and chuckled, asking “Where’s Harry Secombe?” as some wit had written. I knew then that this was going to be a more interesting session than we’d had before. This became more apparent as within minutes, he had the attention of the whole class, a feat never achieved before in my four years of attending these liberal studies classes.

Clive talked about his life, how he had grown up in a mining village, how this had influenced his politics. His father’s illness, and how the community rallied around when he was unable to work, about his mother having her arm blown off in the gunpowder factory. How he had left the valleys and gone to work on a farm. (This was a link for me, for I too worked on a farm part-time). His regular visits to the local library which eventually led to his going to Coleg Harlech and his future career as a teacher.

I am sure that those sessions with Clive had an effect, not only on me, but on every other student he taught at Blackburn College. This became more apparent many years later, as during one of our Saturday evening strolls around the pubs in Blackburn; we would often be accosted by someone saying: “Mr. Edwards, you won’t remember me, but I was your student back in….. and I just want to say thank you, for how you influenced me back then!”

More often than not, Clive would have no recollection of who the person was, but he would chat to them as though he did, and afterwards he would say: “The trouble is Pickup bach, I’ve taught so many, I have no idea who I’m talking too, and I need them to give me a clue as to who they are…but often they don’t, they just assume that I know!”

In one of his sessions, Clive talked about people staying in the same job all their working lives, and then getting a gold watch for their services.

“Think about that boys…Is it worth it? What do you think? ” Then there followed a discussion about staying in the one job, acquiring a marketable skill and all the general stuff that came up in these types of conversations. That question struck a chord in me. I was a generally shy youngster, back in the seventies, and often found it difficult to talk to people, but I was getting so frustrated with my current situation, I eventually plucked up the courage to stay back one day, when the class ended and talk to Clive.

“Eeeerrrmmm, excuse me Mr. Edwards, I have a problem and I need to talk to someone about it!” I stuttered.

“Can you give me an insight into the problem boyo?”

“Well, I hate my job and I want to change it!”

“Ohh, that’s not such a big problem, meet me in the Sett End pub on Thursday night at about 9:30 and we’ll have a chat.”

It was a simple as that, from that moment on, we became lifelong friends, a friendship that spanned more than forty years, and under Clive’s influence, my life was to take a totally different path. A path I have never regretted and one that I only have Clive to thank for.

The outcome of that meeting resulted in first: me becoming Assistant Head Forester at Blackburn Borough Council, and then, due to Clive reading something I’d written for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, when he stated: “You’re wasting your time there boyo, you should be off to university!”, an interview and place at Coleg Harlech, the place where Clive had earned his intellectual spurs.

I obviously kept in touch with Clive whilst I was there, visiting him whenever I was home.

From Harlech, I got a place at Bangor University, where I earned a 1st. Clive was very pleased and came down to the graduation. He was even more pleased when I decided to become a librarian, a profession he had once enjoyed.

With a reference from him, I obtained a place at St. Andrews University Library, I needed to work in a library before I could undertake the diploma and whilst there, I was asked if I wanted to undertake a Ph.D. I contacted Clive for his advice, and his advice, as always, was simple and direct.

“If you think you can do it boyo, you do it. I think you can!”

That was all the encouragement I needed, and so, whilst undertaking a Library diploma at Queens University in Belfast, I also began my Ph.D. research in St. Andrews.

Having successfully completed my Library diploma, I was with Clive the following summer, along with Pete Billington, helping decorating his flat, when I received a call from TV-am, who were looking for a librarian for the new TV Station. Again, Clive encouraged me to go for it, and that November, I found myself in London, helping to organise their fledgling library, or the “News Information Unit” as it was then designated.

As always, I was in constant contact with Clive, especially on points of politics, and it was in no small amount due to his influence that TV-am’s library was organised the way it was.

Clive visited a few times when he was in London on business and I often laughed as the socalled political pundits at the station were gently put down and teased by him and his obvious greater grasp of raw politics than they would ever have.

I stayed there for three years, and just after I earned my Ph.D. again which Clive was very proud of, I decided that enough was enough. I was fed up of the back-biting and internal politics of television, and so I took myself of to the Philippines, to Island hop. I wrote a postcard to Clive every couple of weeks, telling him what I was doing, and how on one occasion I had become a pirate. Clive however was more interested in that in one of the places I had stayed, I had left a copy of “The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists”. He would he said, be interested to see if it had influenced anyone’s thinking.

On returning home, the first person I went to see was Clive. He was of course, interested in all I had done and so I regaled him with my adventures as a pirate and my fledgling attempts to teach English.

“Write a book Pickup bach, it would be interesting!” was his constant refrain! On returning home, I had applied for a job as librarian at the newly formed company of ‘News on Sunday” and was successful at being appointed. Once again, Clive took a great deal of interest in this new left-wing adventure, but, as has been well-documented, it didn’t last long, and I soon found myself out of a job. “So boyo, what’re you going to do now?”

“I think”, I said, “I’ll try Thailand this time!”

“What’re you going to do there?”

“I might try teaching English.”

“Mmmm, you’d be better off getting a qualification first!”

But off I went to Thailand, returning after two years, of doing various things, but teaching English was one of them.

On my return, Clive insisted I get a teaching qualification, saying it would open up more doors for me in the long run. So I applied for a CELTA course at Blackburn College, achieved the award and was immediately appointed as an English Lecturer. Clive’s only advice at this time was: “Be the best English teacher you can be!”

And from day one, out of respect for Clive, that was what I have tried to do. I initially taught at Blackburn College, but then taught in Vietnam, The Phillipines, Thailand, Iceland, Norway, Greenland and Sweden. I returned to Lancashire to teach at Myerscough College. I was there for four years, before the wanderlust hit me again and it was only by talking to an exstudent of mine: Rocio, who had married a friend of Clive’s and a subsequent friend of mine Ajaz, that I found myself in Ecuador, teaching English. As always, I contacted Clive on a monthly basis, telling him what I was doing and how I was getting on. He was especially interested in the social reforms that the current President: Rafael Correa was slowly introducing into the country Whilst I was in Ecuador, Clive passed away. It goes without saying that he has had an enormous influence on my life. It is something I will never be able to quantify, and I will miss his friendship and his counsels enormously. Of one thing I can be sure, had Clive not come to Blackburn, had I not plucked up the courage to talk to him that day, and had he not been so understanding and willing to go out of his way for me, a total stranger, my life would have inevitably taken a different and more boring path. Clive’s influence on me and my life have been immeasurable and incalculable. I am more than grateful to have met him, and his memory and his counsels will stay with me forever.

Don Rishton Although I was aware of the Blackburn trade union training courses during the 1970's, it was early in 1980 when I first made contact with Clive, after I had become Chairman of the Blackburn branch of my union. Clive asked me why it was that there had never been any textile union representatives attending the courses that were run at the Centre. I informed him that I did not know but I would make the necessary enquiries and get back to him. Our branch meeting was held on a Monday evening. I had taken time off work to chair the

meeting, on a 2-10 shift, and was surprised to discover that not only did I not know about this issue neither did any of the lay officials. We agreed to have it discussed at a Textiles Trades Federation meeting to be held the following evening.

I reported to the factory the following day and was drawn into a blistering row with the Mill Engineer regarding what I had said the previous evening. I was also questioned by the mill manager about my comments and asked to justify what I had said at a union meeting. It is my belief that if I had not been a senior official of the union I would have been sacked. I could not understand why they were acting so aggressively. Eventually a senior official of a textile union informed me that the bosses had shelved the 1974 Health & Safety at Work Act, with agreement of local senior union officials. I believe this was because the bosses were finding Clive too committed and too principled for them to handle.

The fact that Clive was awarded a Gold Medal from the TUC emphasises the many achievements that Clive made over his lifetime, specifically in the North West of the UK. Clive always said he was an internationalist first and foremost. This is one of the reasons I believe that he was successful in getting his colleague, Michael Hindley, selected as candidate, and then elected as MEP for East Lancashire, together with the help of his good friends Ken Slater and Peter Billington and several other left-wing comrades. This was a most extraordinary achievement because the Labour Party in East Lancashire, and in particular Blackburn, was one of the most right-wing Labour Parties in the UK, as shown by their expulsion of young members of the Party.

Michael Hindley was one of approximately 15 other MEPs who teamed up with a coalition in Europe of 75 left-wing MEPs who were determined to make a difference and did so through the European Parliament. The Working Time Directive, which was hated by the Tories, provided approximately 2 million low paid workers with paid holidays by law which was something they had never experienced before.

The seas and rivers of the UK were poisonous and toxic due to UK governments failing to take land owners and farmers to task. People were getting maimed with all sorts of diseases because of weak governments of both Labour and Tory. Any mention of climate change is shelved under successive governments. Many progressive policies both were and are derided by a Tory press.

The successes of the left-wing MEPs were too good to be true and it could not last and New Labour was determined it would not last. To that end they altered the way that MEPs were both selected and elected so that they would not get re-elected, and the authoritarianism of the Blair and Brown governments prevailed.

Nevertheless, the exercise was highly satisfying to Clive and the work that he and others had done over the years had greatly improved the lives of many workers.

Peter Billington

I first met Clive in 1974 – thanks to the Wilson Government’s ‘Health and Safety at Work Act’. At the time, I was working at Platt Saco Lowell, a large textile engineering factory in Accrington. The factory employed almost 1,000 workers and was strongly trade unionorganised, with most employees being in the Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU).

Regulations made under the Act obliged the management to recognise trade union ‘safety representatives’ and ‘safety committees’ and our department was asked by the foreman to nominate a safety rep to go on a training course at Blackburn College. It didn’t strike me as odd at the time that it was the foreman rather than the shop-steward who took the initiative on this but I was told much later by my good friend Ken Slater, the AEU Accrington District Secretary, that there was what might be described as an over-friendly relationship between the union and the management at the factory.

At the time I was in my early 20s and fairly shy. I had left school in in 1964 without any qualifications and gone to work in the local brickyard on the basis that anyone could get a job there because the work was so unpleasant. I had always had an interest in reading and education but had no confidence in myself. I ended up at Platt Saco Lowell doing fairly heavy manual work.

Clive Edwards and Les Frankish were the tutors for the safety reps course at Blackburn College. Clive was around 44 at the time and what struck me most about him was his support for trade unions’ and ordinary people’s rights at work, his strong, friendly personality, and his belief in the value of education and learning.

At the time of this first course, a lot of the Act’s enabling provisions were yet to be developed. A few years later, Clive was able to tell the 15 or so safety representatives on our course that if it came to enforcing health and safety rights under the Act we had to tell the employer that we were ‘brown book safety reps’. The ‘brown book’ was the Health and Safety Executive’s 1977 pocket-sized Code of Practice on safety reps rights and amongst other things gave safety reps the right to independently investigate hazards, accidents, and workers’ complaints. This was the key thing for Clive – that the Act gave us a legal status to override the employer’s economic power to determine how the workplace was run. In the Accrington area, my union, the AEU, recognised the value of this aspect of the Act by setting a policy that the shop-steward for a site should also be the safety rep in order to add to shop-stewards’ limited legal rights.

I didn’t see Clive for about another year after but during that time I became more active in the local AEU and friendly with the full-time District Secretary, Ken Slater. Ken was about the same age as Clive and had been a Communist Party activist until the invasion of Hungary in 1956. Clive used to tell the story that when he began to contact local trade union officials to encourage unions to send members to what became the Trade Union Studies Centre at Blackburn College, Ken was suspicious of this Welshman who kept pestering him. They became close friends. On my bedroom wall, I have the framed ‘Wainwright’ print of a view of Patterdale given to Clive by Hyndburn Trades Council when Ken was its Secretary. It is

inscribed on the back ‘…to Clive Edwards in appreciation of his inspiring leadership as Coordinator of the Trade Union Studies Centre, Blackburn.’

From 1975, and for many years afterwards, Clive, Ken and I met up regularly at weekends for walks in the Lakes, Yorkshire Dales, Ribble Valley, the Pennines, and further. Clive always regarded Ken as the person who had opened up his interest in walking and, in particular, long-distance walking. We did the Coast to Coast walk together and Clive later did the Pembrokeshire Coast Path on his own and the Cotswold Way with Tyssul Evans, his cousin Joan’s husband. At weekends, Clive’s approach was to combine walking with political discussion. At his suggestion, I took a day’s holiday off work to do a ten mile walk with him along the footpaths and farm lanes below Wolf Fell and Saddle Fell in the Forest of Bowland so that he could talk about his view of Richard Hyman’s book ‘Industrial Relations: A Marxist Introduction.’ This was typical of Clive’s interest in ideas which might be useful in explaining why events were happening and how they could be influenced to the benefit of working people. Although he had a practical trade unionist’s view of industrial relations – that you could only achieve what was possible given the balance of forces at the time – he absolutely rejected unprincipled pragmatism. Up to the last two months of his life he was ordering books which reflected his interest in contemporary politics which he always regarded as fascinating and which he was always ready to discuss.

During the 70s, 80s and 90s, Clive was practically and organisationally involved in all the political and industrial events of those periods which had significance from a trade union and socialist perspective. Following the military coup against the socialist government in Chile, political exiles from Chile arrived in East Lancashire and Clive became involved in helping to organise housing and other support. I remember being in Clive’s car and being stopped by the police in Bury as there were four Chilean refugees and myself in the back seat (pre-seat belt era) en route back from a fund-raising event. We got let off but I’m not sure how. As a Labour Party member, he was active in supporting the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy’s attempt to increase the influence of socialism in the Party by organisational and constitutional changes. Our regular weekly meetings in various pubs to discuss campaign tactics were made more lively by Clive’s membership of the Campaign for Real Ale. In line with his view that all opportunities to defend and improve the lives of working people should be taken, Clive also held positions on public bodies. During the 1980s, he was a trade union member of the Blackburn, Hyndburn & Ribble Valley District Health Authority and a trade union member of the NE Lancashire Manpower Services Commission. He was also Chair of the governing body of Everton Comprehensive High School in Blackburn for six years during the 1980s where he defended the school’s attempt to provide decent quality education to working-class kids.

After his retirement, his role as a trade union member of the Manchester Employment Tribunal gave him the chance to use intellectual analysis of the legal issues underlying a case and practical knowledge of the balance of power at work and in society. Through the Trade

Union Studies Centre and beyond, he had encouraged and supported ordinary trade unionists in representing members at the Tribunal at a time when this role was left to either full-time trade union officers or solicitors.

The last four years of Clive’s life were made more difficult for him by illness. He appeared to suffer a stroke in 2011 which left him with physical and mental problems which took over twelve months to settle down. From this time he was not the same person that we had known for so many years. He had always emphasised to friends that if they saw that he was losing his intellectual abilities they should help him to end his life. He had bravely made plans to carry this out but illness meant that he was not capable of putting that decision into effect or of asking his friends to help him do it. I spoke to him on the evening he died and, as usual, he asked me to bring various things he wanted with me when I was to see him next day. He often said that he could ‘go at any moment’ because of his illnesses.

For me, Clive’s example was a decisive one. He was confident of the value of ordinary working people and trade union organisation. He was enthusiastic and curious about ideas for social change which would improve working people’s lives. He saw clearly who the enemies of working people were, either outside or inside the labour and trade union movement. He was generous with his time and his emotional support. He was practical and intellectual. Clive had a major influence on my trade union and political activity over 40 years. Much more importantly, I’m sure that his work at the Trade Union Studies Centre had an influence which helped many trade unionists in the fight to shift the balance of power away from the employer and those with underserved power and towards ordinary people.

That fight continues and Clive’s memory will always be an inspiration to carry on.