Description
Object description
British civilian political activist with Workers' International League and Revolutionary Communist Party in London, Glasgow and Newcastle upon Tyne, GB, 1938-1944; inmate in Durham Prison, GB, 8/4/1944-3/6/1944
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of background in GB, 1914-1923: family circumstances; effects of First World War; emigration to South Africa, 1923. Recollections of period as civilian in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa, 1923-1937: education; difficulty in finding employment; death of brother; situation of black and mixed race African population; local recollections of Boer War; nature of parent's political background; marriage to Robert Keen, 1931.
REEL 2 Continues: move to Johannesburg, 1931; increasing politicisation as result of seeing working conditions of black Africans in gold mines; end of marriage and return to Cape Town. Aspects of return to GB, 1937 voyage from South Africa to GB, 1937 including friendship with Dick Frieslich and Heaton Lee of Workers' Party of South Africa; conversion to atheist and Trotskyist political views; family situation in Cornwall; move to Paddington, London. Aspects of period as member of Workers' International League in London, GB, 1937-1940: recruitment to party, 1937.
REEL 3 Continues: origins of party; motivation; fragmentation of Trotskyist groups and failure of attempt to secure unity; selling newspaper in Tottenham Court Road and attacks by members of British Union of Fascists and Communist Party of Great Britain; policy formulation; headquarters; pamphlets; question of organisations relations with Leon Trotsky; public response; outbreak of Second World War, 3/9/1939; issue of gas masks; visit top South Africa; membership of party; dispersal of party cadres. Recollections of period as member of Workers' International League in Glasgow and Paisley, GB, 1940-1943: selling 'Socialist Appeal'; local Workers' International League groups; relations with Anarchists.
REEL 4 Continues: Workers' International League attitude to Second World
War; opinion of composer Michael Tippett including his attitude to Second World War, story of meeting attended by police informer and his subsequent split with party; local Anarchists; Workers' International League attitude to Second World War; position as woman in Workers' International League; story of being attacked by member of Communist Party of Great Britain; Workers' International League attitude to war and ignorance of German concentration camps; contacts with shipyard workers including pre-war privations, their responsiveness to party's message and working conditions. Recollections of period as member of Workers' International League at Newcastle upon Tyne, GB, 1943-1944: political activities in shipyards; contacts with Independent Labour Party; effects of war including overcoming food shortages and German bombing in Glasgow.
REEL 5 Continues: role of Heaton Lee; selling 'Socialist Appeal' in mining villages and shipyards; visit from Roy Tearse; developing opposition to Bevin Boys conscription scheme from engineering apprentices and miners and apparent success in legal test case. Recollections of period as member of Revolutionary Communist Party in Newcastle upon Tyne, GB, 1944: unity conference between Workers' International League and Revolutionary Socialist League and formation of Revolutionary Communist Party, 1/1944; role of Revolutionary Communist Party in developing opposition to Bevin Boys conscription scheme from engineering apprentices; meeting with Bill Davy; advice given; role of Jock Haston, Heaton Lee and Roy Tearse in organising delegation to see Ernest Bevin; origin of strike by Tyneside Engineering Apprentices Guild and Revolutionary Communist Party advice on tactics; assisting in production of leaflets aimed at raising support from trades union; warning from postman that mail was being intercepted and opened; nature of response from trades union.
REEL 6 Continues: reaction of Communist Party of Great Britain to Revolutionary Communist Party activities; providing support for Bill Davy; police raids on Revolutionary Communist Party offices and surveillance of Finkel; account of arrest by Newcastle upon Tyne City Police with Heaton Lee in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, 8/4/1944 including police night raid, conspiracy charges, move to Newcastle Police Station, presence of Revolutionary Communist Party sympathiser in Newcastle upon Tyne Police Station and initial court hearing at Newcastle City Police Court; reaction to arrest. Recollections of period as inmate in Durham Prison, GB, 8/4/1944-3/6/1944: reception procedure; news of arrest of Roy Tearce.
REEL 7 Continues: daily routine; work; fellow prisoners; political discussions with prison officers; move to Newcastle upon Tyne Police Station prior to being remanded at further court appearance; awareness of outside support; arrest and mistreatment of Jock Haston; legal assistance; Jock Haston's plan to use trial as political forum; return to Durham Prison; attitude of Bill Davy and T Dan Smith; communication with friends; success of bail application and move to London.
REEL 8 Continues: Recollections of trial for conspiracy at Newcastle upon Tyne Police Court, GB, 12/5/1944-18/5/1944: insistence despite legal advice of putting forward political case; nature of government involvement; composition and activities of Defence Committee including Aneurin Bevan; refusal of prosecution apprentice witnesses to implicate Revolutionary Communist Party; failure of Tyneside Engineering Apprentices Guild strike; nature of conspiracy charge; breach of rules of sub judice by journalists and newspapers; line of defence adopted by Revolutionary Communist Party; prosecution case.
REEL 9 Continues: reiteration of refusal of prosecution engineering apprentice witnesses to implicate Revolutionary Communist Party; refuting clerical role in witness box; subpoena of Ernest Bevin; lack of trust in defence lawyers; background of strikes and Communist Party of Great Britain attitudes; subpoena of trade unionist; press presence; sympathetic nature of public response; summing up from judge; reaction to verdict and sentences.
REEL 10 Continues: activities preparing for appeal; visits to prisoners; speaking at public meetings with support of prison officers; appeal on basis of judge's misdirection of jury; stories of problems with amorous Americans and narrow escape from German V1 Flying Bombs in London; supportive role of Aneurin Bevan; quotes Ernest Bevin speech made on Trades Dispute Act, 21/5/1927 to indicate his change in views; letters to prisoners; successful appeal at Old Bailey and release of prisoners; publicity caused by trial for activities of Revolutionary Communist Party; subsequent role as business manager of Revolutionary Communist Party prior to leaving party, 1948.
