SPGB Meetings and Economics Classes (1936)

Party News from the November 1936 issue of the Socialist Standard 

Blogger's Notes:

'Reginald' was the name that Augustus Snellgrove used for speaking engagements and writing for the Socialist Standard. 

'G. Clifford' was Clifford Groves.

'R. Robertus' was Robert Reynolds.

Though 'N. Nesbit' is listed repeatedly in the Socialist Standard during this period, either as a Party lecturer or as an outdoor speaker, there is no record of a 'Nesbit' in the Party membership records.

'Hardy' was the name Edgar Hardcastle used when listed as a speaker at Party meetings. He wrote for the Socialist Standard under the pen-name of 'H'.

SPGB Meetings (1934)

Party News from the November 1934 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Notes:

'S. Globus' was Soloman Globus. He originally joined the Stepney Branch of the SPGB in December 1931, lapsing his membership in April 1934. He rejoined the SPGB via Hackney Branch in August 1934 but resigned his membership in May 1935 as it was "interfering with his work". He joined the SPGB for a third time in October 1935 - via its Southwark Branch - but at some point lapsed his membership again. (There's no date for when he left.)

'Kersley' was Ted Kersley. He was an early member of the SPGB, joining its Watford Branch in June 1910. His Socialist Standard obituary from May 1976 is a fascinating read.

SPGB Meetings (1934)

From the November 1934 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Notes:

Baritz, Kohn and Lestor were all 'profiled' in the September 1954 Special Anniversary issue of the Socialist Standard.

• Moses Baritz
• Adolph Kohn
• Charles Lestor

SPGB Meetings (1961)

Party News from the November 1961 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Notes:

• Socialist Current were a small orthodox Trotskyist group based mainly in East London. Members included Sam Levy and Ted Crawford. (The latter spoke at the Westminster Branch of the SPGB in 1968, when he was a member of the International Socialists.) There is an extensive archive of Socialist Current material over at the excellent Splits and Fusions blog.
• The German Story was a 1956 East German documentary film by Andrew and Annelie Thorndike.
• R. Donnelly' of Glasgow Branch was Dick Donnelly. His obituary appeared in  the April 2015 issue of the Socialist Standard.
• 'R. Reid' of Glasgow Branch was Robin Reid. His obituary appeared in  the January 2013 issue of the Socialist Standard.
• R. Russell' of Glasgow Branch was Robert Russell. His obituary appeared in  the June 2008 issue of the Socialist Standard.
• H. Weaver was Harold Weaver. His obituary appeared in the February 1974 issue of the Socialist Standard.

Open Air Meetings - September (1934)

Party News from the September 1934 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Notes:

If the information - and wording - below looks familiar, it's because a lot of it was posted on the blog last year for the July 1934 issue of the Socialist Standard. I have made some additions below where the speakers for July and September did not overlap.

Interesting that Speaker's Corner/Hyde Park isn't listed. I guess it was just taken as read that the Party would always have speakers there at the weekend.

As mentioned previously on the blog, I really wish I could include all the speakers listed in the label section but it's just not doable. Outdoor speaking was so central to the Party's activity and identity in the first fifty years of its history that it's unfortunate that it cannot be properly represented on the blog. Looking at the names listed, here's a wee bit info about some of those speakers:

• Tony Turner: The pre-eminent SPGB outdoor speaker for twenty plus years. Originally joined the Southwark Branch of the SPGB in July 1931. Resigned in April 1955 over the Forum dispute. His obituary appeared in the April 1992 issue of the Socialist Standard. He appears on the front cover of the June 2004 centenary issue of the Socialist Standard.
• Gilbert Manion: A former member of the Social Democratic Federation, Manion originally joined the SPGB in November 1928 and was a member of the Party on three separate occasions between 1928 and 1953. Originally a member of the Camberwell Branch of the SPGB he was also a member of Hackney Branch. He was still a member of the Party when he died in 1953. There was no obituary for him in the Standard.
• Jimmy Banks: A member of Battersea Branch, he joined the SPGB in May 1915 and was still a member of the Party  when he died in December 1966. A class conscious objector during the first World War, he was sent to Dartmoor Prison for his principles. Sadly his obituary from the February 1967  issue of the Socialist Standard is brief to the point of ridiculousness for someone who was an active socialist for over 50 years.
• Henry Russell: The Russell listed amongst the speakers was probably Henry Russell. Joining Southwark Branch of the SPGB in September 1933 he was a member of the Party until his membership was lapsed in November 1952.
• Bob Ambridge: One of the mainstay members in the history of the SPGB, Bob Ambridge joined the Battersea Branch of the Party in September 1927 and was a member of Swansea Branch when he died in February 1980. His obituary appeared in the April 1980 issue of the Socialist Standard.
• Claud Godfrey: Sadly, another longstanding member with an all too scant obituary in the pages of the Socialist Standard (April 1972 issue). Godfrey originally joined Tottenham Branch of the Party in July 1926, and was a member of Haringey Branch when he died.
• Jack Butler: Another stalwart member of the SPGB, joined West Ham Branch of the Parry in 1910 and served the Party both as a speaker and as a behind the scenes member. At the time of his premature death in 1944, he had been the Party Treasurer for 20 years. 'Gilmac' (Gilbert McClatchie) wrote a warm and personal obituary for Jack Butler in the September 1944 issue of the Socialist Standard. 
• Nathan Isbitsky: Joined the East London Branch of the SPGB in July 1930. He's briefly mentioned in Barltrop's The Monument, but there is no record of when he left/resigned from the SPGB.
• Sid Rubin: Another member who joined the Party via East London Branch. He joined the Party in July 1931 and was an incredibly prolific speaker and writer through the 1930s and 1940s, until he had to resign his membership in April 1949 as he was moving abroad. As 'George Camden', he wrote the novel 'My Time, My Life'.
• F. Walker joined the SPGB via Southwark Branch in April 1934. He resigned his membership in August 1948 because of the "apathy of the working class".
• Frank Grainger was originally known as 'C. Ginger' in the SPGB. He was originally a member of Tottenham Branch, joining the party in July 1909. Grainger was one of those SPGB members who joined the Party more than once. He originally left the SPGB to join the Herald League during World War One. (See Ken Weller's book). He eventually rejoined the SPGB in the 1930s, and was actually selected as the Party's parliamentary candidate for the East Ham North constituency, which the Party was planning to contest at the probable 1940 General Election. (WW2 intervened.) According to Ken Weller, after he resigned from the SPGB, he later lectured for the Economic League.
• 'Reginald' was the party name of Augustus Snellgrove, a retired headmaster who had originally been an early party member - not a founder member -  and who had resigned over the WB of Upton Park affair. He rejoined the SPGB in 1933, and was an incredibly active speaker and writer. He is mentioned with affection in Barltrop's The Monument, and it's a crying shame that there was no obituary for him in the pages of the Socialist Standard.
• Solomon Goldstein who, by all accounts, was both a brilliant speaker and writer, joined the East London Branch of the SPGB as a teenager in September 1931. He remained a socialist for the rest of his life, though he was not always a member of the Party because of personal circumstances. His obituary appeared in the October 1994 issue of the Socialist Standard.

SPGB Educational Courses and Meetings (1934)

Party News from the October 1934 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Notes:

The blog has fallen victim to an embarrassment of riches . . . for which I will not complain. There are too many meetings, branches and speakers in the Party advert for me to include them all in the label section of the blog.

Special shout out to the anonymous SPGB speaker at the Wood Green Branch Friday night lecture who decided to be listed under the party name of 'A. C. Omrade', Very inventive.

SPGB Meetings (1965)

Party News from the October 1965 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings (1966)

Party News from the November 1966 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings (1933)

Party News from the October 1933 issue of the Socialist Standard

 

Blogger's Notes:

'R. Lord' was Robert Lord, who joined Central Branch of the SPGB in October 1925. His membership lapsed in January 1935.

'A. Goldberg' is not listed in the membership records but there was a David Goldberg, who was a member of Hackney Branch from March until 1925 until he was killed in action during World War Two. Barltrop mentions him in The Monument.

'S. Stewart' was the party name used by Stella Jackson.

There is no listing in the (incomplete) party membership records for a 'D. Russell'.

'G. Cameron' possibly William Cameron.

General Open Air Propaganda (October) (1938)

Party News from the October 1938 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Note:

The SPGB had every intention in contesting a seat in East Ham at the next General Election, but war intervened.

SPGB Meetings (1966)

 Party News from the October 1966 issue of the Socialist Standard

General Open Air Propaganda (1938)

Party News from the July 1938 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings (1933)

Party News from the December 1933 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings (1965)

Party News from the November 1965 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings, Lectures, etc. (1939)

Party News from the July 1939 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings (1939)

Party News from the June 1939 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Notes:

I don't know if I've noted this on the blog before, but by 1939 Clifford Groves had replaced Frank Grainger as the SPGB's parliamentary candidate in East Ham North. But for the outbreak of the war, there would have been a General Election in 1940 and the first SPGB parliamentary fight would have been in the East End of London. 

Fast forward five years, Groves was still the first SPGB parliamentary candidate but it was now contesting a seat in the west side of London. Groves contested Paddington North at the 1945 General Election. With regards to Frank Grainger - also known as Frank Ginger - according to Ken Weller in Don't Be A Soldier, he ended up as a lecturer for the Economic League. I'd be curious to know the time lag between him stepping down as the SPGB's parliamentary candidate, and when he joined the Economic League. There is no record of when he left the SPGB. I do know that he 'rejoined' the SPGB in 1932 via West Ham branch, and had previously been a member of the CPGB and the IWW. 

Other things of note from the meetings and lectures list:

• 'Robertus' was the party name of Robert Reynolds. By 1940 he had resigned from the party because of its position on the war.
• 'Reginald' was the party name of Augustus Snellgrove, a retired headmaster who had originally been an early party member - not a founder member -  and who had resigned over the WB of Upton Park affair. He rejoined the SPGB in 1933, and was an incredibly active speaker and writer. He is mentioned with affection in Barltrop's The Monument, and it's a crying shame that there was no obituary for him in the pages of the Socialist Standard.

SPGB Meetings (1948)

Party News from the April 1948 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings (1932)

Party News from the December 1932 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings (1966)

Party News from the September 1966 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Notes:

The January 1967 issue of the Socialist Standard carried a brief report by the SPGB's Propaganda Committee about the Seven Days for Socialism campaign. 

There was a write up of Anne Young's talk, 'My American Journey', in the Hackney Gazette.

There was a write up of Solomon Goldstein's talk, 'The Economics of Capitalism', in the Hackney Gazette.

General Open Air Propaganda, August. (1938)

Party News from the August 1938 issue of the Socialist Standard