Obituary: Bernard Walker (2015)

Obituary from the May 2015 issue of the Socialist Standard

We regret to have to report that comrade Bernard Walker died on 15 March after a ten-year long, lingering illness. He joined the Party in 1948 after having been one of those seduced in their youth by the Communist Party and its support for the war. After the war he met an SPGB member and learned the reasons for the poverty he had seen and experienced on the one hand, and the immense riches of a handful of exploiters on the other. He grew up in Chorley, Lancashire, and moved to London when he joined the Party and there met his future wife, Joyce. They married in 1953 and in 1960 had a son, Anthony. A member of the old Ealing branch he moved to Bournemouth where he was active in the group there,

From his father Bernard inherited a passion for Percy Bysshe Shelley and working class history, which expanded following his introduction to the Party. He imparted to his own son a love of books and the importance of self-education and of not relying on the state for information. He was also skilful at sketching and at arithmetic, but his socialism was the core of his life and his hope for the future. At Twickenham Bernard became a founder member of the Grasshoppers rugby club, which still exists. He was modest and quiet in company and felt deeply about his convictions. He leaves behind and is loved by his son and his wife.

AKW