William Wainwright (24 November 1908 – 27 October 2000) was a British

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

activist. Wainwright was born in 1908. He grew up in Stepney in the

East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

, and studied chemistry at Chelsea Polytechnic before joining the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

(CPGB). He was an active

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

in the 1930s, protecting communist meetings from attacks and heckling the leader of the

British Union of Fascists The British Union of Fascists (BUF) was a British fascist political party formed in 1932 by Oswald Mosley. Mosley changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists in 1936 and, in 1937, to the British Union. In 1939, fo ...

, Oswald Mosley.Bill Wainwright
, '' The Guardian'', 16 November 2000 In the late 1930s, Wainwright was the national organiser for the Young Communist League and editor of ''Challenge'', its newspaper. He joined the Home Guard during World War II while producing publicity for the CPGB, then after the war led the British Soviet Friendship Society. He contributed to the ''

Morning Star Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to: Astronomy * Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise ** See also Venus in culture * Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...

'' as science editor, and served as Assistant General Secretary of the party from 1956 until 1959. Wainwright retired from the CPGB's executive committee in 1975. In 1985, he was dropped as science editor from the ''Morning Star'' amid factional struggles, but was reinstated after protests.William Wainwright papers
, Communist Party of Great Britain Archive He remained a member of the CPGB until its dissolution, which he opposed, and joined its successor, Democratic Left. Wainwright died on 27 October 2000, aged 91.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wainwright, Bill 1908 births 2000 deaths Alumni of King's College London Communist Party of Great Britain members People from Stepney