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

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

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

Stepney Stepney is an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. Stepney is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name was applied to ...

in the East End of London, 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 CPGB ...

(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 op ...

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, f ...

Oswald Mosley Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980), was a British aristocrat and politician who rose to fame during the 1920s and 1930s when he, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, turned to fascism. ...

.Bill Wainwright
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 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 Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

while producing publicity for the CPGB, then after the war led the British-Soviet Friendship Society. He contributed to the '' Morning Star'' 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