Shapurji Dorabji Saklatvala (28 March 1874 – 16 January 1936) was a communist militant and British politician of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Parsi The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, w ...

heritage. He was the first person of Indian heritage to become a British Member of Parliament (MP) for the Labour Party and was also among the few members of 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) to serve as an MP.

Early years

Shapurji Saklatvala was born on 28 March 1874 in Bombay (now

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

, the son of a merchant, Dorabji Saklatvala, and his wife Jerbai, a sister of Jamsetji (aka J.N.) Tata, the owner of India's largest commercial and industrial empire.Article by Mike Squires. He was educated at St. Xavier's School in Bombay before moving to St. Xavier's College for his collegiate education.Colin Holmes, "Shapurgi Dorabji Saklatvala," in A. Thomas Lane (ed.), ''Biographical Dictionary of European Labor Leaders: M-Z.'' Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995; p. 835. He worked briefly as an

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

and

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

prospector for Tata successfully unearthing iron ore and coal deposits in the states of

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...

and

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

(previously called Orissa). His health suffered with

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

which led to his moving to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1905Klugmann, ''History of the Communist Party of Great Britain: Volume 1,'' p. 236. to convalesce and run Tata's

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

office. He later joined

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

, although he left before qualifying as a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

Political career

Saklatvala was a committed socialist, and first joined the

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberal Party (UK), Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse work ...

(ILP) in

in 1909. The

Bolshevik Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. It was led by Vladimir L ...

in Russia of November 1917 was an inspiration to Saklatvala, and following the establishment of the

Communist International The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internationa ...

in 1919, he became active in attempting to affiliate the ILP with that new organisation. Saklatvala joined with Emile Burns, R. Palme Dutt, J. Walton Newbold,

Helen Crawfurd Helen Crawfurd ( Jack, later Anderson; 9 November 1877 – 18 April 1954) was a Scottish suffragette, rent strike organiser, Communist activist and politician. Born in Glasgow, she was brought up there and in London. Biography Born Helen Jack ...

, and others as part of an organised faction called the Left Wing Group of the ILP which was dedicated to this effort. When the affiliation drive by Saklatvala and the ILP's left-wing failed in the party's March 1921 national conference, Saklatvala left the organisation with the others in the Left Wing Group to join the new Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). He attended the 2nd Pan-African Congress held in Paris in 1921 as a delegate of the CPGB. In the October 1922 general election, the Communist Party of Great Britain launched its first electoral campaign, putting forward candidates in six constituencies.Klugmann, ''History of the Communist Party of Great Britain: Volume 1,'' p. 188. Saklatvala ran in the Battersea North district of London, one of two Communists to receive the official endorsement of the Labour Party – which was in effect an umbrella organisation which included affiliated political parties like the ILP as well as representatives of various trade unions. Saklatvala won the election in North Battersea, receiving 11,311 votes – topping his nearest rival by more than 2,000 votes. Also elected running as a Communist, without official Labour Party support, was J. Walton Newbold, capturing a

plurality Plurality may refer to: Law and politics * Plurality decision, in a decision by a multi-member court, an opinion held by more judges than any other but not by an overall majority * Plurality (voting), when a candidate or proposition polls more ...

of the vote in

Motherwell Motherwell (, ) is a List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Shires of Scotland, Historically in the p ...

. Saklatvala was accepted into the Labour Party's parliamentary caucus, but while Newbold applied for the same, he was rejected. This did not stop Saklatvala and Newbold from joint activity, however, and the pair attempted to raise the demands of the unemployed and the cause of cheap housing and lower rents whenever possible.Klugmann, ''History of the Communist Party of Great Britain: Volume 1,'' p. 193. Newbold wound up being suspended from the House in May 1923 over his actions concerning

the Curzon ultimatum The Curzon Ultimatum was a British ultimatum delivered by British Foreign Secretary Lord Curzon to the Soviet government on the 8 May 1923. The ultimatum was a response to heightened Soviet revolutionary agitation in Islamic Asia and India, area ...

during the French occupation of the Ruhr. The November 1923 general election saw the CPGB putting forward 9 of its members as candidates, including Shapurji Saklatvala in Battersea North, where he was unanimously adopted as the nominee of the Battersea Labour Party.Klugmann, ''History of the Communist Party of Great Britain: Volume 1,'' p. 242. Although not all the Communist candidates were endorsed by the Labour Party, they all were the recipients of support from local Labour activists. Despite modest gains for Labour in the election overall, the results of the election returned the

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

as the largest party in the House of Commons (although their number of seats fell from 346 to 259).Klugmann, ''History of the Communist Party of Great Britain: Volume 1,'' p. 243. All Communist candidates were defeated in the 1923 election, however, including Saklatvala in Battersea North. The 1924 general election came in the wake of the so-called

Zinoviev letter The Zinoviev letter was a forged document published and sensationalised by the British ''Daily Mail'' newspaper four days before the 1924 United Kingdom general election, which was held on 29 October. The letter purported to be a directive from ...

and saw the Conservatives increase their vote by more than 2 million to win the election.Klugmann, ''History of the Communist Party of Great Britain: Volume 1,'' p. 356. The Labour Party saw a net loss of 42 seats despite contesting more constituencies than ever before. In Battersea North, Saklatvala ran without formal Labour Party endorsement for the first time, but still managed to win the election by a slim margin of 544 votes, the only one of 8 CPGB candidates elected. Saklatvala was arrested during the

1926 General Strike The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 to 12 May 1926. It was called by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British government ...

following a speech he made in support of striking coal miners and was jailed for two months on the charge of sedition. He was active in the

League Against Imperialism The League Against Imperialism and Colonial Oppression (; ) was a transnational anti-imperialist organisation in the interwar period. It has also been referred to as the League of Oppressed People, and the World Anti-Imperialist League, or simp ...

from the time of its formation in 1927. Saklatvala's parliamentary career was effectively ended when he lost his seat in the 1929 general election. He ran again in 1930 in a by-election in Glasgow Shettleston without success and mounted a final losing campaign in the 1931 general election in Battersea. In 1934 he visited the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

to tour the Union's Far Eastern republics, whose governance he compared favourably to that in British India. During that tour, he suffered a heart attack but recovered. During the 1935 general election Saklatvala was active in the electoral campaigns of

Harry Pollitt Harry Pollitt (22 November 1890 – 27 June 1960) was a British communist who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) from July 1929 to September 1939 and again from 1941 until his death in 1960. Pollitt ...

and Willie Gallacher. Saklavata was also a supporter of Irish independence, forming a relationship with

Art O'Brien Art is a diverse range of culture, cultural activity centered around works of art, ''works'' utilizing Creativity, creative or imagination, imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an express ...

and other Sinn Fein political figures based in Britain and Ireland such as Eamon de Valera who saw Indian independence and Irish independence as one and the same.

Personal life

On 14 August 1907 Saklatvala married an English woman, Sarah Elizabeth Marsh (born 1888). She was working as a hotel waitress when he met her while staying at Matlock, Derbyshire. The couple had three sons; Dorab, Beram, and Kaikhoshro (also called Kaiko), and two daughters; Dhunbar and Jevanbai (also known as Candida or Candy and Sehri). He was once censured by the non-religious CPGB for holding a

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...

navjote The Navjote (, ''sedreh-pushi'') ceremony is the ritual through which an individual is inducted into the Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrian religion and begins to wear the sedreh and kushti. The term ''navjote'' is used primarily by the Zoroastrians o ...

initiation ceremony for his children at

Caxton Hall Caxton Hall is a building on the corner of Caxton Street and Palmer Street, in Westminster, London, England. It is a Grade II listed building primarily noted for its historical associations. It hosted many mainstream and fringe political and a ...

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, which he defended on the grounds it was to ensure benefit from a Tata family trust fund. His son Kaikhoshro served with the British

Air Transport Auxiliary The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a British civilian organisation set up at the start of the Second World War with headquarters at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire. The ATA ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between fac ...

organisation in

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 ...

as a pilot (Second Officer)."Indian/Ceylon (Sri Lanka) Pilots in ATA (from Brief Glory)"
RAF Commands. He flew most frontline aircraft, including Mosquitos, Spitfires and Lancasters.

Death and legacy

Saklatvala died, from another heart attack, on 16 January 1936 at his London home, 2 St Albans Villas, St Albans Road. He was 61 years old at the time of his death and was cremated at

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and is one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £136,000 in 2021), ...

. His remains were later buried on 21 January in the tomb of his mother at the Parsi burial ground in

Brookwood Cemetery Brookwood Cemetery, also known as the London Necropolis, is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. The cemetery is listed a Grade I site in the Regist ...

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...

.The ''ODNB'' does not mention the cremation. In January 1937, British, Irish and Dominion volunteers in the

International Brigades The International Brigades () were soldiers recruited and organized by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front (Spain), Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The International Bri ...

were formed into an English-speaking battalion, that was formally named after Saklatvala. However, the name never caught on, and it was normally known as the "

British Battalion The British Battalion (1936–1938; officially the Shapurji Saklatvala, Saklatvala Battalion) was the 16th (from November 1937 the 57th) battalion of the XV International Brigade, one of the mixed brigades of the International Brigades, during t ...

". The Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist–Leninist)'s hall is named after Shapurji Saklatvala. Saklatvala Hall is located in

Southall Southall () is a large suburban town in West London, England, part of the London Borough of Ealing and is one of its seven major towns. It is situated west of Charing Cross and had a population of 69,857 as of 2011. It is generally divided ...

, London. The hall is used for CPGB-ML's meetings and celebrations.

Works

* ''The Empire Labour.'' 1919. * ''For British Trade Unionists and British Indian Labour: Two Articles on British Capital and Indian Labour.'' Manchester: National Labour Press, n.d. 920 * ''India in the Labour World.'' London: Labour Publishing Co. for the Workers' Welfare League of India, n.d. . 1921 * ''Saklatwala on India.'' Lahore: G.L. Puri, 1923. * ''The Class Struggle in Parliament: On Communism, Egyptian Indemnity, the Supplementary Reserve, the Prince's Tour, the Air Force.'' London: S. Saklatvala, n.d. . 1925 * ''British Imperialism in India: Speech Delivered in the House of Commons, 9 July 1925.'' Chicago: Daily Worker Publishing Co., n.d.

925 Year 925 ( CMXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By date January – June * January 5 – Gabellus becomes the first abbot of the monsastery of San Martín de Albelda in the Spanish kingdom ...

* ''Is India Different? The Class Struggle in India: Correspondence on the Indian Labour Movement and Modern Conditions.'' With Mahatma Gandhi. London: Communist Party of Great Britain, 1927. * ''Socialism and "Labouralism": A Speech in the House of Commons.'' London: Communist Party of Great Britain, 1928. * '' With the Communist Party in Parliament: Exposure of Parliamentary Hypocrisy: Saklatvala's Great Speech on King's Address, 7 November 1928.'' London: Communist Party of Great Britain, n.d. . 1928

Footnotes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saklatvala, Shapurji 1874 births 1936 deaths British communists Emigrants from British India to the United Kingdom British people of Parsi descent British Zoroastrians Burials at Brookwood Cemetery Communist Party of Great Britain members Communist Party of Great Britain MPs English people of Indian descent English people of Parsi descent Indian communists Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Parsi activists Parsi people from Mumbai Politicians from Mumbai UK MPs 1924–1929 Parsi politicians Far-left politicians in the United Kingdom