by Lawrence Daly, Secretary of the Scottish National Union of
Mineworkers.
On Saturday the 2lst August, the town of Paisley, came to a halt as tens of thousands lined the streets to pay their last respects to the veteran Communist leader Willie Gallacher. The coffin wa, followed by over 5000 mourners, including workers from all over Britain and representatives of foreign Communist parties. The vast, silent crowds = who had renpeatcdly rejecte’ the Communist Party at the ball t box - were expressing their deep personal regard for the Clycesice pione.r, who had become a legenc in his own lifetime.
Strike leader on the "Red" Clyde, propagandist for the Social Denocratic Federation, defender of the Russian Revolution, a founder of the British Communist Party, a frequent guest in H.M.Prisons, fiery member of Parliament for west Fife - he was remembered for his impassioned oratory, his courage and tenacity, his pauky wit, and his irrepressible good humour. Coming to politics from the Temrerance movement, he retaining throughout his life a-strong aversion to alcohol and a fondness for quoting the Bible. He loved poetry,particularly Shelley, and was hinself a bit of a versifier, with a good comic strain. From 1935 to 1950 he save sterling service to the people of his Parliamentary constituency and to many beyond it. Losing his seat in 1950, at the heisht of the Cold War, he still retainec a substantial personal following.
A plea for the Soviet Brides, a word of doubtabout the East European "trials", a sympathetic ear for the Yugolsav Comnunists: these night have stoppec the rot an? even the support of those workers who could not tolerate the C.P.'s voluntary mental servitude to Moscow. But Gallacher saw the Soviet Union as the bastion of “he international working class, exhaustvd by the grin struggle against German fascism, now menaced by an atomic-armed U.S. imperialisn. Criticism could only help the enemy. So he could neither understand nor forgive those who left the Party he had worked so hard to create. But throughout his 83 years he fought like a lion for what he believed to be right. ‘ith his passing the British left loses one of its last links with the pre-1914 movement, an¢ one of its most colourful an¢@ loveable personalities.