Guy Alfred Aldred (often Guy A. Aldred; 5 November 1886 – 16 October 1963) was a British anarcho-communist and a prominent member of the

Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation The Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation (APCF) was a communist group in the United Kingdom. It was founded by the group around Guy Aldred's ''Spur'' newspaper – mostly former Communist League members – in 1921. They included John McGover ...

(APCF). He founded the Bakunin Press publishing house and edited five

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

-based anarchist periodicals: ''The Herald of Revolt'', ''The Spur'', ''The Commune'', ''The Council'', and ''The Word'', where he worked closely with

Ethel MacDonald Camelia Ethel MacDonald (24 February 1909 – 1 December 1960) was a Glasgow-based Scottish anarchist, activist, and 1937, Spanish Civil War broadcaster on pro-Republican, anti-Fascist Barcelona radio. Early years Camelia Ethel McDonald wa ...

and his later partner

Jenny Patrick Jane Hamilton Patrick, born Jenny Hamilton Patrick (1884–1971), was a Scottish anarchist of some standing, and played a crucial role in a number of radical organisations. Patrick was a printer and typesetter by trade. She became active in ...

Early life

Aldred was born in

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The well after which it was named was redisco ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. His father was a 22-year-old lieutenant in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, and his mother was Ada Caroline Holdsworth, a 19-year-old parasol maker. Although Ada was socially unacceptable to the young naval officer, he married her shortly before Guy's birth. After the wedding, he left her at the church to return to his mother. Guy Fawkes night, 5 November, gave Guy his forename. Guy was brought up in the home of Ada's father, Charles Holdsworth, a

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

. He attended the Iron Infant's School in

Farringdon Road Farringdon Road is a road in Clerkenwell, London. Route Farringdon Road is part of the A201 route connecting King's Cross to Elephant and Castle. It goes southeast from King's Cross, crossing Rosebery Avenue, then turns south, crossing C ...

, later moving to the Hugh Middleton Higher Grade School, where he was presented to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

because he was the youngest pupil. One of his fellow pupils was the son of

Hermann Jung Hermann Jung (1830, St. Imier – 1901, London) was a Swiss watchmaker who was active as a socialist in the International Workingmen's Association IWA. Jung participated in the revolution of 1848/49 in Germany and then emigrated to London. Here ...

, the Swiss watchmaker and one-time activist in the First International. His first adventures in

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

were with the Anti-Nicotine League, the

Band of Hope Hope UK is a United Kingdom Christian charity based in London, England which educates children and young people about drug and alcohol abuse. Local meetings started in 1847 and a formal organisation was established in 1855 with the name The United ...

, and the total abstinence movement, and he remained an abstainer in these respects all his life. His grandfather, an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

, encouraged him to attend the church of St Anne and St Agnes, where he took communion in 1894. However, he soon developed a critical attitude to the church, even though he was close to his cousin, a curate at

Holloway A hollow way is a sunken lane. Holloway may refer to: People *Holloway (surname) *Holloway Halstead Frost (1889–1935), American World War I Navy officer Place names ;United Kingdom *Holloway, London, inner-city district in the London Borough of ...

. At the age of 15 (1902), he was made aware of his London

provincialism Parochialism is the state of mind, whereby one focuses on small sections of an issue rather than considering its wider context. More generally, it consists of being narrow in scope. In that respect, it is a synonym of "provincialism". It may, pa ...

when

Madho Singh II Maharajadhiraja Sawai Madho Singh II (28 August 1862 – 7 September 1922), was the Maharajadhiraja of Jaipur from 1880 until 1922. He was the adopted son of Ram Singh II, Raja of Jaipur. Biography He was born Kaim Singh, the second son of ...

, the

Maharaja of Jaipur Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...

, visited the city. He became fascinated by the newspaper accounts of the Maharaja moving around with his "travelling god": Later that year he gained a reputation as a "Boy Preacher", printing and handing out his own leaflets, which were often received with ridicule and disdain. He found employment as an office boy with the

National Press Agency National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

in Whitefriars House, where he was promoted to sub-editor. Working with an evangelist named McMasters, he co-founded the "Christian Social Mission", opening shortly after his 16th birthday as the ''

Boy Preacher''. His non-conformist approach aroused concern following his first sermon. After contacting Charles Voysey, Guy was eventually granted an audience on 20 December 1902. The 74-year-old well-to-do Voysey was surprised to be confronted with a coarse-dressed 16-year-old working-class boy. After careful preliminaries on the part of Voysey, the meeting lasted three hours. Their friendship was to continue until Voysey's death in 1912. In January 1903 the Reverend George Martin, an Anglican priest, visited Guy with one of his leaflets, asking to meet the ''Holloway Boy Preacher''. Martin worked in London's worst slums, and Guy joined him in his work with London's poorest. His friendship with Martin lasted six years and influenced Guy strongly. He soon gave his last sermon from the pulpit and left the "Christian Social Mission".

Agnosticism

Guy became a speaker at the ''Institute of

Theism Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of a supreme being or deities. In common parlance, or when contrasted with ''deism'', the term often describes the classical conception of God that is found in monotheism (also referred to ...

'', but soon felt it was time to set up his own organisation. In 1904 he founded the ''Theistic Mission'', which met every Sunday. With a considerable, though sometimes boisterous, crowd, Guy was gaining a reputation as a forceful young orator. He was also shifting towards

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

. By August, the meeting banner was changed to read ''The Clerkenwell

Freethought Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other methods ...

Mission''. Meetings often generated extreme hostility. On one occasion the crowd charged the platform, knocking Guy to the ground and beating him. Police intervention put an end to the meeting. Around this time he became interested in ''The

Agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...

Journal'' and became friendly with its editor, "Saladin", a

Scotsman The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded t ...

. It was at the Journal's office that he met another Scotsman, John Morrison Davidson, and Guy became more interested in Scottish affairs.

Indian Sedition Trial, 1907

The Indian Sociologist ''The Indian Sociologist'' was an Indian nationalist journal in the early 20th century. Its subtitle was ''An Organ of Freedom, and Political, Social, and Religious Reform''. The journal was edited by Shyamji Krishnavarma from 1905 to 1914, t ...

'' was an Indian nationalist newspaper edited by

Shyamji Krishnavarma Shyamji Krishna Varma (4 October 1857 – 30 March 1930) was an Indian revolutionary fighter, an Indian patriot, lawyer and journalist who founded the Indian Home Rule Society, India House and ''The Indian Sociologist'' in London. A graduate o ...

. When Krishnavarma left London for Paris, fearing repression by the authorities, the printing of the newspaper was first taken over by Arthur Fletcher Horsley. However, he was arrested and tried for printing the May, June and July issues. (He was tried and sentenced on the same day as Madan Lal Dhingra, who was convicted of the assassination of

Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie (5 October 1848 – 1 July 1909) was a British Indian army officer, and later an official of the British Indian Government. Over a career spanning three decades, Curzon Wyllie rose to be a Lieutenant Colonel in t ...

). At Horseley's prominent trial the Lord Chief Justice,

Lord Alverstone Richard Everard Webster, 1st Viscount Alverstone, (22 December 1842 – 15 December 1915) was a British barrister, politician and judge who served in many high political and judicial offices. Background and education Webster was the second son ...

, indicated that anyone printing that sort of material would be liable for prosecution. Nevertheless, Aldred, as an advocate of the free press, published it, bearing his own name. The police obtained a warrant and seized 396 copies of the issue. At the trial the prosecution was led by the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

, Sir William Robson, at the

Central Criminal Court A Central Criminal Court refers to major legal court responsible for trying crimes within a given jurisdiction. Such courts include: *The name by which the Crown Court is known when it sits in the City of London *Central Criminal Court of England ...

. Robson highlighted parts of ''TIS'' which Aldred had himself written, particularly focussing on a passage which touched on the execution of Dhingra: Aldred also remarked that the Sepoy Mutiny, or Indian Mutiny, would be described as The Indian War of Independence. Aldred received a sentence of twelve months hard labour. His involvement with ''The Indian Sociologist'' brought him into contact with Har Dayal, who combined anarchism with his

Indian Nationalism Indian nationalism is an instance of territorial nationalism, which is inclusive of all of the people of India, despite their diverse ethnic, linguistic and religious backgrounds. Indian nationalism can trace roots to pre-colonial India, b ...

, based on his view of ancient

Aryan Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ' ...

culture and

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

Socialism and anarchism

Aldred joined the

Social Democratic Federation The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on 7 June 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury, James Con ...

, but left in 1906. He was a political

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and also a founder of the Glasgow

Anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

Group. He initiated the Communist Propaganda Groups, in support of the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

, which subsequently became a component of the

Communist League The Communist League (German: ''Bund der Kommunisten)'' was an international political party established on 1 June 1847 in London, England. The organisation was formed through the merger of the League of the Just, headed by Karl Schapper, and the ...

in 1919. Following its collapse, he founded the

(APCF) in 1921, and gradually moved towards opposing the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. His links with

left communist Left communism, or the communist left, is a position held by the left wing of communism, which criticises the political ideas and practices espoused by Marxist–Leninists and social democrats. Left communists assert positions which they rega ...

s across Europe brought him close to council communism. In 1932 he split with the APCF and later founded the Workers Open Forum, which eventually became the

United Socialist Movement The United Socialist Movement (USM) was an anarcho-communist political organisation based in Glasgow. Founded in 1934 after splitting from the Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation, the USM initially aimed to unite revolutionary socialists int ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the USM worked with people from across the political spectrum to oppose military action, in a form of Popular Front, and came to advocate

World Government World government is the concept of a single political authority with jurisdiction over all humanity. It is conceived in a variety of forms, from tyrannical to democratic, which reflects its wide array of proponents and detractors. A world gove ...

. After

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

's death, Aldred became increasingly supportive of the Soviet Union.

Free love

Aldred worked closely with his partner

Rose Witcop Rose Lilian Witcop Aldred (9 April 1890 – 4 July 1932) was an anarchist, journalist and pioneer of birth control and sex education. She was born Rachel VitkopskiNicolas Walter, ‘Witcop, Rose Lillian (1890–1932)’, ''Oxford Dictionar ...

(9 April 1890 – 4 July 1932), a pioneer of

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

and sister of Milly Witkop (who was, in turn, partner of anarchist Rudolf Rocker).Nicolas Walter, ‘Witcop, Rose Lillian (1890–1932)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/58610
accessed 4 Sept 2007 Together they published an edition of

Margaret Sanger Margaret Higgins Sanger (born Margaret Louise Higgins; September 14, 1879September 6, 1966), also known as Margaret Sanger Slee, was an American birth control activist, sex educator, writer, and nurse. Sanger popularized the term "birth control ...

's ''Family Limitation'', an action which saw them denounced by a London magistrate for "indiscriminate" publication''The Times'', 11 January 1923, p.7 and, despite expert testimony from a consultant to

Guy's Hospital Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. ...

and evidence at the appeal that the book had only been sold to those aged over twenty-one, the stock was ordered to be

destroyed Destroyed may refer to: * ''Destroyed'' (Sloppy Seconds album), a 1989 album by Sloppy Seconds * ''Destroyed'' (Moby album), a 2011 album by Moby See also * Destruction (disambiguation) Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a ...

.''The Times'', 12 February 1923, p.5 Their case had been strongly supported by

Dora Russell Dora, Countess Russell (née Black; 3 April 1894 – 31 May 1986) was a British author, a feminist and socialist campaigner, and the second wife of the philosopher Bertrand Russell. She was a campaigner for contraception and peace. She worked ...

who, with her husband

Bertrand Russell Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British mathematician, philosopher, logician, and public intellectual. He had a considerable influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, linguistics, ...

and

John Maynard Keynes John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originally trained in ...

, paid the legal costs of the appeal.Russell, Dora, (1975) ''The Tamarisk Tree'' Aldred and Witcop had a son, Annesley, in 1909. Although they were drifting apart by the time Aldred settled permanently in Glasgow in 1922, finally parting in 1924, they had a legal marriage on 2 February 1926, when it seemed possible Witcop might be deported for her continuing work on

family planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marita ...

.Caldwell, John Taylor (1988), Come Dungeons Dark: The Life and Times of Guy Aldred, Glasgow Anarchist, p.211.

Death and legacy

After initially refusing hospital treatment for a heart condition, Guy Aldred died, almost penniless, in the Western Infirmary, Glasgow, on 16 October 1963 aged 76, leaving his body to Glasgow University's Department of

Anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

. His remains were cremated at the Maryhill Crematorium, Glasgow on 4 May 1964.Bob Jones, ‘Aldred, Guy Alfred (1886–1963)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 200
http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/40278
accessed 10 Sept 2007 Aldred's long-time associate and

literary executor The literary estate of a deceased author consists mainly of the copyright and other intellectual property rights of published works, including film, translation rights, original manuscripts of published work, unpublished or partially completed wo ...

John Taylor Caldwell John Taylor Caldwell (14 July 1911 – 12 January 2007) was a Glasgow-born anarchist communist and close associate and biographer of Guy Aldred. He wrote two volumes of autobiography which recount his early life growing up in Belfast, his early ...

, produced a biography ''Come Dungeons Dark: The Life and Times of Guy Aldred, Glasgow Anarchist'' and ensured that Aldred's work was collated and preserved on

microfilm Microforms are scaled-down reproductions of documents, typically either photographic film, films or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the origin ...

. His personal papers were deposited in the Bailie's Library, Glasgow, now held in the Mitchell Library. He was survived by his son, Annesley.

Work

Some of Aldred's pamphlets can be found online as part of th
Jo Labadie Collection
*''The Last Days - War of Peace?'', 1902 *''The Safety of Unbelief'', 1904 *
The Case for Anarchism
', 1906 *''The Possibility and Philosophy of Anarchist Communism'', 1906 *
Logics and Economics of the Class Struggle
', 1907 *''Open Letter to a Constitutional Imbecile'', 1907 *''The Basis and Exodus of Bourgeois Sectarianism'', 1907 *''Sex Oppression'', 1907 *''Anarchism, Socialism and Social Revolution'', 1908 *''From Anglican Boy-Preacher to Anarchist Socialist Impossibilist'', 1908 *
Representation and the State
', 1910 *
Trade Unionism and the Class War
', 1911 *
Richard Carlile: His Battle for the Free Press: How Defiance Created Government Terrorism
' , The Bukunin Press, 1912 (The Revolt Library, No. 2)
''Bakunin's Writings'' (ed)
1913 *
Socialism and Marriage
' *
The Socialism and Anti-Parliamentarism of William Morris
', 1915 *
Michael Bakunin, Communist
', 1920 *''Communism and Religion'', 1920 *
Socialism and Parliament
', 1924 *''Socialism and Parliament Part I: The Burning Question of Today'' (revised edition, 1928) *''Socialism and Parliament Part II: Government by Labour'', 1928 *''At Grips with War'', 1929 *''John Maclean'', 1932 *''Life of Bakunin (Revised Edition)'', 1933 *''Towards Social Revolution?: Whither the ILP?'', 1934 *''Socialism and the Pope'', 1934 *''For Communism'', 1935 *''Against Terrorism in the Workers' Struggle'', 1938 *''The Rebel and his Disciples'', 1940 *''Historical and Traditional Christianity'' 1940 *''Studies in Communism'', 1940 *
Bakunin
', 1940 *
Dogmas Discarded
', 1940 *
Pioneers of Anti-Parliamentarianism
', 1940 *''Why Jesus Wept'', 1940 *''The Conscientious Objector, The Tribunal and After'', 1940 *
Communism: The Story of the Communist Party
', 1943 *''Convict 9653 - Eugene Debs'', 1942 *''A Call to Manhood: 26 Essays'', 1944 *''Sown in Dishonour'', 1945 *''Peace Now and Forever'', 1945 *''Rex v. Aldred - Report of Trials for Sedition, 1909 and 1912'', 1948 *''No Traitors' Gait! - The Life and Times of Guy A. Aldred'', (Issued in 19 parts between December 1955 and June 1963), ''unfinished''. *
Two Nations
', 1963

References

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

*, articles from the pages of Solidarity, the paper of the Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation

BBC World Service radio programme broadcast 1989
"Guy Aldred: Rebel With a Cause"
Ruth Kinna,
Berfrois
', 30 September 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Aldred, Guy 1886 births 1963 deaths People from Clerkenwell English agnostics Former Anglicans English anarchists Free speech activists Freethought writers Social Democratic Federation members British conscientious objectors British anti-war activists Anarcho-communists People associated with Glasgow Anarchism in Scotland