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

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

Stepney Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district 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 appli ...

in the East End of London, and studied chemistry at

Chelsea Polytechnic Chelsea College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London based in London, United Kingdom, and is a leading British art and design institution with an international reputation. It offers further and higher educat ...

before joining the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). He was an active anti-fascist in the 1930s, protecting communist meetings from attacks and heckling the leader of the British Union of Fascists,

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

.Bill Wainwright
, ''

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'', 16 November 2000 In the late 1930s, Wainwright was the national organiser for the

Young Communist League The Young Communist League (YCL) is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name YCL of XXX (name of country) originates from the precedent established by the Communist Youth International. Examples of Y ...

and editor of ''Challenge'', its newspaper. He joined the

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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 opposing ...

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