Idris Cox (15 July 1899 – 25 June 1989) was a Welsh communist activist and

newspaper editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

. Born in

Maesteg Maesteg is a town and community (Wales), community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English ...

, Cox grew up in Cwmfelin, where he worked in a

coal mine Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

from a young age.Swansea University: Idris Cox collection
, Archives Wales His family was highly religious, and he attended chapel three times each Sunday, but he lost interest in religion after becoming active in the

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

movement, and was involved in the South Wales miners' strike of 1915. He was elected to the Management Committee of the Garth Miners' Institute at the age of 18 and, in 1920, he became the lodge's delegate to coalfield conferences. Becoming interested in Marxism, he served as Chairman of the local miners' lodge during the 1921 lockout. In 1923, the

South Wales Miners' Federation The South Wales Miners' Federation (SWMF), nicknamed "The Fed", was a trade union for coal miners in South Wales. It survives as the South Wales Area of the National Union of Mineworkers. Forerunners The Amalgamated Association of Miners (AA ...

granted Cox a scholarship, enabling him to study at the

Central Labour College The Central Labour College, also known as The Labour College, was a British higher education institution supported by trade unions. It functioned from 1909 to 1929. It was established on the basis of independent working class education. The colle ...

in London and, after the 1924 general election, he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). He returned to Wales in 1925, but was unable to find work, other than a short spell as a deputy checkweighman. Instead, he founded a

National Unemployed Workers' Movement The National Unemployed Workers' Movement was a British organisation set up in 1921 by members of the Communist Party of Great Britain. It aimed to draw attention to the plight of unemployed workers during the post First World War slump, the 1926 G ...

branch in Maesteg, and continued his communist activity there. By 1926, Cox was an Area Organiser for the CPGB in

Mid Glamorgan , Government= Mid Glamorgan County Council , Status= Non-metropolitan county (1974–1996) Preserved county (1996–) , Start= 1974 , End= 1996 , Arms= ''Coat of arms of Mid ...

. However, he was also active in the Labour Party, and became vice-chairman of its Maesteg branch in 1927. He continued his rise in the CPGB, becoming District Secretary that year, and was co-opted to its National Executive in 1928, attending the Sixth Congress of the

Communist International The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to "struggle by ...

that year.Cox Idris
, Compendium of Communist Biography Cox returned to London in 1929 to join the CPGB's political bureau. He also worked as a correspondent for the '' Workers' Weekly'', and soon became National Organiser of the party. He married Dora Roberts (1904–2000) in 1931. In 1935, Cox became editor of the replacement party newspaper, the ''

Daily Worker The ''Daily Worker'' was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, attempts were ...

''. Shortly after, he returned to Wales, as Secretary of the Welsh District of the CPGB. He served in this role until 1951, and stood unsuccessfully for the party in Rhondda East at the 1951 general election.''The Times House of Commons (1951)'', p.176 Later that year, Cox became Secretary of the International Department of the CPGB, and was heavily involved in the

Movement for Colonial Freedom Liberation (founded as the Movement for Colonial Freedom) is a political civil rights advocacy group founded in the United Kingdom in 1954. It had the support of many MPs, including Harold Wilson, Barbara Castle and Tony Benn, and celebrities such ...

. He retired in 1970, and wrote his autobiography, ''Story of a Welsh Rebel''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Idris 1899 births 1989 deaths Communist Party of Great Britain members People from Maesteg Welsh communists Welsh miners Welsh newspaper editors