Noreen Branson (16 May 1910 – 25 October 2003) was a British

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

activist, historian, founder of ''Revolt'' newspaper, and a life-long member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). In 1931 she married fellow communist and International Brigadeer,

Clive Branson Clive Ali Chimmo Branson (1907 – 25 February 1944) was an English artist and poet, and an active communist in the 1930s. A number of his paintings are in the Tate Gallery. His wife was Noreen Branson (16 May 1910 – 25 October 2003). Their da ...

, and in 1934 she carried out a mission for

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 1929 to September 1939 and again from 1941 until his death in 1960. Pollitt spent ...

to smuggle funding to Indian communists resisting the British colonial occupation of India. Noreen Branson was most known for her work as a historian, working as a researcher for the

Labour Research Department The Labour Research Department (LRD) is an independent trade union based research organisation, based in London, that provides information to support trade union activity and campaigns. About 2,000 trade union organisations, including 51 national ...

, collaborating with historians

Eric Hobsbawm Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm (; 9 June 1917 – 1 October 2012) was a British historian of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism and nationalism. A life-long Marxist, his socio-political convictions influenced the character of his work. H ...

and Roger Simon, and writing the 3rd and 4th volumes of the CPGB's official history.

Early life

Branson was born on 16 May 1910 in London, her father was colonel Alfred Browne and her paternal grandfather

Henry Browne, 5th Marquess of Sligo Henry Ulick Browne, 5th Marquess of Sligo (14 March 1831 – 24 February 1913), styled Lord Henry Browne until 1903, was an Irish peer. Browne was the fourth son of Howe Browne, 2nd Marquess of Sligo, and Lady Hester Catherine de Burgh, daught ...

, a UK and Irish peer. Both of Noreen Branson's parents died when she was eight years old. In August 1918, Noreen's mother died from

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

, and eleven days later Noreen's father was killed in combat in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The experience of losing her parents sparked her life-long interest in anti-imperialist and anti-war politics. After losing both her parents, she was raised by her wealthy maternal grandparents in Berkley Square. Her grandparents raised her with

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

and

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

ic values, and presented her as a

debutante A debutante, also spelled débutante, ( ; from french: débutante , "female beginner") or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and, as a new adult, is presented to society at a formal " ...

in court in 1928. Despite being indoctrinated with upper class values, she would seek out socialist groups due to her anti-war beliefs.

Husband and daughter

Noreen Branson joined

The Bach Choir The Bach Choir is a large independent musical organisation founded in London, England in 1876 to give the first performance of J. S. Bach's ''Mass in B minor'' in Britain. The choir has around 240 active members. Directed by David Hill MBE (Yal ...

in 1929, and in 1931 at the age of 20 took part in a Charity Concert at the Scarlet Theatre in east

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 ...

. During this event she met the painter and poet

, and agreed to marry him within days of first meeting him. Noreen Branson married Clive Branson in June 1931, and two years later the couple had their only child, the future artist

Rosa Branson Rosa Branson (born 1933) is a British painter and fabric designer, living in Highgate, London. She is the daughter of Clive Branson and Noreen Branson, and a second cousin of Richard Branson. Early life and education Rosa graduated from t ...

. Noreen was at this point in her life not very interested in politics, however her husband Clive held strong socialist beliefs and was a supporter of 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 ...

and

Marxism–Leninism Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology which was the main communist movement throughout the 20th century. Developed by the Bolsheviks, it was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, its satellite states in the Eastern Bloc, and various co ...

. The couple began having more frequent discussions on politics and often lent each other books.

Adult political life

Joining the Communist Party

Wishing to become more politically active and feeling betrayed by Ramsay MacDonald's "defection", both Noreen and Clive Branson 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 Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

in Chelsea in Autumn 1931. The couple began campaigning in the poorest parts of the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

and began distributing a newspaper titled ''Revolt'' which they along with a small group of associates produced. While conducting political work in run-down housing blocks, she became more aware of the poverty which existed under British capitalism, and came face-to-face with issues such as unemployment. These experiences convinced her that capitalism was a failed system, and both she and her husband joined the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) in July 1932 and turned ''Revolt'' into a communist party newspaper. Soon after joining the CPGB, Noreen and her husband moved to

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

where they became icons of the working class community and Noreen became the secretary of the local CPGB branch in 1936.

Anti-fascist and anti-colonial activism

Noreen Branson's talent as a communist party activist was noticed by

who in 1934 dispatched her to

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

to smuggle funding to Indian communists resisting the British colonial occupation of India. In 1935 she attended the 7th World Congress of the Communist International in Moscow and spent several months as a

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

messenger to underground parties in Europe without being caught. Her aristocratic upbringing allowed her to move throughout Europe without arousing suspicion. Noreen Branson and Clive Branson dedicated much of their time to opposing fascism, opposing

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 ...

and his supporters, but also rallying opposition to Hitler, Mussolini and Franco. Noreen then joined the North Battersea Co-operative Women's Guild and represented the organisation on the Aid Spain Committee, established in 1936 by the Battersea Trades Council. In early 1938 Noreen's husband Clive joined the

International Brigades The International Brigades ( es, Brigadas Internacionales) were military units set up by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The organization existed f ...

to fight against Nazi backed nationalist forces in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, however he was captured on the 3rd of April and was kept prisoner for 8 months. Noreen sent Clive and fellow republican prisoners funding to buy cigarettes, as a way of letting the prisoners know that they had not been forgotten. While Clive was being held as a

POW A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

, Noreen began working as a researcher for Harry Poillitt and then for the

where she specialised in welfare and social services. She published her first article in the Labour Research Department magazine in September 1938 and continued to routinely contribute to the magazine for another 65 years. She also edited the magazine for 25 years.

Second World War

Come the beginning of the

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 ...

, Noreen Branson signed up to become an air raid warden. Inspired by her work as an air raid warden, her husband Clive included Noreen's likeness in his painting ''Bombed Women and Searchlights'' (1940) which is currently held by the Tate art museum in London. Noreen's home city of Battersea soon became a key target for German V1 and V2 rockets due to the presence of its close network of railway tracks and power station. While Clive was away on military duty, his and Noreen's home was bombed by the Germans, after which Noreen moved to

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

. In 1944, Noreen's husband Clive Branson was killed in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

by the Japanese when he was hit by an anti-tank shell near Point 315 at the end of the

Battle of the Admin Box The Battle of the Admin Box (sometimes referred to as the Battle of Ngakyedauk or the Battle of Sinzweya) took place on the southern front of the Burma campaign from 5 to 23 February 1944, in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. Japa ...

. After Clive's death, Noreen published his letters, sketches and poems as a book titled ''A British Soldier in India''.

Later life

After the death of

James Klugmann Norman John Klugmann (27 February 1912 – 14 September 1977), generally known as James Klugmann, was a leading British Communist writer and WW2 Soviet Spy, who became the official historian of the Communist Party of Great Britain. Backgroun ...

, Noreen Branson took over the authorship of the official ''History of the Communist Party of Great Britain'', adding volumes for the years 1927–41 and 1945–51.

Death and legacy

Branson died on 25 October 2003. She was survived by her daughter

who was born in 1933 and is a painter.

Works

*''The British State'' (1958) as Katherine Hood, with Roger Simon as James Harvey *''Room At The Bottom: National Insurance in the Welfare State'' (1960) as Katherine Hood *''Britain In The Nineteen Thirties'' (1971) with

Margot Heinemann Margot Claire Heinemann (18 November 1913 – 10 June 1992) was a British Marxist writer, drama scholar, and leading member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). Early life She was born at 89 Priory Road, West Hampstead, London NW ...

*''Britain in the Nineteen Twenties'' (1977) *''Poplarism, 1919–1925: George Lansbury and the Councillors' Revolt'' (1979) *''History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927–1941'' (1985) *''History of the Communist Party in Britain 1941–1951'' (1997)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Branson, Noreen Communist Party of Great Britain members 1910 births 2003 deaths 20th-century British historians British debutantes British women historians Co-operative Women's Guild