Communist Party of Great Britain Biographical Project - Martin Ashworth
TitleCommunist Party of Great Britain Biographical Project - Martin Ashworth
ReferenceTAPE/597
Date
06/12/1999
Scope and ContentThis is a copy of a tape held by the British Library, in their Sound Archives, as part of their CPGB Biographical Project.
Details about the tape may be obtained from the British Library web site.
These tapes are quite difficult to hear in places.
Martin Ashworth was born in August 1925, in Crossgates, Leeds.
Quite a lot of family history – mother’s family were miners / farmers. from Grassington. Paternal grandfather worked on boats – was a founder member of T&G. Had a contract to supply coal to municipal power station, and continued to do this during the 1926 Strike.
Martin’s parents both worked for the Post Office but his mother had to leave when she got married. They were very interested in ideas and the arts and attended evening classes, and took Martin to a meeting to support the people of the Spanish Republic, although they were not in any political party.
Martin’s father died in 1939, and his mother was left with two small children and a very small pension. She campaigned to get work for women, using the example of the Suffragettes. She and several others eventually gained employment with the newly-established Ministry of Food.
Martin was evacuated to Ripon just before the War for a short time, but returned to Leeds and to studying at Leeds Grammar School.
Martin was already interested in politics at that time, and was always a great reader.
He was turned down for the Air Force. Started to work in the chemical laboratory at Kirkstall Forge in 1943. Studied metallurgy and maths at night school, later going to university, where he also studied biology.
Martin joined the Communist Party because he felt the Communist Party was the only one which did anything effective. His mother lost her job as a result.
He did not have any problems in staying in the Communist Party over Hungary. He felt the Communist Party was the only mechanism for changing society, and he was in general happy with the policy of the Party.
Studied Marxism at Leeds University, then started to teach Marxism and the Party’s programme himself. Later on organised Marxism discussion classes all over Leeds.
Martin worked full-time for the Party for a while, and then as a coal miner, recruiting miners to the Communist Party. He had to leave because of ill-health. He worked for a while at a copper works then tried to go back to work as a coal miner, but this was difficult because of his previous C.P. activity. He was finally allowed to work at a particularly dangerous pit but after the first day there he was seriously ill again.
Moved to Sheffield to get work in 1957, and supported the case for C.P. candidates standing in municipal elections. He also organised Party education in Sheffield. He obtained work at the university, but he was made redundant, and received no redundancy pay. That was in 1981, when he was 56 and he had difficulty finding a job. He did training in computers and in mining technology and law etc., which resulted in being offered a job back at the university.
Martin held different positions in his union (ASTMS).
Decided not to continue with the Democratic Left.
There is a Word document which gives a more detailed synopsis.
Details about the tape may be obtained from the British Library web site.
These tapes are quite difficult to hear in places.
Martin Ashworth was born in August 1925, in Crossgates, Leeds.
Quite a lot of family history – mother’s family were miners / farmers. from Grassington. Paternal grandfather worked on boats – was a founder member of T&G. Had a contract to supply coal to municipal power station, and continued to do this during the 1926 Strike.
Martin’s parents both worked for the Post Office but his mother had to leave when she got married. They were very interested in ideas and the arts and attended evening classes, and took Martin to a meeting to support the people of the Spanish Republic, although they were not in any political party.
Martin’s father died in 1939, and his mother was left with two small children and a very small pension. She campaigned to get work for women, using the example of the Suffragettes. She and several others eventually gained employment with the newly-established Ministry of Food.
Martin was evacuated to Ripon just before the War for a short time, but returned to Leeds and to studying at Leeds Grammar School.
Martin was already interested in politics at that time, and was always a great reader.
He was turned down for the Air Force. Started to work in the chemical laboratory at Kirkstall Forge in 1943. Studied metallurgy and maths at night school, later going to university, where he also studied biology.
Martin joined the Communist Party because he felt the Communist Party was the only one which did anything effective. His mother lost her job as a result.
He did not have any problems in staying in the Communist Party over Hungary. He felt the Communist Party was the only mechanism for changing society, and he was in general happy with the policy of the Party.
Studied Marxism at Leeds University, then started to teach Marxism and the Party’s programme himself. Later on organised Marxism discussion classes all over Leeds.
Martin worked full-time for the Party for a while, and then as a coal miner, recruiting miners to the Communist Party. He had to leave because of ill-health. He worked for a while at a copper works then tried to go back to work as a coal miner, but this was difficult because of his previous C.P. activity. He was finally allowed to work at a particularly dangerous pit but after the first day there he was seriously ill again.
Moved to Sheffield to get work in 1957, and supported the case for C.P. candidates standing in municipal elections. He also organised Party education in Sheffield. He obtained work at the university, but he was made redundant, and received no redundancy pay. That was in 1981, when he was 56 and he had difficulty finding a job. He did training in computers and in mining technology and law etc., which resulted in being offered a job back at the university.
Martin held different positions in his union (ASTMS).
Decided not to continue with the Democratic Left.
There is a Word document which gives a more detailed synopsis.
Extent2 Cassette tapes
Physical descriptionNWA copy
LanguageEnglish
Archival historyThe Communist Party of Great Britain Biographical Project, part-funded by the Economic and Social Research Council covers the full period of the party's existence (1920-1991) and deals with all aspects of its work including industrial work, educational and cultural activities as well as local and international campaigns. The audio recordings of more than 150 interviews with members and former members of the Communist Party of Great Britain, conducted between October 1999 and September 2001 by a group of historians based at Manchester University have now been deposited in the British Library Sound Archive.
Persons keywordAshworth, Martin, Communist Party of Great Britain, British Library National Sound Archive
SubjectCommunism
Conditions governing accessOpen
Levelfile
Normal locationZ (Room 24)