These articles mark the passing of labour historians, many of whom have played a significant part in the Society for the Study of Labour History.
The Society for the Study of Labour History is sorry to hear of the death of Stephen Bird. Stephen was born in 1946, second son of Michael and Margaret Bird and educated at Harrow School in north-west London. He found his vocation working as an archivist for the Labour Party at Walworth Road, London. He liked to tell people that he was part of the … Continue reading Stephen Arthur Bird (1946 – 2025)
Professor John Shepherd, one of the founders of the Labour History Research Unit at Anglia Ruskin, died last week. John taught History in the 1980s at the institution which became Anglia Ruskin, serving the university in multiple roles and in recent years became Research Fellow at the University of Huddersfield. John did his PhD with Eric Hobsbawm at Birkbeck and went on to become a very … Continue reading Tribute: John Shepherd (1942 – 2024)
The Irish labour movement, and especially its labour history community, is mourning one of its most respected and recognisable figures, Dr Kieran Jack McGinley who died suddenly on 25 November. Throughout his life, Jack, as he was generally known, was a passionate advocate for workers’ rights either through his trade union activism or public campaigns, all the while giving forty-five years of service to Trinity … Continue reading Keiran Jack McGinley (1954 – 2024)
In 2012, Ian Gasse came to live in Dumfries and Galloway, settling in the Kirkcudbrightshire village of Kirkpatrick Durham. Then aged 64, Ian was guided by several impulses, but retirement as we know it was surely not among them. In his new location, Ian found the local bus service facilitated his genius for connection. It was at a bus stop that he first met his … Continue reading Ian Andrew Gasse (1948 – 2024): an appreciation
Sean Creighton, who has died aged 76, was a community activist and independent historian who worked extensively on the working-class history of his native South London, and in particular on Black history in the area, but also made a significant and lasting contribution to the study of labour history in the North East of England. Born in Wandsworth, Sean gained a history degree from the … Continue reading Sean Creighton (1947 – 2024)
Chris Williams, who has died at the age of sixty-one, was one of the foremost historians of Wales and of the labour movement. Well known as the author of Democratic Rhondda: Politics and Society, 1855-1951, he wrote extensively on Robert Owen, the South Wales miners, and on political cartooning and caricature, and was Head of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences at … Continue reading Chris Williams (1963 – 2024)
Family, friends and others who knew and respected Alan Haworth (Lord Haworth) continue to mourn his death on 28 August while on holiday in Iceland. There have been many tributes, including the obituary linked here in the Guardian. I first got to know Alan in the visceral days of 1970s Newham North East Labour Party. It was a difficult time for many people but Alan never lost his … Continue reading Alan Haworth (1948 – 2023)
Dr Robert Fyson who has died aged 83 regarded himself primarily as a local historian, and as he himself said, ‘you are drawn to the area where you live’. True to his word, his best known work dealt with Chartism in the Staffordshire Potteries, where he spent his academic career, and the history of the Isle of Man, where he lived in retirement. Born in … Continue reading Robert Fyson (1940 – 2023)
The death of Willie Thompson will be mourned across the labour history community. He was a visible presence for some sixty years. Although born in Glasgow, he was at heart a Shetlander. A man of the Iles who nevertheless admitted to having a love-hate relationship with them. But he never left them behind, always keeping in touch wherever he was through reading the island’s press. … Continue reading Willie Thompson (1939-2023)
Patrick Renshaw, who has died aged 87, began his academic career with a series of well-received books on trade union and labour history, and went on to teach American Studies at the University of Sheffield for nearly thirty years, turning his hand to significant and enduring works on US labour and political history. Born in West Ham and educated at Wanstead County High School, Renshaw … Continue reading Patrick Renshaw (1936 – 2023)
Society for the Study of Labour History 