Mick Jenkins collection

This material is held atWorking Class Movement Library

  • Reference
    • GB 1008 PP/JENKINSM
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1925 - 1992
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
    • English
  • Physical Description
    • 15 boxes

Scope and Content

Papers of Mick Jenkins, including his work with the Communist Party of Great Britain, work on his autobiography, research material for his publications, activities relating to the Spanish Civil War, election work, activities with other organisations, general correspondence, notebooks and other papers

Administrative / Biographical History

Mick Jenkins was in 1904 in Cheetham, Manchester. He joined the Young Communist League (YCL) in 1924 and by 1939 he was Manchester District Organiser of the Communist Party. In that capacity, he played a major part in organising support for the International Brigades volunteers and their families, as well as the Aid for Spain campaign.
During the Second World War, he worked with David Ainley at the Fairey Aviation factory in Stockport, where they established a Communist Party branch of over 300 members. The Fairey shop stewards were a key part of the campaign to open up a second front in Europe. After the war, Jenkins moved to the East Midlands to become the Communist Party's District Secretary there.
In retirement, he wrote The General Strike of 1842 , along with a number of biographical pamphlets, including one on Frederick Engels in Manchester and another on George Brown, a Communist political commissar who was killed in Spain; other subjects included Albert Matthew, a Rochdale activist and Les Ellis of Hucknall, Notts. He wrote many articles on the pre-war activities of the YCL and an unpublished memoir which forms part of this collection. Mick Jenkins died on January 8th 1992.

Arrangement

Series 1: Communist Party of Great Britain
Series 2: Biographical material
Series 3: Publications
Series 4: Other activities
Series 5: Other papers

Access Information

Open for consultation.

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Other Finding Aids

The full catalogue is available online on the Working Class Movement Library's Web Site - www.wcml.org.uk/catalogue/adlib-catalogue