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Papers of the Oxford University Labour Club 1939-1940

Provenance

The papers were given to Balliol College Library 28 September 1990 by Mr John Andrew Lawrence Hamilton (Balliol 1938-40, 1946048, Williams Exhibitioner, Domus Exhibitioner).

• i. 21 issues (24 October 1939 to 28 May 1940).
• ii. 2 supplements
• iii. 1 TLS
• iv. 1 Erratum slip

Mr Hamilton has provided background material for the Bulletin in his letters; the first accompanying the donation of the Bulletin (28 September 1990) and the second in reply to a number of questions sent to him by J Armstrong (15 Oct 1990):

1. 28 September 1990.

[this donation comprises] a complete run of the Oxford University Labour Club Bulletin from no.1 (24 October 1939) to no. 21 (28 May 1940), with two occasional publications, ‘Imperialist War’ (about 28 February 1940) and ‘Socialism – How?’ (about30 May 1940). No. 14, for the reason explained therein, was one sheet only. The Bulletin appeared weekly during term through the first academic year of the war: 7 issues in the first term (having got ff to a late start) 8 in the Easter term and only 6 in the last term.

Its first editor was CE Grundy ( New College), nos 1-5, followed by (Sir) Leo Pliatzky (Corpus), nos 6 & 7, and finally AA Wheater (Merton), from no.8 to the end. Contributors included CAR Crosland, PM Williams (his biographer), Roy Jenkins, GDH Cole (President of the OULC) and Christopher Hill – reviewing Isaiah Berlin’s life of Karl Marx in the Home University Library; (Sir) Kenneth Dover contributed film and theatre reviews.

The genesis of this publication was the disappearance at the outbreak of war of ‘Oxford Forward’, until then the OULC’s journal, and its parent ‘University Forward’, the journal of the University Labour Federation. (‘ Isis’ also disappeared at the same time.) The ULF was unusual in that it was affiliated to the Labour Party although it accepted Communist Party members, which would at that time normally have debarred it from affiliation. The result of this was that the outbreak of the war led to a division of opinion within the OULC between those supporting the war, as the Labour Party of course did, and those opposing it as an ‘imperialist wart’ as the Communist Party did from very shortly after the start of the war, following the Comintern line.

The main interest now in this publication is the development of the argument between the two sides, heightened by the Russian attack on Finland at the end of 1939. The ULF held a conference during the Christmas vacation, and the voting for and against the war may be found on p.11 of no.8 – it may surprise a reader of this generation. Though the margin at Oxford was narrower than in other universities, it was those opposed [to] the war who were in the majority; the Cambridge vote (a much larger one in total) was more decisively against the war (roughly 5:3), and the vote in the provincial universities was very heavily against the war (only a very small vote at Durham was at all close). (Why London does not appear I have no idea.)

The result of this conference led about Easter to the disaffiliation of the ULF, and in Oxford to the s cession of those in favour of the war, including the Club’s senior officers, GDH Cole and GEF Chilver, to form a new Democratic Socialist Club – the first time, perhaps, that Roy Jenkins was associated with that name – even then it was sometimes reversed, ie Social Democrats. The OU Labour Club thus became in actual fact the OU Communist Club.

By this time, of course, the German invasion of Denmark and Norway had begun, and by the end of term the debacle in the Low Countries and France had changed the picture dramatically. I have no idea what happened later to the left wing clubs in Oxford, r whether the Bulletin found a new editor and a new printer after Ale Wheater and I left to do our National Service. But when I returned to Balliol in 1946,m six years later, I was approached by a student Communist who seemed to think that I would know where the duplicator was!

I still take a modest pride in having kept the publication going for so long and appearing regularly, despite taking examinations every term (‘sections’ of Greats, after a war-time emergency version of Classical Honour Mods), playing rugby and instructing for the University OTC, in which the war left me as the only infantry cadet, and keeping up some social life. It was hard work; only Wheater helped with the typing and supplicating, though we usually got some help with assembling and typing and duplicating, and we had to arrange distribution to the colleges. The very earliest issues were run off on a primitive hand-feed rotary duplicator, but we were able before long to buy a machine with automatic feed, though still very primitive. This was paid for out of the profits; we built up a circulation of almost 500 copies a week, although the undergraduate population of Oxford had been almost exactly halved by the coming of the war – from around 5200 to about 2600, if I remember correctly. Proportionately we achieved a higher circulation than ‘Oxford Forward’ had had. It is not impossible that we may have been the only undergraduate magazine ever to make a profit, let alone one of about 50%!’

2. 15 October 1990.

i. Many of the articles are unsigned (almost all the material relating to India for example) or only initialled. Was there any particular reason for this and do you recall the names of any of these contributors?

‘The main reason for articles going unsigned was that the contributors, particularly Indian students, did not want to get themselves in the authorities’ black books. In this connection it is perhaps permissible for me to say that, when I applied after the war for entry into the Colonial Service, I was told by the then Secretary of State in the Labour government of 1946 that he could hold out no hope of my being appointed to the Colonial Service at any time in the future; I got a similar reply when I applied, about 1954, for appointment as one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools. In the case of the Colonial Service, Lord Lindsay, then Master of Balliol, was in no doubt that it was my political activities in 1939-40 that explained my rejection; he had supported my application, and the Director of Recruitment for the Service at that time was a Balliol man. The only contributor I can recall is the author of ‘What of South Africa?’ , issue 4 – I believe this was AH Bunting, Oriel... You can presumably check with Oriel, or in University lists, and if you can confirm that he was from South Africa I would regard that identification as practically certain. [AH Bunting matriculated 1938, listed as a Rhodes Scholar from Witwatersrand University, South Africa in Oriel Record, January 1939, vol VII no. 8 p.369.]

I think the author of ‘Letter from Poland#’ (issue 2) was an American Rhodes student, but I cannot be more precise.

All editorials from issue 8 on were by the editor, AA Wheater.

‘Bill X’, issue 8, was probably Bill (WJ) Halse, Wadham, though I can’t think why he should have wished to conceal his identity in this place, while revealing it in others.

the ‘Red Marin’ was indeed Biggs-Davidson in his case the reason for anonymity was, of course, that he was a serving officer in HM Forces.’

ii. The pamphlet ‘Socialism – How>’ is unsigned and contains no reference to the OULC. Was this deliberate and if so for what reason? Am I correct in assuming that the pamphlet was written mostly by AA Wheater and distributed in the same way as the bulletin?

‘I am sorry to say that \I can recall practically nothing about the authorship or the circumstances surrounding the publication of ‘Socialism – How?’ I am sure, of course, that I printed it, and this can hardly have been done without the knowledge of the OULC’s Executive Committee – which by then, of course, consisted only of student Communists. possibly the fall of France made them more wary than before of identifying themselves with opposition to the war. Te pamphlet cannot have been issued before 24 May 1940 – a speech by Amery of that date is mentioned on page 1.’

iii. Did the advertisements for The People’s Bookshop help to fund the bulletin or was the advert complimentary?

‘I am practically certain that we were paid by the People’s Bookshop for the advertisements which we printed – I think it was £1 a time. That may not seem much, but our total revenue from sales was, obviously, only some £2 per issue – around 4680 copies at 1 (old) penny!’

iv. In issue 15 *March 5 1940) Irish Murdoch ( Somerville College) is listed as a newly elected member of the Club’s Executive Committee (along with Roy Jenkins of Balliol. I wonder if you remember anything about her involvement with the OULC?

‘I regret to say that I have absolutely no recollection of Irish Murdoch., The Executive Committee elected in March never really functioned; it should have taken office at the start of the summer term, but by then the ULF had been disaffiliated from the Labour Party ad ht e Labour Party members and supporters within the OULC had seceded to form the Democratic Socialist Club. f, as seems probable, IM was one of those who seceded, I would not have met her at the committee’s meetings...

You will probably realise that the outbreak of the war had a much greater effect on the number of men in residence than on the number of women. Men over 20 were called up immediately, with a few exemptions )medical student, etc, and those unfit for military service): no women were. Consequently, the proportion of women among the undergraduate population almost doubled.’

List

All issues printed by JAL Hamilton (from issue 9 the place of publication is give as 22 Beaumont Street [ Oxford]. Issues 1-8, 14 and the pamphlets, ‘Imperialist War’ and ‘Socialism – How?’ do not list the place of publication.)

1. Issue 1. Friday 24 October 1939. 5 pp.

Contents:

• Labour and the War – two points of view by CAR Crosland and Sheila Rogers
• Club Announcements

2. Issue 2. Friday 31 October 1939. 10pp.

Contents:

• Letter from Poland by an Old Labour Club Member
• Exile from Vienna by AFB
• CAR Crosland replies to Sheila Rogers by CAR Crosland
• Another reply from E Chapman to Sheila Rogers by E Chapman
• Unemployment in Oxford extract from Oxford Labour Bulletin
• The Communist View by L Munby
• Club Announcements

3. Issue 3 Wednesday 8 November 1939. 10pp

Contents:

• In the News: 1. Finland. by ‘2501’
• India and the War by l Cooper
• Controversy Continued – another statement by Sheila Rogers, by Sheila Rogers
• Refugees: An Appeal, unsigned
• Provincial Revolt, a poem by JA Shaw
• Film reviews of Valley of the Giants, March of Time, Toby Tortoise Returns and The Gang’s All Here by RK
• Review of The Corn is Green by EWS
• Review of Invitation to Happiness by PS
• Review of The Mikado, unsigned
• Club Announcements
• Advertisement for The People’s Bookshop

4. Issue 4. Wednesday 15 November 1939. 10 pp.

Contents:

• In the News: 2. Holland, by ‘2501
• Art & Politics by Leo Pliatzky
• The Patriotic Don, unsigned
• What of South Africa? unsigned (AH Bunting)
• Film reviews of My Son is a Criminal and Q Planes by RK
• Film reviews of The Amazing Dr Clitterhouse, Duck Soup and Donald’s Lucky Day by PS
• Review of The Man in the Iron Mask and Robert’s Wife by EWS
• Club Announcements
• Advertisement for The People’s Bookshop

5. Issue 5 Wednesday 22 November 1939. 6pp.

Contents:

• The Essentials of Federation by GDH Cole
• Democratic Britain at War, unsigned [Lionel Munby?]
• Mr Pliatzky’s little fallacy by JA Terraine
• Union Debate report by PM Williams on the motion’ In the opinion of this house recent Soviet policy has not been in accordance with Socialist principles.
• India Supplement by ‘an Indian Student’
• The Indian Working Class and the War, unsigned
• The Indian Independence Campaign, unsigned
• Film review of Professor Mamlock, unsigned#
• Club Announcements
• Advertisement for The People’s Bookshop

6. Issue 6 Wednesday 29 November 1939, 6pp.

Contents:

• Where we are agreed by Bill Halse [WJ Halse]
• In the News: 3. Rumania by ‘2501’
• Terraine Stylites: the controversy on art and politics continued, by HS
• the United States and the War
• Christian Socialism – A Dead letter? by WK Blackburn
• Club Announcements
• Advertisements for The People’s Books and for duplicating work [by JAL Hamilton]

7. Issue 7 Wednesday 6 December 1939, 6pp

Contents:

• Russia and Finland. The case for the Soviet Union, by Leo Pliatzky
• Russia and Finland. Socialism betrayed, by Roy Jenkins
• Russia and Finland. Exported Revolution by Tony Crossland [CAR Crosland]
• Our Patience is Exhausted a poem by LC [L. Cooper?]
• Karl Marx, a review by Christopher Hill of I Berlin’s autobiography
• The ULF by CAR Crosland
• Stylites Symposium, unsigned but contains contributions by Arthur Lewis, JA Terraine and L Pliatzky
• Club Announcements
• Advertisement for The People’s Bookshop

8. issue 8, Wednesday 17 January 1940, 6pp.

Contents:

• Prospect and Retrospect, Dangerous Thoughts, The Labour Club in 1940 and Our Allies for Peace and Social Justice – editorial by AA Wheater
• Our Conference by Bill X [perh WJ Halse]
• The Labour Club, the ULF and the Labour Party, unsigned
• The Economic War on the British People by Victor Adams
• Film reviews of Rage of Paris and Crackerjack, unsigned
• Review of the Ballet Rambert, unsigned
• Point of Information [votes for and against the war in the ULF sections before the ULF conference at Liverpool]
• Club Announcements

9. Issue 9. Tuesday 23 January 1940. 6pp.

Contents:

• ULF delegates and the War and Mis-taken Umbrage – editorial by AA Wheater
• Under the Black Gamp by AHB [prob. AH Bunting] and GS
• Finland and the World Struggle by L Munby
• Exported Revolution by Douglas Low
• Union Debate a poem by ADN on the motion’ This house believes that all responsible help should be give to Finland.’
• A Resolution (adopted by the St John’s Labour Club Group)
• Referendum Results on the war and the invasion of Finland
• Film reviews of South Riding and Lightning Conductor by KJD (Kenneth Dover)
• Appeal for help with the Bulletin
• Club and other Announcements
• Advertisement for the People’s Bookshop

10. Issue 10. Tuesday 30 January 1940, 6pp.

Contents:

• The Fate of Homo Studens and Empty Binns? – editorial by AA Wheater
• When all our Fathers worshipped Stocks and Shares by Douglas Low
• June in January: the Conservative Manifesto by Leo Pliatzky and AA Wheater
• The Soviet Invasion of Finland by CAR Crosland and PM Williams
• Union Debate by PM Williams
• One Way to Achieve Unity by W Kay
• The Better Way by Roy Jenkins
• Points from our Correspondence, contributions by Wk Blackburn, L Wilson, John Robinson and DS Hopkins
• List of Speakers available for College groups
• Indian Independence Day, unsigned
• There’ll always be an England... a poem by JA Terraine
• Club Announcements
• Advertisement for The People’s Bookshop

11. Issue 11, Tuesday 6 February 1949, 6pp

Contents:

• We Can Take It and Film Show – editorial by AA Wheater
• A Matter of Policy by John E Birks
• For Peace and Socialism by BC Vickery
• How to achieve real Unity by JDM Bell
• Confusion Worse Confounded by Douglas Low
• China Makes Her Choice by Hugh Clegg
• Class Collaboration No Cure by EV Adams
• Correspondence: contributions by AHB McClatchey, G Wharton and M Shaw
• Review of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, unsigned
• The Appeal of the Term (for the Oxford City Labour Party)
• College Group Announcements
• Club Announcements
• Advertisement for The People’s Bookshop

12. Issue 12 Tuesday 13 February 1940 6pp

Contents:

• The Streit Way to War and Straws in the Wind – editorial by AA Wheater
• Wages in War-Time by GDH Cole
• The War on Education by ‘A Scientist’
• Correspondence: contributions by CAR Crosland, Walter E Padley, Ct Kitching, J Robinson, JB Birks, JW Secker and JA Shaw
• Review of The Cherry Orchard by Kenneth Dover
• Federal Union by Leo Pliatzky
• Sales, a poem by JA Shaw
• Results of a Referendum on the war at Balliol College
• Club Announcements
• Advertisement for The People’s Bookshop

13. Issue 13 Tuesday 20 February 1940 6 pp

Contents:

• Two Blows for Socialism – editorial by AA Wheater
• American Students look at the War by JF Golay
• Line clear for the Profiteer, by PM Williams
• An Inside View of the War by ‘Red Marine’ [Lt John A Biggs-Davison]
• Correspondence: contributions by CC Lucas, KW May, JP Mellors, JDM Bell, G Hudson, PHA Kenyon and CE Grundy
• Policy Meeting Report by AA Wheater
• Results of a Referendum on the war at Trinity College
• Oxford Daily Worker League Meeting, unsigned
• Club Announcements
• Advertisement for ‘The People’s Bookshop.’

14. Pamphlet entitled ‘Imperialist War. Introducing an Exhibition on the Causes of War. Mar 2 nd & 3 rd, Frazer School of Dancing.’ Published Sunday 25 February 1940. 14 pp.

All sections unsigned. p.1: ‘Facts, figures and quotations... have been collected, and, for the most part, arranged by EV Adams (Keble).’ Issue 15 includes a note by JAL Hamilton, ‘I should like to thank very much those members who have helped to produce the Bulletin and Imperialist War, especially PM Williams, AH Bunting and Douglas Lowe.’

Contents

• Preface. What Kind of War?
• Errata
• Section 1. Does Capitalism Mean War?
• Section 2. Causes of the War of 1914-1918
• Section 3. 1914-1918 – What did people fight for?
• Section 4. And Afterwards
• Section 5. Between Two Wars
• Section 6. Preludes to the present War
• Section 7. Appeasement fails: War begins
• Section 8. War Aims
• Section 9. The War on the Home Front
• Section 10. The War and the Colonies
• Section 11. The War and the Students.
• Two prospects
• A Hope for the Future by Leo Pliatzky
• Bibliography

15. Issue 14. Tuesday 27 February 1940. 1p.

Contents:

• A Ghost of our former selves and The Labour Party in its (true) perspective – editorial [? by AA Wheater]
• Castleton, England, 53° 22’ N, 1°40’W, unsigned
• The Power of the Purse, unsigned

16. Issue 15. Tuesday 5 March 1940. 6 pp.

Contents:

• The Decline of Plutocratic Oxford – editorial by AA Wheater
• The Balkans by E Dell
• Fooling the Workers by IJ Harries
• Union Debate (on the motion that ‘This house considers that this country should follow the example of other nations in suppressing the Communists.’)
• EC (executive Committee) Election Results [JAL Hamilton, Roy Jenkins and Iris Murdoch are listed as newly elected members of the committee.]
• Bulletin Policy by JW Saunders
• Reply to JW Saunders by AA Wheater
• The Real Conflict: a statement made by the EC on a speech delivered by Lord Halifax in Oxford
• Political Activity in the past Week, unsigned

17. Issue 16. Monday 22 April 1940. 5 pp.

Contents:

• Shepherd’s Pie editorial [by AA Wheater]
• The ULF states its case – unsigned
• Letter from GEF Chilver and GDH Cole
• ULF or Labour Party? by CAR Crosland, Ian I Durham, G Clifton and Roy Jenkins
• CP Statement, signed by Victor Adams, Edmund Bell, Lionel Munby, Hugh Clegg, Joan Mitchell and Sheila Rogers.
• What the Leeds Conference Means by Patrick Denby
• Club Announcements
• Advertisement for The People’s Bookshop

18. Issue 17. Tuesday 30 April 1940. 6 pp.

Contents:

• May Day 1940 edition [by AA Wheater?]
• Round the world on May Day: May Day in the Third Reich, Berlin, Vienna, Prague, unsigned
• May Day in India, unsigned
• May Day in China, by Hugh Clegg
• May Day in France, unsigned
• Interview with the Dean [Dr Hewlett Johnson], unsigned
• Musings on May Day by Lionel Munby
• Daily Worker League Meeting, unsigned
• Club Announcements [including a notice for a study group on Soviet art organised by Iris Murdoch, Somerville College]
• Advertisements for The People’s Bookshop and for a May Day demonstration organised by the Trades Council.

19. Issue 18. Tuesday 7 May 1940. 5 pp

Contents:

• Freedom is in peril, co-signed by Leo Pliatzky, S Rogers, CAR Crosland and I Durham
• France fights Fascism, unsigned
• Correspondence, contributions by Lt John A Biggs-Davison and John Robinson
• After Norway – What Next? by John E Atkinson and PN Brinson
• The Monopoly Octopus by Mary Beakbane
• What About Hitler? unsigned
• Review of the New Inn Yard exhibition by Ladislaus Krodek
• Review of The Two Bouquets by Kenneth Dover
• Club Announcements
• Advertisements for The People’s Bookshop and an India Exhibition

20. Issue 19. Tuesday 14 May 1940. [5pp.

Contents:

• Labour Nationalised editorial by AA Wheater
• Struggle in India, unsigned
• Loose erratum slip for p.3 of this article
• George Lansbury by Leo Pliatzky
• After Norway What Next? A Criticism by FJ Atkinson
• Soldiers to your places! a poem by LP [Pliatzky?]
• A Reply to Vigilans by Edmund Dell and George Lehmann
• Book review of Paul Frolich’s ‘Rosa Luxembourg’ by LM [prob. Lionel Munby, according to JAL Hamilton]
• Film reviews of ‘This Man in Paris’ and ‘Love from a Stranger’ by Kenneth Dover
• Club Announcements
• Advertisement for a meeting entitled ‘India Today.’

21. Issue 20. Tuesday 21 May 1940. 5 pp.

Contents:

• the Only Way editorial [by AA Wheater]
• The Good Earth by RR Williams
• Union Debate [on the motion that ‘This house has confidence in Mr Churchill’s government’] by E Dell
• Correspondence: contributions buy HA Hetherington and AA Wheater
• To a Tory Politician a poem by EFB
• That’s Democracy – That a! by Hugh Clegg
• Family Allowances by Victor Adams
• Review of #Playhouse Revue’ by JL
• film review of Jamaica Inn by Kenneth Dover
• book review of DN Pritt’s General Illusion, unsigned
• ‘I’m a sporting young peer from the house’ a poem, unsigned.
• Club announcements

22. Issue 21. Tuesday 28 May 1940 5pp.

Contents:

• Ring in the New [a letter by JBS Haldane accepting the position of President of the OULC. The original typed letter (signed by Haldane) was found between pp 2 and 3 of this issue.]
• Life is such fun! unsigned [AA Wheater]
• Food in the War by Charles Smith
• The ULF Summer School by George Lehmann
• Correspondence: contributions by HA Hetherington and JA Terraine
• Union Debate [on the motion ‘With all its faults, we love our House of Peers’] by KMK
• Rural Housing Conditions by RR Williams
• The New Regulations. Socialism or National Socialism. by EV Adams
• Film review ‘Mr Smith goes to Washington’ by KJD (Kenneth Dover)
• Film reviews ‘Topper takes a trip’ and ‘They drive by night’ by JL
• Club Announcements
• Advertisement for ‘The People’s Bookshop’

23 Pamphlet entitled ‘Socialism – How?’ ND [?late May 1940] 6pp. all sections unsigned.

Contents:

• Introduction
• Have We Socialism Now?
• What is the Nature of the War-Time Legislation?
• Reynaudism and Hitlerism – Is there any difference?
• The Prospects of Working Class Rule.
• II. How Socialism was achieved.
• Can we do it this time?
• III. How Socialism can be achieved now.
• Are the German Workers Fighting Hitler?

- James Armstrong,. Modern MSS Assistant, October 1990