Harry Leslie Smith - a proper working class hero
Posted: 28 Nov 2018, 10:47
A former World War Two pilot who grew up in poverty and described himself as the "world's oldest rebel" has died.
The son of RAF veteran and author Harry Leslie Smith tweeted to say his father had died while visiting him in Canada.
Smith, from Barnsley, Yorkshire, was the son of a coal miner. He grew up in poverty after his father became unemployed. His sister Marion died of tuberculosis. Aged seven and with a job as a barrow-boy for a beer bottler in Bradford, Smith was supporting his entire family. His family moved frequently, and he spent time sleeping in workhouses.
The 95-year-old Barnsley-born campaigner and left-wing activist suffered suspected pneumonia while with his son John in Ontario.
He was pro-NHS, anti-Brexit, anti-racism and against austerity. He caused outrage when he said that he no longer wore a poppy as he felt the symbol had been hi-jacked for political reasons.
Describing his motivation, he wrote: “I am one of the last few remaining voices left from a generation of men and women who built a better society for our children and grandchildren out of the horrors of the second world war, as well as the hunger of the Great Depression.
“Sadly, that world my generation helped build on a foundation of decency and fair play is being swept away by neoliberalism and the greed of the 1%, which has brought discord around the globe. Today, the western world stands at its most dangerous juncture since the 1930s.”
Enjoy your rest Harry, you've earned it.
The son of RAF veteran and author Harry Leslie Smith tweeted to say his father had died while visiting him in Canada.
Smith, from Barnsley, Yorkshire, was the son of a coal miner. He grew up in poverty after his father became unemployed. His sister Marion died of tuberculosis. Aged seven and with a job as a barrow-boy for a beer bottler in Bradford, Smith was supporting his entire family. His family moved frequently, and he spent time sleeping in workhouses.
The 95-year-old Barnsley-born campaigner and left-wing activist suffered suspected pneumonia while with his son John in Ontario.
He was pro-NHS, anti-Brexit, anti-racism and against austerity. He caused outrage when he said that he no longer wore a poppy as he felt the symbol had been hi-jacked for political reasons.
Describing his motivation, he wrote: “I am one of the last few remaining voices left from a generation of men and women who built a better society for our children and grandchildren out of the horrors of the second world war, as well as the hunger of the Great Depression.
“Sadly, that world my generation helped build on a foundation of decency and fair play is being swept away by neoliberalism and the greed of the 1%, which has brought discord around the globe. Today, the western world stands at its most dangerous juncture since the 1930s.”
Enjoy your rest Harry, you've earned it.