RESEARCH
Broom, Alfred (1928-)
Biography
- Born 6th September 1928
- Party activist and Agent
- Labour
Alfred Broom was born in Bethnal Green in London in 1928 and is of Russian Jewish Heritage. His family came to England in 1905 and although his family were ‘intensely religious’ Alfred became an atheist at a fairly young age. During his early childhood, Alfred remembers the overt socialism of his father, and saw his father as a ‘good socialist’. With his father, Alfred went to public meetings and anti-fascist rallies at the height of European conflict around the Second World War. Alfred was evacuated to the North of England during World War Two.
Alfred married Winnifred in 1955 and they had 3 children who are very involved in politics. Alfred worked in the army, and was an active trade unionist as well as working in a London co-operative, before training to become a teacher at 27. Alfred taught at degree level in Reading.
After Winnifred’s death, Alfred later married again, to his second wife Sally. Following his retirement from teaching, Alfred and Sally relocated to Devon and attended local meetings of the Labour party. Alfred became involved in the party’s reorganisation in Devon, and he and Sally were heavily involved in the reorganisation of the Collumpton branch of the Labour party. This was around the time of the general election in 1994, for which Alfred became a Labour party agent. Since then, Alfred has worked on the campaigns of Ben Bradshaw and other local Labour politicians, and sees the great significance of the support of the Labour party in a county which is dominated by Tory support. He cites the importance of local issues in allowing for success in a county which is traditionally so supportive of the Conservatives.
Transcript of clip
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What’s your earliest political memory?
That’s easy, being taken by my Dad to anti-fascist rallies in Bethnal green. The Ridley Road was infamous for the black shirts to propagate. I remember seeing Mosley when I suppose I was seven or eight years of age, when I first saw those things as being involved, as well as reading.So how did you feel about, can you remember being there and what you felt as a young child?
Yes well, Being Jewish, all things that they were doing of course was hating Jews, not that they knew any, it was just what they wanted to do. Then of course the other thing which influenced many, many people was seeing the young Jewish children arriving in London from Germany, the kinder children, they arrived by train or boat. Later, the next lot arrived which were the Spanish refugees, I will remember them coming as well to Hackney to where we lived, from the civil war.
Interview Summary
Date of Recording : 10/03/2014
Name of Interviewer: Maggie Bonfield
(00.00) Introduction. Russia/London Jewish family background. (06.15) Earliest political memories of Antifascist rallies in East End of london; arrival of Kinder transport and Spanish Civil War refugees; 1945 Election, comments on a personal example of pre-NHS. Role model was his Father, who was scarred by a policeman at an Antifascist Rally. Grandparents told of their experience of Anti-semitic Russia (15.15) Education and training to Teach (16.41) Employment in London Co-op Dairy, becoming Shop Steward. (19.20) Joining Royal Engineers, instructing. Started at night school to gain qualifications, "politics more interesting than Shakespeare". (23.19) Teaching "maladjusted" children; Manchester University; Ministry of Health - exploring ways for teachers to help "handicapped" children to read. Set-up a Child Guidance Service in Suffolk; H.E. lecturer at Reading Uni. (26.00) Reading Labour Party Activist; Moved home and became Tiverton and Honiton Agent during reorganisation of Devon. (30.30) Few changes in being an Agent. Selection of Candidates, comments on a "lazy" named example. (42.00)Comments rei Fundraising; the problems of publicity from local media; local Party Demography. (47.30) Memory of Ben Bradshaw's first bid for Parliament, an open meeting in Exeter that was overshadowed by the arrival of Tony Blair. (50.30) Advice given to candidates, the importance of local issues together with personality and knowledge. (55.55) Thriving Exeter political social clubs. (55.55) Comments that the first local Authority Clerk in Devon was Jewish C1300; Examples of Devon County distinctions of class; considers there is a lack of historic socialist role models in Devon; Devon is a distinctly Tory County and ignored by Westminster. Considers his greatest achievement was increasing Labour vote by 1%.
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Listen here to Alfred Broom discussing his earliest political memory - being taken to an anti-fascist rally with his father...