Ernest William Darling papers, 1917-1960

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Summary

Creators:
Darling, Ernest William, 1905-
Abstract:
Writings, correspondence, memoranda, reports, pamphlets, leaflets, and clippings, relating to the communist movement, political conditions, labor, and housing in Great Britain.
Extent:
9 manuscript boxes (3.7 Linear Feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Ernest William Darling Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

Acquired in 1947, with an increment added in 1981, the Ernest William Darling papers in the Hoover Institution Library & Archives comprise a small but interesting collection of primary documents and printed matter, most of which pertain to the history of the Communist Party of Great Britain in the 1930s and 1940s. As such, these materials offer a glimpse into the organizational life of the party at a number of levels, from the central committee down to the local branch level, and they record both public campaigns and internal party debates during a period extending from the Depression through the end of World War II.

Born into a working class family, Darling became politically involved at an early age, and his activism subsequently included roles as a trade union delegate, tenants' rights campaigner, and party militant. Materials relating to each of these activities are organized within separate files in the collection (see COMMUNIST PARTY OF GREAT BRITAIN ORGANIZATIONAL FILE, HAMPSTEAD TENANTS' DEFENCE LEAGUE FILE, and PHILCO SHOP STEWARDS FILE).

While never a party theorist, Darling did write on a number of topics, with a special emphasis on issues of employment and housing (see SPEECHES AND WRITINGS series). A significant exchange of letters with the British Communist leader, Harry Pollitt, can be found in the CORRESPONDENCE series, and these letters enumerate the reasons that led Darling to leave the party in 1946. The PRINTED MATTER series contains a large number of pamphlets issued by the Communist Party of Great Britain, covering a wide variety of issues ranging from London municipal elections to international politics.

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
1905
Born, London, England
1919
Leaves school and starts working in a booksellers warehouse
1921
Joins trade union
1926
Participates in British General Strike and edits a strike bulletin
1931-1936
Works on the staff of the New Fabian Research Bureau
1932-1946
Active in the Communist Party of Great Britain as militant, branch secretary, and contributor to party publications
1937-1939
Secretary to Legal Bureau, Hampstead Tenants' Defence League
1939-1940
Works for British civil defense program
1942-1943
Shop steward, Philco factory, London
1946
Leaves Communist Party
Acquisition information:
Acquired.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Ernest William Darling Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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