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Title: Ernest William Darling papers
Date (inclusive): 1917-1960
Collection Number: 47007
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
9 manuscript boxes
(3.7 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Writings, correspondence, memoranda, reports, pamphlets, leaflets, and clippings, relating to the communist movement, political
conditions, labor, and housing in Great Britain.
Creator:
Darling, Ernest William, 1905-
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
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.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquired.
[Identification of item], Ernest William Darling Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
| 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 |
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.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 20th century
Communism -- Great Britain
Housing -- Great Britain
Labor unions -- Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain