Mick Jenkins collection

Papers of Mick Jenkins, including his work with the Communist Party of Great Britain, work on his autobiography, research material for his publications, activities relating to the Spanish Civil War, election work, activities with other organisations, general correspondence, notebooks and other papers

Series 1: Communist Party of Great Britain;
Series 2: Biographical material;
Series 3: Publications;
Series 4: Other activities;
Series 5: Other papers

Open for consultation.

Mick Jenkins was in 1904 in Cheetham, Manchester. He joined the Young Communist League (YCL) in 1924 and by 1939 he was Manchester District Organiser of the Communist Party. In that capacity, he played a major part in organising support for the International Brigades volunteers and their families, as well as the Aid for Spain campaign. During the Second World War, he worked with David Ainley at the Fairey Aviation factory in Stockport, where they established a Communist Party branch of over 300 members. The Fairey shop stewards were a key part of the campaign to open up a second front in Europe. After the war, Jenkins moved to the East Midlands to become the Communist Party's District Secretary there. In retirement, he wrote The General Strike of 1842, along with a number of biographical pamphlets, including one on Frederick Engels in Manchester and another on George Brown, a Communist political commissar who was killed in Spain; other subjects included Albert Matthew, a Rochdale activist and Les Ellis of Hucknall, Notts. He wrote many articles on the pre-war activities of the YCL and an unpublished memoir which forms part of this collection. Mick Jenkins died on January 8th 1992.