Obituaries
The 15 deaths marked in these papers, from Guy Ross of the RCP in 1983 to Nigel Lewis of Workers Against Racism in 1992: party members, a Kent miners' leader and a Red Clydesider, republicans, and writers, artists and adversaries. In order of death.
Found by reading the full text of every item, not only the headlines, and the papers' own indexes of The Next Step and Living Marxism; each was then read on the page. Most of the collection is held as whole issues, so each link opens the issue at the scan page. Obituaries the indexes list in issues not held (The Next Step on Kim Philby, 1988, C. L. R. James, 1989, and Claire McGeechan, 1990; Living Marxism on William Golding, 1993) are not linked. Dates of death are from the obituary where it gives one, otherwise from the record. The obituaries of every Red Mole archive are together at archives.redmole.org/obituaries/.
- Guy Ross died 30 May 1983
We regret to inform our readers of the tragic death of Guy Ross The Next Step: No. 37, July 1983, p. 2 · a member of the RCP for two years, active in building the Irish Freedom Movement; killed at 21 in a motorcycle accident - Charles English died early August 1985
Death of an Irish freedom fighter The Next Step: No. 17, 16 August 1985, p. 2 · IRA volunteer, 21, from the Bogside, killed when his rocket launcher blew up; the piece starts from his funeral in Derry - Olof Palme died 28 February 1986
It is not often that the passing of a Western statesman is mourned... The Next Step: No. 10, 7 March 1986, p. 2 · the editorial on the Swedish prime minister's assassination, which a reader's letter in No. 12 calls the paper's obituary - Jack Collins died 8 January 1987
Jack Collins The Next Step: No. 3, 23 January 1987, p. 5 · Kent miners' leader, general secretary of the Kent area - James Baldwin died 1 December 1987
James Baldwin: the fire this time? The Next Step: No. 7, 19 February 1988, p. 14 · on 'Creation for Liberation: a tribute to James Baldwin', Lambeth town hall, 3 February 1988 - Glyn Wriglesworth died 21 January 1988
Glyn Wriglesworth The Next Step: No. 4, 29 January 1988, p. 3 · Kellingley miner from Pontefract, active in the 1984-85 strike; died of heart failure at 27 - Raymond Williams died 26 January 1988
Obituary: Raymond Williams The Next Step: No. 5, 5 February 1988, p. 14 - Harry McShane died 13 April 1988
Harry McShane: no mean fighter The Next Step: No. 15, 22 April 1988, p. 4 · the last of the Red Clydesiders - John 'Paddy' Donovan died August 1988 (buried 22 August)
John 'Paddy' Donovan Irish Freedom: No. 6, November 1988, p. 8 · of Bow, east London: Spanish Civil War volunteer, anti-partitionist, at the founding conference of the Troops Out Movement; signed by the Friends of John 'Paddy' Donovan - C. L. R. James died 31 May 1989
CLR James WAR News: No. 6, August 1989, p. 14 · an interview introduced by the news of his death - Samuel Beckett died 22 December 1989
The appeal of Samuel Beckett Living Marxism: No. 16, February 1990, p. 49 · Alan Harding on the eulogies that followed his death - Fergal Caraher died 30 December 1990
Fergal Caraher Irish Freedom: No. 13, February 1991, p. 2 · Sinn Féin member from South Armagh, 20, shot dead by Royal Marines at a checkpoint in Cullyhanna; the Irish Freedom Movement's tribute - Friedrich Hayek died 23 March 1992
Prophet and loss Living Marxism: No. 43, May 1992, p. 45 · a political obituary of the free-market economist - Francis Bacon died 28 April 1992
Life and death Living Marxism: No. 44, June 1992, p. 40 · Alan Harding on the appeal of Francis Bacon - Nigel Lewis died 15 July 1992
Nigel Lewis Living Marxism: No. 46, August 1992, p. 5 · a member of the RCP's Political Committee and national organiser of Workers Against Racism; died of a brain haemorrhage at 29
Obituary: Nigel Lewis WAR News: No. 12, p. 15 · Workers Against Racism's own obituary of its national organiser