Inventory Acc.11479 John Gollan

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Inventory Acc.11479 John Gollan Inventory Acc.11479 John Gollan National Library of Scotland Manuscripts Division George IV Bridge Edinburgh EH1 1EW Tel: 0131-466 2812 Fax: 0131-466 2811 E-mail: manuscripts@nls.uk © Trustees of the National Library of Scotland Various drafts of an unpublished biography, ca. 1990, of John Gollan (1911-77) by Margot Kettle (d.1995). Born in Edinburgh (as was his biographer), Gollan was involved in socialist and Communist Party activity in the city from an early age, going on to be successively editor of the Young Communist Leagues’s newspaper Challenge and General Secretary of the League, Secretary of the North East England and Scottish Committees of the Communist Party of Great Britain, Assistant General Secretary, National Organiser and General Secretary of the C.P.G.B. From 1949 to 1954 he was assistant editor of the Daily Worker. The computer-generated print-outs, with many corrections, amendments and additions inserted into the various texts by Mrs Kettle, give a very detailed narrative of Gollan’s career from his years in Edinburgh to 1960. Also received with these drafts were the original discs from which the text was printed, and audio-tapes of interviews with political and personal friends and family. Deposited, 1997, by Martin Kettle Esq., St. Albans (son of the author, and copyright- holder). 1. First drafts, parts 1 (‘Origins’) and 2 (‘The Thirties’), consisting of the following chapters: (i) ‘Origins’ [Part 1]. (ii) ‘The Young Communist League’. (iii) ‘Other Youth Organistaions’. (iv) ‘Charters for Youth’. (v) ‘The Spanish War’. (vi) ‘Peace and Defence’. 2. First draft, parts 3 (2nd World War period), 4 (1946-56) and 5 (1956 crisis to 1960). (i) Part 3: ‘War Years’. (ii) ‘Family and Friends’. (iii) ‘Labour Government and Labour Party’. (iv) ‘Britain’, ie. relating to The British Road to Socialism. (v) ‘International Matters’. (vi) ‘The Communist Party’. (vii) ‘Crisis in the Party’. (viii) ‘The Communist Party, 1958-1960’. 3. Second draft, Copy 1, part 1 and some of part 2: (i) ‘Origins’. (ii) ‘The Thirties: Young Communist League (1)’. (iii) ‘The Thirties: Other Youth Organisations’. (iv) ‘The Thirties: Youth Charetr/Charters for Youth’ [3 drafts]. 4. In continuation with 3, above: (i) ‘The Thirties: The Spanish War’ [2 drafts]. (ii) ‘The Thirties: Defence and Peace [3 drafts]. 5. [Part 3, et seq.]: (i) ‘War Years’. (ii) ‘First Postwar Decade’. 6. Second draft, Copy 2: (i) ‘Origins’. (ii) Chapters on ‘The Thirties’. (iii) ‘War Years’. 7. 2nd Draft, Copy 2 [cont.]: all material on the post-war period. 8-25. A series of compavt floppy drives (CF2) for Amstrad PCW containing text Mrs Kettle’s biography, as described below: 8. ‘JGI: Early Days’. 9. Back up disc of no.8. 10. JG2, 2nd copy. 11. Another copy of JG2. 12. ‘JG3: War Years’. 13. Back-up of no.12. 14. ‘JG4 Postwar’. 15. ‘Top Copy’ of JG4-5. 16. Back-up of JG4-5. 17. ‘Top Copy’ of JG6. 18. Back-up of JG6. 19. Another formatted copy of JG6. 20. JG6 formatted back-up. 21. JG7 ‘Top Copy’. 22. Another formatted copy of JG6. 23. JG6 formatted back-up. 24. JG7 ‘Top Copy’. 25. JG7 back-up. 26. ‘JG last Years’. 27. ‘JG Final’. 28. ‘JG Extra’. 29-37 A series of taped interviews on MC60 mini-casettes recorded by Mrs Kettle from friends, family and associates of John Gollan. 29. Sam Aronovitch and Gordon MacLennan. 30. Rueben Falber. 31. Elsie Gollan and Bert Ramelson. 32. J. Gollan and Bill Laughlan. 33. Frank Graham. 34. Brian And Heather Widdows (née Gollan). 35. J. Reid. 36. G. Short. 37. The Taylors. .
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