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Obituary:

Tommy Hare

(September 1992)


From Militant, No. 1103, 18 September 1992, p. 4.
Transcribed by Iain Dalton.
Marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for the Encyclopaedia of Trotskyism On-Line (ETOL).



BRADFORD MILITANT supporters learned with sadness that Tommy Hare had died aged 81 of a heart attack on 7 September.


Tommy was a life-long UCATT member; branch president until he was 80; still attending his fortnightly meetings and defending his ideas with a clarity and vigour lacking in many half his age.

I first met Tommy in the early 70s on the Bradford Trades Council. He was a member of the Communist Party then, having stood as a parliamentary candidate for them after the war. But after he had worked alongside Pat Wall, we were able to persuade him of Militant’s ideas.

He became an active comrade – standing for the local council when in his 70s, selling papers on the street, always on picket lines and demonstrations. He often said he wished he had found Militant earlier, regarding his years in the CP as wasted.

I used to go for a pint with him after paper sales and the conversations were always lively, sprinkled with Tommy’s dry wit and passionate arguments.

When the right-wing backlash hit Bradford North after Pat Wall’s parliamentary victory, Tommy fought tooth and nail to ensure UCATT supported Pat’s reselection.

In stature he was small but his dedication and courage made him ten feet tall in my eyes. I dedicated my first play, Union Man, to him.

He was and remains a shining example and inspiration to us all. Goodbye Tommy, the fight goes on.


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