Harry Leslie Smith

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Harry Leslie Smith (born February 25, 1923 in Barnsley , Yorkshire , † November 28, 2018 in Ontario , Canada ) was a British author , political commentator, human rights activist and defender of social democracy . He grew up in poverty in Yorkshire and served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II ; in November 1953 he emigrated from Australia to Canada on board the Empress . Upon retirement, Smith began writing memoirs as well as writing on the social history of Britain. He has authored a total of five books on life in Great Britain during the Great Depression , World War II and the post-war period . He has written columns for The Guardian , New Statesman , The Daily Mirror , International Business Times and the Morning Star and has made a number of public appearances in the UK (including at the 2014 Labor Congress in Manchester and during the 2015 general election and the EU Referendums 2016 ) and in Canada.

biography

Harry Leslie Smith was the son of Albert Smith (1867–1943), an unemployed miner , and Lillian Dean (1894–1978). His older sister Marion died of tuberculosis . After his father became unemployed, the family moved to Bradford . At the age of seven, Smith worked as a wheelbarrow boy for a beer bottler in Bradford, helping his entire family. The family often moved and he often stayed in workhouses . The family later moved to Halifax . Smith joined the RAF in 1941 and spent several years in Hamburg as a soldier in the Allied occupation forces . While serving there, he met his future wife, Friede. The couple returned to the UK following demobilization and made a living in various jobs in the Yorkshire area.

In the 1950s, she emigrated to Canada, lived in Scarborough in Toronto and later in Belleville ( Ontario ). The couple had three sons. Smith made a career as a buyer and seller for Eaton's in the oriental carpet trade . He imported new designs from the Middle East , the former Soviet bloc, and Afghanistan . His wife Friede died in 1999 and his middle son, Peter, died in 2009. After her death, Smith comforted himself by turning to writing. Since its retirement was Smith writer of memoirs and social history . He spent his time in Ontario and Yorkshire.

On November 20, 2018, Smith was admitted to Belleville General Hospital in critical condition after complications from a fall . His hospitalization was the occasion for an international cyber - Vigil on Twitter and a flood of congratulations from around the world. Smith passed away on November 28, 2018.

Writing and speaking activities

Smith wrote regularly for The Guardian , commenting on the politics and history of the 20th century . In November 2013, he attracted attention when he announced that he would no longer wear the commemorative poppy for years to come because he believed the symbol would be used in support of the current conflicts. He spoke at the Labor Party Conference in September 2014 in support of the National Health Service by delivering a touching speech to the audience on how common preventable diseases "extinguished life like a warm candle flame" before the NHS was formed. He also spoke on BBC Radio and at the Bristol Politics Festival .

Smith ran a Twitter feed that commented on a variety of current topics. He stated that it was the global financial crisis of 2008 that inspired him to take his "final stand" by writing and fighting on income inequality , public services and what he saw as the diminishing prospects for young people. “I want to use my time and influence from the book to get young people in the UK to vote the way we can: save our social democratic institutions. I want us to make our last stand at the ballot box ”.

In July 2015, Smith supported Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the election of the Labor Party leadership. He tweeted: "I support # JeremyCorbyn. I want the generation of my grandchildren to have a chance to fight for a decent and meaningful life without austerity ”.

In October 2015, Smith appeared in the BBC Three documentary We Want Our Country Back , where he sharply criticized the right-wing anti-immigration movement " Britain First ".

In 2016, Smith also supported Corbyn's re-election campaign in the election of the Labor Party leadership. In March 2016 he said of Corbyn: “He is a very honest man. He has a desire to change things in the UK . Corbyn will change the world for the better. There is no one else ”. He added, “He will learn that he needs to put a little more emphasis on it. I stand behind him and will work with him ”.

In September 2017, Smith published his fifth book, Don't Let My Past Be Your Future . It was published by Little Brown .

Smith has also during European migrant crisis for the support of refugees used. In November 2017, Smith appeared on the Sky One comedy The Russell Howard Hour , where he briefly recalled his trip to the Calais jungle and spoke about his new book and the increasing reliance on food banks in the UK. Smith and Howard also discussed the NHS, with Smith considering the availability of medical care with a family history. In February 2018, Smith announced that he would be visiting refugee hotspots around the world "to document this avoidable tragedy that could lead us to another war as cruel as the one in which I fought against Hitler ".

Smith wrote: “I am one of the last remaining voices of a generation of women and men who have built a better society for our children and grandchildren from the horrors of World War II and the hunger of the Great Depression. Unfortunately, this world that my generation helped build is being swept away by neoliberalism and the greed of the 1%, which has led to discord worldwide. Today the western world is at its most dangerous point since the 1930s. "

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Human rights activist - Harry Leslie Smith died at the age of 95 . In: Deutschlandfunk . ( deutschlandfunk.de [accessed on November 28, 2018]).
  2. ↑ a b c Caroline Davies: Harry Leslie Smith, vocal critic of austerity, dies aged 95. November 28, 2018, accessed on November 28, 2018 (English).
  3. ↑ "Love among the Ruins": Harry Leslie Smith on love . In: ZEIT ONLINE . ( zeit.de [accessed on November 24, 2018]).
  4. ↑ Why the internet (and the real world) bows to this old man . In: watson.ch . ( watson.ch [accessed on November 23, 2018]).
  5. ↑ Harry Leslie Smith on Twitter . In: Twitter . ( twitter.com [accessed November 28, 2018]).
  6. ↑ Harry Leslie Smith is 94 years old - and wants to serve a mission before he dies . In: HuffPost Germany . November 22, 2017 ( huffingtonpost.de [accessed November 24, 2018]).
personal data
SURNAME Smith, Harry Leslie
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British author, political commentator and human rights activist
DATE OF BIRTH February 25, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH Barnsley , Yorkshire
DATE OF DEATH November 28, 2018
Place of death Ontario , Canada