Remembered: James Maxton and the Red Clydeside movement

‘Jimmy’ was a distinctive looking man; tall with longish hair and usually holding a cigarette! He became leader of the Independent Labour Party (ILP), a left-wing political party affiliated with the Labour Party. Born in Pollokshaws in 1885 he had a relatively comfortable childhood, but his later awareness of the poverty faced by many Glaswegians motivated him to campaign for better conditions for the working classes. Maxton’s letters and papers are held at Glasgow City Archives and provide a unique insight into his life and beliefs.

Initially he followed in the footsteps of his parents who were schoolteachers, starting teacher training in Glasgow in 1902. During his first weeks at the University of Glasgow, in a step that raised eyebrows later in his career, he electioneered on the Conservative side for the university rectorship.

However, he soon adopted socialist views after attending open-air political meetings and hearing speakers such as John Maclean and Philip Snowden. In 1904, after quitting university due to financial reasons, he was employed as a teacher at Pollokshaws Academy where John Maclean also taught. Maxton went on to teach at St James’ School, Bridgeton, Haghill School and Finnieston School. He saw first-hand the poverty of his pupils and joined the Barrhead branch of the ILP in 1904. Recognised as an engaging speaker, Maxton often spoke at ILP events, rarely getting paid to do so (as he had a paid job already). Maxton re-enrolled part time at the University of Glasgow, graduating with an MA in 1910.

The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 increased political tensions particularly within Glasgow’s working classes. The city had entered the war enthusiastically with 22,000 men enlisting to fight in the first week, and the city’s leaders getting fully behind the war effort.

Many in the ILP, however, opposed the war. Maxton, a pacifist, wrote to his future wife ‘there’s no chance of me volunteering. I’m working for peace for all I’m worth’. It wasn’t a popular opinion, but the ILP’s support in the 1915 Rent Strikes and call for better working conditions did win them growing support as the war dragged on for longer than expected.

Conscription became a controversial issue. Maxton along with John Maclean, future Lord Provost Patrick Dollan and others were arrested after speaking at a large anti-conscription protest in 1915, but all charges were dropped.

Employment restrictions introduced to industries vital for the war effort fuelled discontent. Workers held a large demonstration at Glasgow Green in 1916, where Maxton gave a speech encouraging them to down tools. He was arrested again, this time charged with sedition and sentenced to 12 months in prison, losing his job as a teacher. His letters to his family from prison show concern for their wellbeing, but also his resolve for his ideals. On his release he worked in the shipyards.

After the war, in 1918 Maxton stood as the ILP candidate for Bridgeton but was defeated. He continued to work for the ILP, seeing the struggles in Glasgow during the post war recession. Rising unemployment and poor housing led to disaffection with the Government and greater support for the Red Clydesiders. Maxton stood again for election in 1922, and this time he won, becoming MP for Bridgeton.

Maxton married Sissie McCallum in 1919, and they had a son James in 1921. Unfortunately, his son was seriously ill, needing constant care in his first year. Sissie, also suffering from ill health, tragically died in 1922. Her death hugely affected James Maxton and drove his mission to improve medical care for all. So when the Conservative government proposed to cut health grants to local authorities, such as the provision of milk and food to children, Maxton made a now infamous speech in Parliament in 1923 calling Conservatives murderers and stating ‘they have blood on their hands – the blood of infants’. He was condemned for his comments and suspended temporarily from Parliament.

Divisions grew in the Labour movement, Maxton and the ILP breaking away from the Labour Party in 1932. Despite his support for the republican side of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, Maxton returned to his pacifist stance during WWII delivering a strong anti-war speech in Parliament in 1938.

When he died in 1946, condolences were sent to his family from friends and rivals across the political spectrum including Winston Churchill. He began as a radical outsider but spent more than two decades as an MP, and despite various controversies is still widely admired today.