Bill Lauchlan

Scottish activist (1916–2009)

William Sinclair Lauchlan (or Laughlan,^[1]^[2] 10 May 1916 – 2009) was a Scottish communist activist.

Lauchlan was born in Irvine in May 1916 to James Lauchlan, a plasterer, and Catherine Sinclair.^[3] He was educated to secondary school level.^[4] A Plasterer to trade, Lauchlan joined the Independent Labour Party in Irvine, Ayrshire 1933, then in 1935 switched to the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB).^[5] He quickly rose to prominence, serving as Lanarkshire Organiser in the 1940s,^[6] then becoming Scottish District Secretary in about 1951,^[7] then in the 1960s served as National Organiser.^[4]

He was also active on Glasgow Trades Council, and in 1946 represented it at the Scottish Trades Union Congress.^[7]

Lauchlan stood for the CPGB in Glasgow Govan at the 1950 general election, then in West Fife in 1951, 1955, 1959 and 1964, although he was never elected.^[4] Following his retirement from being a full-time officer within the CPGB, Lauchlan returned to Glasgow in 1968 and worked for Scottish Homes in Glasgow and Edinburgh until his retirement in 1981. In retirement, he worked as a Volunteer with the Citizens Advice Bureau in Livingston, having moved to the New Town in West Lothian/Midlothian in 1972.

He was interviewed in May 2000 in Moffat, Dumfriesshire.^[8] Lauchlan died in Kelso in 2009 at the age of 93.^[9]

References

^ Voices from Work and Home, pg. 513
^ Index to the Correspondence of the Foreign Office for the Year, Parts 1-4, pg. 508
^ Scotland's People: 1916 LAUGHLAN, WILLIAM SINCLAI (Statutory registers Births 595/ 154)
^ ^a ^b ^c The Times House of Commons (1964), p.214
^ The Times House of Commons (1950), p.199
^ The Word, Vols. 2-8, p.40
^ ^a ^b The Times House of Commons (1951), p.199
^ Party People, Communist Lives: Explorations in Biography
^ Scotland's People: William Sinclair Laughlan death record

Party political offices
Preceded by John Gollan	Secretary of the Scottish District of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1947 – 1956	Succeeded by Gordon McLennan
Preceded by John Gollan	National Organiser of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1956 – 1966	Succeeded by Gordon McLennan

Communist Party of Great Britain

Leadership

General Secretaries	Albert Inkpin (1920–1928) J. R. Campbell (1929) Harry Pollitt (1929–1939) Rajani Palme Dutt (1939–1941) Harry Pollitt (1941–1956) John Gollan (1956–1975) Gordon McLennan (1975–1989) Nina Temple (1989–1991)
Assistant General Secretaries	Fred Peet (1920–1922) John Gollan (1947–1949) George Matthews (1949–1956) Bill Wainwright (1956-59) Bill Alexander (1959–1967) Reuben Falber (1968–1979)
Chairs	Arthur MacManus (1920–1927) Willie Gallacher (1943–1956) Harry Pollitt (1956–1960) Frank Stanley (1964–1967) Tony Chater (1968–1969) John Tocher (1969–1971) Irene Swann (1972–1974) Mick McGahey (1974–1979) Ron Halverson (1980s) George Bolton (1980s–1990)
National Organisers	Tom Bell (1920–1921) Bob Stewart (1921–1923) Harry Pollitt (1923) Idris Cox (1930s) R. W. Robson (1930s) Dave Springhall (1940–1943) Peter Kerrigan (1943–1951) Mick Bennett (1951–1954) John Gollan (1954–1956) Bill Lauchlan (1956–1966) Gordon McLennan (1966–1975) Dave Cook (1975–1981) Ian McKay (1982–1991)
National Industrial Organisers	Ernie Woolley (1925–) Finlay Hart (1937–1939) Peter Kerrigan (1939–1942) George Allison (1942–1951) Peter Kerrigan (1951–1966) Bert Ramelson (1965–1978) Mick Costello (1979–1982) Pete Carter (1982–1991)