| A number of comrades and friends joined together on July 27 to commemorate the birth of John Buckle on that day in 1949. Comrade John was the embodiment of that red spine that consistently has run through the life of the Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist) and its forerunner organisations stretching back to the days of the 1960s and forward to today. That steadfast vigorous revolutionary spirit is what characterised the life of Comrade John from his student days to the day of his tragically early death in an aircrash on November 27, 1983, at the age of 34. It is what continues to inspire and imbue the Party and its militants to this day also, and to assist them in finding their bearings in all the constantly changing conditions and circumstances. John Buckle came to prominence as a communist and anti-fascist leader in the 1970s when the forerunner organisations of RCPB(ML) had played a prominent role in the defeat by active mass action of the ruling elite’s attempt to develop a mainstream fascist party to attack the workers' and progressive movement. He came forward to lead the reorganisation of these forerunner organisations with the founding of RCPB(ML) in March 1979. As RCPB(ML)'s General Secretary, he led the work of the Party in this crucial period until his death in 1983. Comrade John Buckle was a bright star in the firmament of Marxist-Leninist leaders, and the Party salutes his memory and his unquenchable communist spirit. |