Bill Hutton
William Hutton was better known as Bill Mennell or William Mennell and he was the Daily Worker’s economic affairs correspondent for over twenty years. Bill Hutton was born in Tadcaster in Yorkshire around 1909 and lived at 6 Wesley Terrace, Tadcaster. His father worked at the local John Smith Brewery. During the Second World War, Hutton had initially been a conscious objector and was able to work in the education service of the forces. He moved to
While living in
In April 1950, Hutton uncovered a plan by the Bank of England to sell its stake to the US in a strategically important Tanzanian Copper mines, leading to spectre of large numbers of the Daily Worker being sold in Throgmorton Street in the City of London. He would also seem to have been advising some Eastern European governments on economics. His daughter was even instructed never to speak about who visited the house or what they discussed.
It is likely that this is also the same Bill Hutton who also having served in the Second World War, in February 1952, applied for sanction to be accepted as a conscientious objector, when called up to serve in Malaya. His reasons were set out in the relevant form, a copy of which can be seen here.
Tom Driberg, MP, had asked the Secretary of State for War back in July as to what policy with regard to the posting to
During the 1960s, Bill Hutton served on the Party’s Economic Committee and he was the author of "The British economy" printed by Lawrence & Wishart. He also the author of "Conscientious objection in Scotland in the First World War", published under the name William H Marwick in Penicuik, Midlothian, by the Communist Party’s Scottish Secretariat in 1972.
Active in the
Bill and Joyce Hutton moved on retirement to Hill Cottage, Corpusty, Norwich and, there, became a close friend of
Sources include: House of Commons Debate
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