Betty Papworth

British communist and anti-war activist (1914–2008)

Betty Papworth

Papworth in 1998

Born| 1914

Stepney, London, England

Died| July 2008 (aged 94)
Burial place| Golders Green Crematorium, London, England
Occupation(s)| communist and anti-war activist
Organisation(s)| Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Stop the War Coalition
Political party| Communist Party of Great Britain
Spouse| Bert Papworth

Betty Papworth (1914 – July 2008) was a British communist and anti-war activist. She was a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and Stop the War Coalition.

## Biography

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Papworth was born into a large Jewish family in 1914 in Stepney, in the East End of London.[1] She married Transport and General Workers Union official Bert Papworth.[2][3]

With the rise of the British Union of Fascists, Papworth became a member of the Stepney branch of the Communist Party of Great Brittain (CPGB)[4] and took part in the Battle of Cable Street in 1936.[2] In 1938, she visited the Soviet Union (USSR).[2] She was a member of an Aid For Spain committee during the Spanish Civil War, through which she befriended the American actor, singer and political activist Paul Robeson.[2]

During World War II, Papworth worked making gyroscope compasses at the London Sperry aircraft factory.[4] After the 1941 Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, in 1942 she asked guests at her nephew’s bar mitzvah to donate money to the Aid For Russia campaign.[1][2] After the war, she ran the family clothing company in Cricklewood and remained politically active, as one of the first members of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).[1]

In later life, Papworth joined the Stop the War Coalition, learned the Russian language and sold the Greater London Pensioners Association newsletter outside Parliament weekly.[2] In 2004, she travelled to Israel with Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn to witness the release of the Israeli peace activist and whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu.[2]

Papworth died in July 2008.[1][2] She was buried at Golders Green Crematorium.[1]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e "Obituarity : Betty Papworth". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Carrier, Dan (14 August 2008). "Betty Papworth". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
3. ^ Eaden, J.; Renton, D. (10 May 2002). The Communist Party of Great Britain Since 1920. Springer. ISBN 978-1-4039-0722-6.
4. ^ a b Stevenson, Graham (4 January 2010). "Papworth Betty". Retrieved 20 March 2025.