GCT Giles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Granville Charles Trelawney Giles 9 May 1891 |
| Died | 30 October 1976 (aged 85) |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Eton College University of Cambridge |
| Occupation(s) | Teacher, officer in the British army, journalist |
| Known for | Leading British communist. Leading British educational activist. Playing a central role in the evacuation of children during WWII. First communist to become president of the National Union of Teachers |
| Notable work | The New School Tie (1946) [1] |
| Political party | Labour (until 1926) CPGB (1926–1976) |
Granville Charles Trelawney Giles[a] (9 May 1891 – 30 October 1976),[1][2] known as GCT Giles, was a leading British communist, most famous for playing a central role in the evacuation of three million children to the countryside during World War II, and for playing a prominent role in the formation of Britain's post-war educational reforms. Despite being educated at both Eton College and the University of Cambridge, he was a supporter of the comprehensive school system, fighting for the rights of working-class children and teachers.[3] He was also the first communist to be appointed president of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), and headed a school which following his retirement became one of Britain's first comprehensive schools.[4]
Giles became a communist after visiting the Soviet Union in 1925. He joined the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) during the 1926 United Kingdom general strike,[5] and would remain a lifelong member. Later in life, he became the target of anti-communist witch-hunts, which led him to lose his position temporarily on the executive of the NUT. Despite suffering from political persecution, he made a significant contribution to British educational policy, directly influencing the pattern of educational reform in the period immediately following World War II,[6] and greatly improving the working conditions of British teachers.[3]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ 'Giles, Granville Charles Trelawny (1891-1976)', Jane Addams Digital Edition, accessed 12 February 2023.
- ^ 'Mr G. C. T. Giles', The Times, 18 November 1976, p. 19.
- ^ a b "Giles – The New School Tie (1946) – notes on the text". www.educationengland.org.uk. Archived from the original on 14 July 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ Vickers, Salley (12 December 2010). "Once upon a life: Salley Vickers". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ Meddick, Simon; Payne, Liz; Katz, Phil (2020). Red Lives: Communists and the Struggle for Socialism. UK: Manifesto Press Cooperative Limited. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-907464-45-4.
- ^ Parsons, Steve (1997). "British Communist Party School Teachers in the 1940s and 1950s". Science & Society. 61 (1): 53. JSTOR 40403604 – via JSTOR.
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