Elinor Burns Explained

Elinor Burns
Birth Name:Margaret Elinor Enfield
Birth Date:17 May 1887
Birth Place:Loughborough, Leicestershire, England
Education:Newnham College, Cambridge
Party:Communist Party of Great Britain
Children:2
Relatives:Honora Enfield (sister)

Margaret Elinor Burns (née Enfield; 17 May 1887  - 2 November 1978) was a British communist, co-operative activist and suffragist.

Life and career

Born in Loughborough, she was the sister of Honora Enfield. She attended Newnham College, Cambridge, and there joined the Fabian Society. While there, she met fellow student Emile Burns, and the two married on 8 November 1913.[1] [2] They had two children, Susannah and Marca.[3] The family moved to London around the end of World War I, where Elinor and Emile joined the Independent Labour Party. Elinor also joined the Edmonton Co-operative Society and the Women's Co-operative Guild. In 1920, the Edmonton Co-operative became part of the new London Co-operative Society (LCS), of which she was a founder member.

In 1923, Elinor joined the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), along with Emile.[4] Starting in 1926, she wrote the Colonial Series of books for the Labour Research Department, about British imperialism.[5]

Burns focused much of her time on the LCS, and during World War II represented it on bodies such as the Food Control Tribunal and the Insurance Tribunal. In 1943, she was elected to the national executive of the CPGB. She retained her seat on the board of the LCS when other Communists were removed from the organisation's panel of speakers in 1949.[6] She argued that the co-operative movement should expand its influence through vertical integration, co-operative shops selling products of co-operative farms and factories. She also argued that, in order to achieve emancipation, women should involve themselves in the co-operative movement and also join the CPGB.[7]

From 1945, the Daily Worker, associated with the CPGB, was published by the People's Press Printing Society. Burns was a founding member of its management committee, and twice served as its vice-chair.[8] In 1956, although Burns again stood for the executive of the CPGB, she was not put on the party's approved list, and was one of two sitting members to lose their seats.[9] [10]

Writing

Notes and References

  1. News: Cambridge University Fabian Group . Fabian News . 1910.
  2. Web site: Stevenson . Graham . Elinor Burns . Compendium of Communist Biography . 2 April 2019.
  3. Book: Linehan . Thomas . Communism in Britain, 1920 – 39: From the Cradle to the Grave . 2007 . Manchester University Press . Manchester . 0719071402 . 81.
  4. Book: McIlroy . John . Morgan . Kevin . Campbell . Alan . Party People, Communist Lives . 2001 . Lawrence and Wishart . London . 085315936X . 240.
  5. News: Elinor Burns: an obituary . Labour Monthly . January 1979.
  6. News: No title . 2 April 2019 . Uxbridge and West Drayton Gazette . 14 January 1949 . One of them, Mrs. Elinor Burns, will retain her seat on the board of the London Co-operative Society.
  7. Book: Rafeek . Neil . Communist Women in Scotland . 2008 . I. B. Tauris . 0857711547 . 112, 120.
  8. News: Change in ownership of Daily Worker . The Times. London. 12 September 1945.
  9. News: Mr. Pollitt takes Fourth Place: New Communist Executive . 2 April 2019 . Birmingham Daily Post . 3 April 1956 . The six members to leave the executive are ... Elinor Burns.
  10. News: Communists' new executive . Manchester Guardian . 3 April 1956.