Vic Allen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vic Allen
Born	(1923-01-12)12 January 1923 Flintshire, Wales
Died	26 October 2014(2014-10-26) (aged 91)
Education	London School of Economics (PhD)
Occupation	Teacher Author University Professor
Employer	University of Leeds
Known for	Anti-apartheid activism Communist activism Smuggling money to fund South African trade unions
Notable work	Power in Trade Unions (1954)
Political party	Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB)
Criminal charge(s)	Conspiracy to overthrow the government of Nigeria
Criminal penalty	6 months prison (Made an Amnesty prisoner of conscience and released after six months)
Children	2 sons 3 daughters
Awards	Kgao ya Bahale award (2010)

Vic Allen (1923–2014) was a British professor, writer, and activist who fought for human rights. He was known for his work with trade unions, which are groups that protect workers' rights. Vic Allen was also a key person in the fight against Apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid was a system that treated people unfairly because of their race.

Allen was a supporter of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). He spent much of his life helping the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in South Africa. He was a teacher and friend to Arthur Scargill, a famous British trade union leader. He even met Nelson Mandela, a hero of the anti-apartheid movement.

Once, while helping workers in Nigeria, he was wrongly accused of trying to overthrow the government. He spent six months in jail but was later released. Vic Allen also helped secretly send £100,000 to South Africa to support trade unions there. In 1988, he attended important secret meetings in Cuba with Fidel Castro and black South African union leaders. In 2010, he received the Kgao ya Bahale award, a top honor from the South African NUM.

Vic Allen's Early Life

Victor Leonard Allen was born in Shotton, Flintshire, Wales. He grew up in Connah's Quay. Vic Allen left school at 14 without any qualifications. He started working as an apprentice bricklayer.

A fellow worker lent him books, which made him want to learn more. He later went to the London School of Economics. He worked as a bricklayer before and after serving in the RAF during World War II. During this time, he also became a skilled amateur boxer. He started boxing because he was bullied at school. While working, he learned about Marxism and socialism from other workers. He became more interested in politics after losing his job for joining a trade union.

His Work for People's Rights

While working for an international organization, Vic Allen went to Nigeria. He was there to study how trade unions worked in Africa. He tried to help local activists start trade unions in Nigeria. However, he was arrested and accused of trying to overthrow the Nigerian government. After six months in prison, he was released. He was recognized as an "Amnesty prisoner of conscience," meaning he was jailed for his beliefs.

Allen was the official historian for the British National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). He was a trusted friend and advisor to British trade unionists for over 40 years. He also helped activists fight against apartheid in South Africa. After apartheid ended, he wrote a three-book history of mineworkers in South Africa. He wrote these books for the South African National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).

To support the NUM, Allen helped with a secret mission. They smuggled £100,000 into South Africa. This money helped fund trade unions in the country.

Through his connections with the NUM, Allen was in Cuba in 1988. He attended secret talks between union activists and Fidel Castro. Important anti-apartheid leaders like Cyril Ramaphosa were also there.

In the early 1990s, a close friend, Cyril Ramaphosa, took Allen on a trip. To Allen's surprise, Nelson Mandela was in the car with them. Mandela and Allen had a long talk about world politics. They became friends over their shared love of boxing.

Awards and Special Recognition

In 2010, Vic Allen received the Kgao ya Bahale award. This is the highest honor given by the South African NUM. Leaders from the NUM, including President Senzeni Zokwana, were at the ceremony. Many South African activists praised Allen. They called him a 'true internationalist' for his global efforts.

Vic Allen's Academic Career

Allen started studying at the London School of Economics in 1946. He earned a degree in Economics in 1949. Later, he completed his PhD. His PhD paper was published in 1954 as "Power in Trade Unions."

In 1959, Allen became a teacher at the University of Leeds. He taught about industrial relations. He became a professor in 1973. He retired from Leeds in 1988 as an emeritus professor. This title is given to retired professors who are highly respected.

Allen spent 10 years writing three books. These books told the history of the National Union of Miners (NUM) in South Africa. Other academics described his work as very strong and insightful.

His Later Years and Legacy

Vic Allen passed away on October 26, 2014, at the age of 91. His funeral was held in the Yorkshire Dales. Vic Allen was married three times. He had five children: Jane, Nick, Julian, Sophie, and Lucy. He also had 8 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.

After Allen's death, Frans Baleni, a NUM leader, created a tribute to him. A group from the NUM attended Allen's funeral.

Baleni said about Allen:

"Back then black South African mineworkers had no names. We had company numbers. We were just a tool. Vic made it possible for us to train in the UK. We were taken to Trafalgar Square where anti-apartheid activists were camping day and night. That made me fully understand the meaning of empathy. Vic taught us to make sure we appreciated each other, never to leave anything to chance."

Arthur Scargill, whom Allen had guided, called him "an intellectual giant, a writer without peer."

Books by Vic Allen

• Power in Trade Unions, Longmans, 1954
• The Sociology of Industrial Relations, Longmans, 1971. ISBN: 978-0-582-44482-9
• Social Analysis: A Marxist Critique and Alternative. Longmans, 1975
• The Militancy of British Miners, Moor Press, 1981. ISBN: 090769800X
• The Russians are Coming: The Politics of Anti-Sovietism, Moor Press, 1987.
• The History of Black Mineworkers in South Africa Volume 1, Moor Press, 1992. ISBN: 0850365651
• Apartheid Repression and Dissent in the Mines. The History of Black Mineworkers in South Africa, 1948-1982, Merlin Press and Moor Press, 2003. ISBN: 085036566X
• Organise or Die. The History of Black Mineworkers in South Africa, 1982-1994, Merlin Press and Moor Press, 2005. ISBN: 0850365678

See also

• Communist Party of Great Britain
• Thora Silverthorne
• GCT Giles