In early '90s, George Matthews - who was then looking after the archives of the Communist Party of Great Britain of which he had been a leading member - got in contact to say that he had come across five 78 rpm discs of a speech by Harry Pollitt. He had no means of playing or copying these discs and wanted my help.
I had been in touch with George to see what audio he had for a radio series I was making about the history of the international Communist movement. I borrowed the discs, copied them on to cassette, and returned them to George - along with a cassette copy. I also kept a cassette, and I am posting the audio below on this page.
The five discs made up a single speech by Harry Pollitt, recorded in 1942 and apparently released on disc for the benefit of party members. It runs to a little over twenty minutes.
CLICK ABOVE TO HEAR HARRY POLLITT SPEAKING IN 1942
Pollitt (1890-1960), the subject of the tongue-in-cheek song 'Harry was a Bolshie', was general secretary of the Communist Party of Great Briatin from 1929 to 1956 - with an interruption during the earlier part of the Second World War when he was out of step with the Comintern line.
He came close to being elected to Parliament for a South Wales constituency in the 1945 general election.
And if you are curious to know the words for 'Harry was a Bolshie', more prosaically known as 'The Ballad of Harry Pollitt', here are two slightly varying lyrics - I rather prefer the first:
Harry was a Bolshie, one of Stalin's lads Till he was foully murdered by counter revolutionary cads Counter revolutionary, counter revolutionary cads He was foully murdered by counter revolutionary cads
That's all right said Harry, I'm not afraid to die I'll carry on my Party work in the land beyond the sky The land beyind the sky, the land beyond the sky I'll just carry on my Party work in the land beyond the sky
He got up to the Pearly Gates, met Peter on his knees 'May I speak to Comrade God I'm Harold Pollitt please Harold Pollitt please, Harold Pollitt please, May I speak to Comrade God I'm Harold Pollitt please'
Said Peter unto Harry: 'Are you humble and contrite?' 'I'm a friend of Lady Docker's', 'Then OK. you'll be alright Then OK. you'll be alright, then OK. you'll be alright If you're a friend of Lady Docker's, then OK. you'll be alright'
They dressed him in a nightie, put a harp into his hand And he played the Internationale in the hallelujah band In the hallelujah band, in the hallelujah band He played the Internationale in the hallelujah band
They put him in the choir, the hymns he did not like So he organized the angels and he fetched them out on strike Fetched them out on strike, fetched them out on strike He organized the angels and he fetched them out on strike
One day as God was walking around the heavenly state Who should he see but Harry chalking slogans on the gate Slogans on the gate, slogans on the gate Who should he see but Harry chalking slogans on the gate
They put him up for trial before the Holy Ghost Charged with disaffection amongst the heavenly host Amongst the heavenly host, amongst the heavenly host Charged with disaffection amongst the heavenly host
The verdict it was guilty, said Harry 'That is swell' And he tucked his nightie 'round his knees and he floated down to hell Floated down to hell, floated down to hell He tucked his nightie 'round his knees and he floated down to hell
A few more years have ended, now Harry's doing swell He's just been made the people's commissar for Soviet Socialist Hell And now all the little devils have joined the Y.C.L. Yes all the little devils have joined the Y.C.L.
Now the moral of this story, it isn't hard to tell, If you want to be a Bolshie, you've got to go to Hell, Got to go to Hell, Yes, you've got to go to Hell, If you want to be a Bolshie, you've got to go to Hell!
Harry was a bolshie and one of Lenin's lads Was foully murdered by counter revolutionary cads Counter revolutionary cads, counter revolutionary cads Was foully murdered by counter revolutionary cads
He landed up in heaven trembling at the knees 'May I speak to God I am Mr. Pollitt please Mr. Pollitt please, Mr. Pollitt please, May I speak to God I am Mr. Pollitt please'
'Who are you' said God, 'if you're humble and contrite And a friend of Lady Astor, then OK. you'll be alright Then OK. you'll be alright, then OK. you'll be alright And a friend of Lady Astor, then OK. you'll be alright'
They dressed him in a nightie, put a harp into his hand And he played the Internationale in the hallelujah band In the halelujah band, in the hallelujah band He played the Internationale in the hallelujah band
They put him in the choir, the hymns he did not like So he organized the angels and he fetched them out on strike Fetched them out on strike, fetched them out on strike He organized the angels and he fetched them out on strike
One day as God was walking around the heavenly state Who should he see but Harry chalking slogans on the gate Slogans on the gate, slogans on the gate Who should he see but Harry chalking slogans on the gate
They put him up for trial before the Holy Ghost Charged with disaffection amongst the heavenly host Amongst the heavenly host, amongst the heavenly host Charged with disaffection amongst the heavenly host
The verdict it was guilty, said Harry 'That is swell' And he tucked his nightie round his knees and he floated down to hell Floated down to hell, floated down to hell He tucked his nightie round his knees and he floated down to hell
A few more years have ended, now Harry's doing swell He's just been made the people's commissar for Soviet hell Commissar for Soviet hell, commissar for Soviet hell He's just been made the people's commissar for Soviet hell
Now the moral of this story is easy for to tell If you want to be a Bolshevik, you'll have to got to hell You'll have to go to hell, Yes, you'll have to go to hell If you want to be a Bolshevik, You'll have to go to hell!