Bertie Lewis
Encyclopedia
Hubert "Bertie" Lewis (22 July 1920 - 21 December 2010) was a World War II RAF airman who went on to become a peace campaigner in the UK. Bertie Lewis became well known for his opposition to nuclear weapons and the wars in which his adopted and his native country were engaged.
of Bomber Command
flying 40 operations on Halifax bombers
over Germany and France.
After the war he moved between Britain and the U.S. several times before settling in Bolton
, Lancashire in 1961.
, the FBI kept a constant watch on his movements due to his political views and compiled a large file on him.
MI5
collaborated with the FBI when he was living in the UK and kept him under surveillance. Subsequently, British authorities tried to prevent Lewis from returning to the UK but the Royal British Legion helped him retain his residency on the basis of his war service.
symbol at the Cenotaph in Bolton on Remembrance Sunday
. Lewis said that by opposing nuclear weapons and campaigning for peace he was doing nothing more than following the spirit of the words carved on the base of the Cenotaph in Bolton
which read “Our brothers died to win a better world. Our part must be to strive for truth, goodwill and peace that their self sacrifice be not in vain.” The national British Legion later ordered his reinstatement following a public outcry and Lewis continued to lay a wreath, often including white poppies each year as part of the official Remembrance Day ceremony until his death in 2010.
He was a member of Ex-Services CND and always took part in their August vigil in memory of the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
For many years he held a weekly vigil on the town hall square of his home town of Bolton on issues of the day regarding war and peace and social justice. He was also a member of Bolton Socialist Club which opened in 1905 and is the oldest remaining independent socialist club in the UK.
He attended many protests during his life including the famous 1968 demonstration against the Vietnam War that ended in
violence outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London. During the visit of President Ronald Reagan to London in 1984 Lewis managed to take his message inside the U.S. Embassy while thousands protested outside against the deployment of American cruise missiles on British soil. Lewis also joined the one million strong Stop the War demonstration
in London in February 2003 just before the invasion of Iraq. At age 89 he was the oldest member of the group Military Families Against the War
delivering a petition to 10 Downing Street
calling for British servicemen and women to be brought home from Afghanistan. His last demonstration in London was in May 2010 against the Israeli attack on the flotilla
bringing supplies to the stricken people of Gaza
.
In 1990 he was involved in a scuffle with another guest on the TV show UpFront whilst discussing the war in the Balkans.
In 2010 aged 90 there was controversy after he was knocked down by riot police at a demo against the English Defence League
.
Lewis died on 21 December 2010 following a hip replacement operation in the Royal Bolton Hospital
.
Early life
Born Hubert Lewis on 22 July 1920 in Chicago, his childhood years were spent in New York City. At age 15 he ran away from home and travelled the country often on top of freight trains as was typical during the Depression era. Following the outbreak of World War II, while the United States remained a non-belligerent, he went to England and joined the RAF. He served in 102 SquadronNo. 102 Squadron RAF
No. 102 Squadron was a Royal Air Force night bomber squadron in World War I and a heavy bomber squadron in World War II. After the war it flew briefly as a transport squadron before being reformed a light bomber unit with the Second Tactical Air Force within RAF Germany. Its last existence was as a...
of Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
flying 40 operations on Halifax bombers
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
over Germany and France.
After the war he moved between Britain and the U.S. several times before settling in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Lancashire in 1961.
FBI and MI5 surveillance
During the McCarthy eraMcCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
, the FBI kept a constant watch on his movements due to his political views and compiled a large file on him.
MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
collaborated with the FBI when he was living in the UK and kept him under surveillance. Subsequently, British authorities tried to prevent Lewis from returning to the UK but the Royal British Legion helped him retain his residency on the basis of his war service.
Political activism
In 1982 he was expelled by his local branch of the British Legion after he laid a wreath bearing the Campaign for Nuclear DisarmamentCampaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
symbol at the Cenotaph in Bolton on Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday
In the United Kingdom, 'Remembrance Sunday' is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November Armistice Day. It is the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m...
. Lewis said that by opposing nuclear weapons and campaigning for peace he was doing nothing more than following the spirit of the words carved on the base of the Cenotaph in Bolton
Walter Marsden
-Career:Walter Marsden MC was an English sculptor and one of many ex-servicemen to work on war memorials after World War I. Marsden had served as an officer in the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment and was awarded a Military Cross fighting in the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917,...
which read “Our brothers died to win a better world. Our part must be to strive for truth, goodwill and peace that their self sacrifice be not in vain.” The national British Legion later ordered his reinstatement following a public outcry and Lewis continued to lay a wreath, often including white poppies each year as part of the official Remembrance Day ceremony until his death in 2010.
He was a member of Ex-Services CND and always took part in their August vigil in memory of the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
For many years he held a weekly vigil on the town hall square of his home town of Bolton on issues of the day regarding war and peace and social justice. He was also a member of Bolton Socialist Club which opened in 1905 and is the oldest remaining independent socialist club in the UK.
He attended many protests during his life including the famous 1968 demonstration against the Vietnam War that ended in
violence outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London. During the visit of President Ronald Reagan to London in 1984 Lewis managed to take his message inside the U.S. Embassy while thousands protested outside against the deployment of American cruise missiles on British soil. Lewis also joined the one million strong Stop the War demonstration
February 15, 2003 anti-war protest
The February 15, 2003 anti-war protest was a coordinated day of protests across the world expressing opposition to the then-imminent Iraq War. It was part of a series of protests and political events that had begun in 2002 and continued as the war took place....
in London in February 2003 just before the invasion of Iraq. At age 89 he was the oldest member of the group Military Families Against the War
Military Families Against the War
Military Families Against the War is an organisation of families of servicemen in the United Kingdom created to campaign for British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq.The group's mission statement sets out their objectives as follows:...
delivering a petition to 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
calling for British servicemen and women to be brought home from Afghanistan. His last demonstration in London was in May 2010 against the Israeli attack on the flotilla
Gaza flotilla raid
The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea...
bringing supplies to the stricken people of Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
.
In 1990 he was involved in a scuffle with another guest on the TV show UpFront whilst discussing the war in the Balkans.
In 2010 aged 90 there was controversy after he was knocked down by riot police at a demo against the English Defence League
English Defence League
The English Defence League is a far-right street protest movement which opposes what it considers to be a spread of Islamism, Sharia law and Islamic extremism in the UK. The EDL uses street marches to protest against Islamic extremism...
.
Lewis died on 21 December 2010 following a hip replacement operation in the Royal Bolton Hospital
Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
The Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is based in the town of Farnworth in Greater Manchester . It provides NHS health care services for the people in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton and surrounding areas...
.