Civil Assistance
Encyclopedia
Civil Assistance was a British civil defence group in the 1970s.
Formed as a breakaway of Unison by General (retd.) Sir Walter Walker, Commander in Chief of NATO forces in Northern Europe from 1969 to 1972, it was a voluntary group that aimed to break any planned general strike
.
In August 1974 Walker claimed that Civil Assistance had a membership 'of at least 100,000'. This provoked the then Labour
Defence Secretary
, Roy Mason
, to interrupt his holiday to release a statement complaining of a 'near fascist groundswell'. Then on the 25th February 1975 Walker addressed a meeting of around a hundred Civil Assistance members at St Lawrence Jewry
in the City of London. The Communist newspaper the Morning Star
claimed to have infiltrated the meeting and to have counted one general
, nine colonel
s and six brigadier
s and seven other former officers. Walker supposedly made a speech calling the British Left a 'cancer
', organisers of political strikes 'traitors' and Labour
MPs subversives. Walker claimed Civil Assistance would 'act' against these and that its members had 'excellent relationships with chief constables'.
Shortly before this speech Margaret Thatcher
became Leader of the Conservative Party
and Civil Assistance gradually faded from the media.
Formed as a breakaway of Unison by General (retd.) Sir Walter Walker, Commander in Chief of NATO forces in Northern Europe from 1969 to 1972, it was a voluntary group that aimed to break any planned general strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
.
In August 1974 Walker claimed that Civil Assistance had a membership 'of at least 100,000'. This provoked the then Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Defence Secretary
Secretary of State for Defence
The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...
, Roy Mason
Roy Mason
Roy Mason, Baron Mason of Barnsley, PC is a British Labour politician and former Cabinet minister.He was born in Royston, and grew up in Carlton, Barnsley in South Yorkshire...
, to interrupt his holiday to release a statement complaining of a 'near fascist groundswell'. Then on the 25th February 1975 Walker addressed a meeting of around a hundred Civil Assistance members at St Lawrence Jewry
St Lawrence Jewry
St Lawrence Jewry is a Church of England guild church in the City of London on Gresham Street, next to the Guildhall.-History:The church was originally built in the twelfth century and dedicated to St Lawrence The church is near the former medieval Jewish ghetto, which was centred...
in the City of London. The Communist newspaper the Morning Star
The Morning Star
The Morning Star is a left wing British daily tabloid newspaper with a focus on social and trade union issues. Articles and comment columns are contributed by writers from socialist, social democratic, green and religious perspectives....
claimed to have infiltrated the meeting and to have counted one general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
, nine colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
s and six brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
s and seven other former officers. Walker supposedly made a speech calling the British Left a 'cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
', organisers of political strikes 'traitors' and Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MPs subversives. Walker claimed Civil Assistance would 'act' against these and that its members had 'excellent relationships with chief constables'.
Shortly before this speech Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
became Leader of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and Civil Assistance gradually faded from the media.
Books
- Pinochet in Piccadilly: Britain and Chile's Hidden History by Andy Beckett (Faber and Faber, 2003) ISBN 0-571-21547-5