Red Clydeside: A history of the labour movement in Glasgow 1910-1932

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Postcard of 12 defendants in trial of Communist Party officials, Nov 1925

This postcard was published by the International Class War Prisoners' Aid and shows the 12 defendants in the trial of Communist Party officials. Following a police raid on the offices of the Communist Party, the Young Communist League and the Minority Movement in October 1925, 12 senior members of the Communist Party were arrested and charged with seditious libel and incitement to mutiny.

At the subsequent trial at the Old Bailey the 12 were found guilty of all charges and sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from six to 12 months.

The trial and imprisonment of the Communist Party leadership at this time was seen as no mere coincidence. It was widely regarded as a ploy by the then Conservative government to dispose of a serious political obstacle to their widely anticipated anti-trade union and wage-cutting policies.

Source: Gallacher Memorial Library, Glasgow Caledonian University Special Collections and Archives