John Cornford
Encyclopedia
Rupert John Cornford was an English poet and communist. He was the son of F. M. Cornford
and Frances Cornford
.
, and named after Rupert Brooke
, who was a friend of his parents, but preferred to use his second name. He was educated at Stowe School
and Trinity College, Cambridge
. As an undergraduate, reading history, he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain
. He was two or three years younger than the group of Trinity College communists including Guy Burgess
, Donald Maclean, Kim Philby
and James Klugmann
.
Another Cambridge student, who would play a major part in his life, was Margot Heinemann
. They were lovers, and he addressed both poems and letters to her. He also had a relationship with a Welsh woman, Rachel (Ray) Peters, with whom he had a child: James Cornford, who was subsequently adopted and brought up by his grandparents, Francis and Frances Cornford. A photograph of Peters and Cornford can be found at the National Portrait Gallery
, London.
From 1933 he was directly involved in Communist Party work, in London, and became associated with Harry Pollitt
. During the Spanish Civil War
he both recruited in Cambridge for the International Brigade, and fought in the war himself, inspired in part by the Germans in the Thälmann Battalion
. He saw action at first in a Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (POUM
) unit in Aragon
in August 1936, before returning home, and coming back in December. He was killed at Lopera
, near Córdoba
.
His brother Christopher continued to be active in politics until well into the 1980s.
In poetic terms, he was no modernist; as George Orwell
pointed out in 1940, he represented continuity with the older, imperial tradition.
F. M. Cornford
Francis Macdonald Cornford was an English classical scholar and poet.He was educated at St Paul's School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was a Fellow from 1899 and held a university teaching post from 1902...
and Frances Cornford
Frances Cornford
Frances Crofts Cornford was an English poet.She was the daughter of the botanist Francis Darwin and Ellen Crofts, born into the Darwin — Wedgwood family. She was a granddaughter of the British naturalist Charles Darwin. Her elder half-brother was the golf writer Bernard Darwin...
.
Biography
He was born in CambridgeCambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, and named after Rupert Brooke
Rupert Brooke
Rupert Chawner Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially The Soldier...
, who was a friend of his parents, but preferred to use his second name. He was educated at Stowe School
Stowe School
Stowe School is an independent school in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. It was founded on 11 May 1923 by J. F. Roxburgh, initially with 99 male pupils. It is a member of the Rugby Group and Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school is also a member of the G20 Schools Group...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. As an undergraduate, reading history, he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
. He was two or three years younger than the group of Trinity College communists including Guy Burgess
Guy Burgess
Guy Francis De Moncy Burgess was a British-born intelligence officer and double agent, who worked for the Soviet Union. He was part of the Cambridge Five spy ring that betrayed Western secrets to the Soviets before and during the Cold War...
, Donald Maclean, Kim Philby
Kim Philby
Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby was a high-ranking member of British intelligence who worked as a spy for and later defected to the Soviet Union...
and James Klugmann
James Klugmann
Norman John Klugmann , generally known as James Klugmann, was a leading British Communist writer who became the official historian of the Communist Party of Great Britain-Background and Early Career:...
.
Another Cambridge student, who would play a major part in his life, was Margot Heinemann
Margot Heinemann
Margot Claire Heinemann was a British Marxist writer, drama scholar, and leading member of the Communist Party of Great Britain ....
. They were lovers, and he addressed both poems and letters to her. He also had a relationship with a Welsh woman, Rachel (Ray) Peters, with whom he had a child: James Cornford, who was subsequently adopted and brought up by his grandparents, Francis and Frances Cornford. A photograph of Peters and Cornford can be found at the National Portrait Gallery
National Portrait Gallery (England)
The National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery in London, England, housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was the first portrait gallery in the world when it opened in 1856. The gallery moved in 1896 to its current site at St Martin's Place, off...
, London.
From 1933 he was directly involved in Communist Party work, in London, and became associated with Harry Pollitt
Harry Pollitt
Harry Pollitt was the head of the trade union department of the Communist Party of Great Britain and the General Secretary of the party for more than 20 years.- Early life :...
. During the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
he both recruited in Cambridge for the International Brigade, and fought in the war himself, inspired in part by the Germans in the Thälmann Battalion
Thälmann Battalion
The Thälmann Battalion was a battalion of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. It was named after the imprisoned German communist leader Ernst Thälmann and included approximately 1,500 people, mainly Germans, Austrians, Swiss and Scandinavians. The battalion fought in the defence...
. He saw action at first in a Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (POUM
Poum
Poum is a commune in the North Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The town of Poum is located in the far northwest, located on the southern part of Banare Bay, with Mouac Island just offshore....
) unit in Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
in August 1936, before returning home, and coming back in December. He was killed at Lopera
Lopera
Lopera is a city located in the province of Jaén, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the city has a population of 3,976 inhabitants....
, near Córdoba
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
.
His brother Christopher continued to be active in politics until well into the 1980s.
In poetic terms, he was no modernist; as George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
pointed out in 1940, he represented continuity with the older, imperial tradition.
Works
- Understand the Weapon, Understand the Wound: Selected Writings of John Cornford (1976) edited by Jonathan GalassiJonathan GalassiJonathan Galassi born in Seattle, Washington, is the President and Publisher of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, one of the eight major publishers in New York. He began his publishing career at Houghton Mifflin in Boston, moved to Random House in New York, and finally, to Farrar, Straus & Giroux. He...
- Journey to the Frontier; Two roads to the Spanish Civil War by Peter Stansky and William Abrahams