Will Anderson was a Labour man. He became a Labour M.P. for Attercliffe in Sheffield in 1914. Newspapers predicted that he would have a great political career, but his pacifist views lost him the election, at the end of the First World War in 1918. He died shortly after.
Mary and Will were a good match. They were both committed to improving conditions for the working classes, and were both powerful public speakers. Will was, "short, thick set, clean shaven, he looks the bulldog type, and in ways he lives the part." (The World, 12th February1918) He was tireless and dogged. He did not care if he was in a minority of one, and was ready to face unpopularity for his opinions.
William Crawford Anderson came from a little village in Banff, Scotland. His father was a blacksmith. He went to the village school, and grew to love books. At the age of sixteen he became an apprentice to a manufacturing chemist in Aberdeen. Later he moved to Glasgow, and worked in a chemist's shop. All this time Will was studying Latin, Greek and mathematics, and he spent many hours in public libraries.
Will became an organiser for the National Union of Shop Assistants. It was at this time he met Mary. His union work took him to London, where he was able to carry on seeing, and working with her.
Will left trade union work for a political career. The Labour party asked him to stand as candidate for the Hyde Division of Cheshire in 1910, and for Keighley Division of Yorkshire in 1911. Will and Mary were just newly weds at the time. They had only just returned from a honeymoon in Paris and Brussells, when he fought the 1911 election. Mary went through the election battle with him, speaking on his behalf at many meetings. Will was finally elected to Parliament in 1914, and later became chairman until 1915.
Will's promising political career came to an end in 1918. His pacifist views caused him to be rejected by 5,000 votes. All the candidates on the peace platform during the war suffered in the same way.
Only a few months after the election, Will caught influenza. It turned to pneumonia. He died on 25th February 1919.
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| Updated: | Fri 27 Apr 2007 - 0 |
| Interpretation written by | Barbara Harris |
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