Gwyn Jones obituary

"My friend Gwyn Jones, who has died aged 75, lived and breathed revolutionary politics, and was always restless for change. Any news of an uprising somewhere in the world sent him into raptures, and he would be itching to become involved in any way he could. He went to live in Spain in the mid-1970s after the end of the Franco regime, supporting socialist causes there, and spent a number of years in post-Soviet Romania and Hungary on a similar mission."

"He was a sweet man and a flawed genius, but definitely a genius: he could gain complete mastery of any topic he chose to delve into, and his understanding of history and Marxism was a wonder to behold. Gwyn was born in Llandudno, north Wales, to Berwyn Jones, a bank clerk, and his wife, Buddug (nee Willliams). He spent his early childhood in Conwy, north Wales, before moving with his family to Ellesmere in Shropshire, where he passed the 11-plus at nine."

Gwyn Jones committed his life to revolutionary politics and socialist organizing across Europe, traveling to Spain after Franco's death and later to post-Soviet Romania and Hungary. He taught English while forging links with trade unionists and students and worked as a labourer involved in UCATT to build socialist politics among colleagues. Born in Llandudno and raised partly in Shropshire and Bangor, he excelled academically from an early age. He combined idealism with intellectual mastery, particularly in history and Marxism, attracting a small group of like-minded activists despite many unsuccessful efforts.

Read at www.theguardian.com