John MacLean: Political Pariah and Champion of the Scottish Working Class

On January 25th of this year I published information on the above John MacLean in my separate ancestry blog

By a chance meeting with a local today I learned that John MacLean is a person of historical importance.The following extract is taken from an article in the Scottish Banner publication:-

This year marks 100 years since the death of John Maclean, “the most dangerous man in Britain” and “Lenin’s man in Scotland”.  A Glaswegian born of Highland parents, he was the leading light in the Red Clydeside era. He died at just aged 44 from pneumonia after he’d given his only overcoat to a destitute man. His funeral was one of the largest ever in Glasgow and he was considered both a political pariah and champion of the Scottish working class.

Today, MacLean would be categorised as a hard left militant but from another angle he was simply trying to improve the lot of the grinding poverty in working class Glasgow of the time.He died because he gave his only coat to a destitute man who lacked such apparel.

 More Information

For more information on Scotland’s industrial history, it’s cities and much more please refer to the Visitors’ Guide to Scotland, ISBN 978-1-9161332-0-4. This book is also available via Kindle.