International Socialist Friendship in Manchester.

I forgot to mention that the lively Secretary of the Manchester Branch of the GB-GDR Friendship Society was Walter Wainwright, full time TGWU Officer; the Chair was Ken Sharples, Engineer and JP; Mike Else from the TGWU was the Treasurer.

We met monthly at the TGWU Offices at the Crescent, Salford.

We had pensioners, unemployed people, students and trade union members in our ranks.

We went on regular coaches of delegates/visitors to places like Berlin, Rostock, Dresden, Erfut, Karl Marx Stadt.

Ironically, the National Secretary of the Society was called: Jack Berlin.

Fond memories; such international socialist friendship and solidarity is sadly missed today in the current era of aggressive, rapacious, nasty US and British imperialist domination.

We also had a strong North West British-Vietnam Friendship Society run by Jack Askins, TGWU, Ex Bus Conductor. After Jack died. the Chair became Ken Sharples.

Finally, we had a big British Soviet Friendship Society body led by Con Russell,Terry Perkins,Dick Hartman and Roy Whitfield.

Back in 1985, they organised a Peaceful Coexistence Conference at the Royal Northern School of Music in Manchester. The main contributor was the famous actor and diplomat Peter Ustinov. Soviet Embassy staff were in attendance.

Happy Times.

Now in late 2009, we are going to establish a Korean Friendship Association in Manchester after a successful meeting at the Friends Meeting House on the 31st of October. Established in 2000, the KFA UK body (Chair Dermot Hudson)works to extend international friendship and understanding between the DPRK and the people of Britain.

There is also an active Manchester Branch of the Cuban Solidarity Campaign.

The Manchester Labour Council supported all these friendship societies.