Strachan, William

Billy Strachan was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He arrived in England in March 1940 and joined the Royal Air Force. He became an air gunner and then a flight lieutenant. He returned briefly to Jamaica and then came back to England in 1947. He was a member of the Communist Party and the secretary of the London branch of the Caribbean Labour Congress. He founded and edited a monthly journal, Caribbean News. He left the Communist Party in 1967 but continued to take a great interest in the politics and history of the West Indies. He remained a close friend of Cheddi and Janet Jagan of the People's Progressive Party of Guyana.

From the guide to the Billy Strachan papers, c1935-c1999, (Institute of Commonwealth Studies at Senate House Library)