12 Facts About Noreen Branson

Noreen Branson was a British communist activist, historian, founder of Revolt newspaper, and a life-long member of the Communist Party of Great Britain.

Noreen Branson was most known for her work as a historian, working as a researcher for the Labour Research Department, collaborating with historians Eric Hobsbawm and Roger Simon, and writing the 3rd and 4th volumes of the CPGB's official history.

Noreen Branson was born on 16 May 1910 in London, her father was colonel Alfred Browne and her paternal grandfather Henry Browne, 5th Marquess of Sligo, a UK and Irish peer.

Noreen Branson's grandparents raised her with bourgeois and aristocratic values, and presented her as a debutante in court in 1928.

Noreen Branson joined The Bach Choir in 1929, and in 1931 at the age of 20 took part in a Charity Concert at the Scarlet Theatre in east London.

Noreen Branson married Clive Branson in June 1931, and two years later the couple had their only child, the future artist Rosa Branson.

Noreen Branson's aristocratic upbringing allowed her to move throughout Europe without arousing suspicion.

Noreen Branson then joined the North Battersea Co-operative Women's Guild and represented the organisation on the Aid Spain Committee, established in 1936 by the Battersea Trades Council.

Noreen Branson sent Clive and fellow republican prisoners funding to buy cigarettes, as a way of letting the prisoners know that they had not been forgotten.

Noreen Branson published her first article in the Labour Research Department magazine in September 1938 and continued to routinely contribute to the magazine for another 65 years.

In 1944, Noreen's husband Clive Branson was killed in Burma by the Japanese when he was hit by an anti-tank shell near Point 315 at the end of the Battle of the Admin Box.

Noreen Branson was survived by her daughter Rosa Branson who was born in 1933 and is a painter.