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Robert Barltrop (6 November 1922 – 26 April 2009) was an English socialist activist, essayist, and biographer, as well as being an artist and illustrator.

Barltrop grew up in the East End of London, descended from a long line of blacksmiths, although his great-grandfather had become highly successful as a brickmaker and builder, and was responsible for the building of large numbers of houses in Walthamstow. Robert's father Edwin was a horse fodder dealer; Robert won a scholarship to the Sir George Monoux Grammar School in Walthamstow, now Sir George Monoux College. During World War II, he served with the Royal Air Force, but was invalided out with tuberculosis before seeing active service.

He was for many years a member of the Socialist Party of Great Britain, and edited their magazine The Socialist Standard. His written contributions were prolific, and he also contributed illustrations of his own making. He had various careers, and at different times was a professional boxer, a labourer, a strip cartoonist, a schoolteacher and a sign-painter. Barltrop also published widely and his books include: The Monument: Story of the Socialist Party of Great Britain (1975), Jack London: The Man, the Writer, the Rebel (1977), Muvver Tongue with Jim Wolveridge (1980), A Funny Age (Growing up in North East London between the Wars) (1985). He was also writing Yes Mush: A Cockney Dictionary: The Cockney Language and Its World, intended to be published in 2004, but remaining unfinished at the end of his life.

In the late 1950s, he produced a series of illustrated panels on aspects of the history of Walthamstow, north-east London; these were published weekly in the Walthamstow Guardian. Later, he was a regular contributor to the Newham Recorder newspaper, producing some 1200 illustrated weekly articles for them during a 24-year period up to his death, and contributing also to other Recorder titles.

Robert Barltrop was President of the Waltham Forest Local History Society, and was a proud and respected member of the Old Monovians Association, the 'old boys' organisation of the Monoux School.

He was admitted to Newham General Hospital but died after a short illness on 26 April 2009.

References

1. Barltrop, Robert (1975). The monument : the story of the Socialist Party of Great Britain (Short-run ed.). London: Pluto Press. ISBN 0904383008.
2. Jack London: The Man, the Writer, the Rebel. : Pluto P. 1978. ISBN 0904383199.
3. Barltrop, Robert; Wolveridge, Jim (1980). The muvver tongue. London : Journeyman Pr. ISBN 0904526461.
4. Barltrop, Robert (1985). A funny age. Walthamstow: London Borough of Waltham Forest Libraries and Arts Dept. ISBN 0901974196.
5. "Recorder columnist dies in hospital". Tower Hamlets Recorder. London: Archant Regional. 28 April 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2012.

Further reading

• Collection Description of the Robert Barltrop archive, held at the Bishopsgate Institute, London.

• Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
• English biographers
• English essayists
• English socialists
• Writers from London
• 1922 births
• 2009 deaths
• Socialist Party of Great Britain members
• People educated at Sir George Monoux College
• 20th-century British biographers
• 20th-century English essayists