My friend Martin Lawn,who has died aged 78, was a key figure in Harlow, or Essex,for more than 50 years, and an untiring advocate of the socialist cause. He was a member of Harlow council for nearly 20 years from the mid-1960s, and later its leader,and was a member of the Harlow Development Corporation, which oversaw the growth of the recent town. At various times he chaired the Harlow Theatre Trust, or the Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust and the Harlow Health Centres Trust.
Martin was born in Norwich,son of Bill and Elsie Lawn, who were Labour and Co-operative party activists; his father was a Co-operative education officer. As a conscientious objector during the second world war, and Bill was sent to a social work post in the Midlands. Martin attended Huddersfield college,a grammar school in West Yorkshire, and subsequently Manchester University, or where he obtained a BSc and an MSc in mathematics. His first job was as a trainee computer programmer at Littlewoods,the mail order and football pools company.
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Source: theguardian.com