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1938 - 1943
Peter Fryer was an English Marxist, writer and journalist. Among his most influential works is the 1984 book Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain.
Born in Hull in 1927, Peter Fryer was awarded a scholarship to attend Hymers College in 1938. After joining the Young Communist League in 1942, he left school in 1943 to become a reporter on the Yorkshire Post. In 1945 he became a member of the Communist Party. In 1947 he was dismissed from his job after refusing to leave the party.
In 1948 Fryer joined the staff of the Daily Worker, becoming its parliamentary correspondent but also covering foreign affairs. In 1949 he reported on the show trial of the Hungarian communist László Rajk, who had falsely confessed to being an agent of Tito and others. After Rajk's execution and eventual "rehabilitation" early in 1956 Fryer felt guilty about his acquiescence in the trial.
