William Rust

Who was William Rust?

William Charles Rust was a British newspaper editor and communist activist.

Born in Camberwell, Rust began working at Hulton's Press Agency, before moving to the Workers Dreadnought communist newspaper. He joined the Communist Party of Great Britain shortly after its foundation, and in 1923 he joined its executive, as a representative of the Young Communist League. He attended the Fifth Congress of the Communist International in Moscow.

In 1925, Rust was one of 12 members of the Communist Party convicted at the Old Bailey under the Incitement to Mutiny Act 1797, and was given twelve months imprisonment.

In 1930, Rust became the first editor of the party's newspaper, the Daily Worker. He was in the post for two years, before becoming the CPGB's representative in Moscow, then after a period as a party organiser in Lancashire, he became the Daily Worker's correspondent with the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War.

Rust returned as editor of the Daily Worker in 1939, remaining in the post until his death in 1949, aged 45. He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium.