Ernest Rogers

Who is Ernest Rogers?

Ernest Rogers was communist activist based in Glasgow during the twentieth century. Towards the end of his life he was known as the last living Oehlerite.

Rogers was born in 1914 in Glasgow to a Scottish mother and a father of Jewish and Gypsy ancestry. His mother became a music-hall dancer, meeting Charlie Chaplin and his half brother, Sid. However family pressure eventually led to her withdrawal from the stage. Rogers’ father was originally a fisherman, but moved on to become a professional gambler. The Rogers family went to Dublin and were there at the time of the Easter Rebellion.

After a brief period back in Glasgow, the family moved to Leeds, where Ernest attended meetings by Lew Davies and A J Cook. In 1929 the family returned to Glasgow. here Rogers was influenced by Guy Aldred and became involved in the free speech agitation in defence of tramp preachers. After a period of unemployment he was sent on a work scheme in Parrish Street, where he was involved in a strike. He subsequently went to Edinburgh where he worked for his board and lodging at a bookshop run by Frank Maitland.