Anna Mendelssohn: Difference between revisions

| name = Anna Mendelssohn

| birth_name = Anna Mendleson

| pseudonym = Grace Lake

| birth_date = {{Birth year|1948}}

| death_date = {{Death date and age |2009|11|15|1948| | |df=yes}}

| alma_mater = [[University of Essex]],

In September 1967, MendlessohnMendleson went downup to the [[University of Essex]] to read English Literature and American History.<ref name="Background" /> In May 1968, she went to Paris, to join in the [[May 1968 in France|student political rising]]; what she saw had a great effect on her political thinking.<ref name="May 1968">Carr, "The Angry Brigade", p. 30.</ref> In 1969 she dropped out of her university course rather than continue into her final year, but remained living in [[Wivenhoe]] around the university for several months. In early 1970 she was living in York Way in the [[Kings Cross, London|King's Cross]] area of London, and was a close friend of a group including some university friends who were living a semi-communal life in [[Stamford Hill]]; among them was Hilary Creek.<ref name="London 1970">Carr, "The Angry Brigade", p. 48.</ref> MendlessohnMendleson and Creek were supporting a group which had [[Squatting|squatted]] empty flats in [[Arbour Square]] in Stepney.<ref name="Squatters">Carr, "The Angry Brigade", p. 50.</ref> She became a friend of Jim Greenfield after meeting him on leaving a political meeting.<ref name="London 1970" />

Needing a base to produce ''Strike'', the group decided to rent a flat in London. On 2 July 1971, John Barker and Hilary Creek posing as a married couple, and Mendleson using the name 'Nancy Pye', rented the top floor flat at 359 Amhurst Road in [[Stoke Newington]].<ref name="Amhurst Road">Carr, "The Angry Brigade", p. 108.</ref> One of the Mendleson's main concerns was that the group should continue to support the defence of Jake Prescott and Ian Purdie, who were charged with carrying out two bombings for [[The Angry Brigade]] anarchist group.<ref name="Prescott Purdie trial">Carr, "The Angry Brigade", p. 110-1.</ref> The duplicating equipment at Amhurst Road was used to produce Angry Brigade Communiqué No. 11 published on 31 July 1971, and Mendleson drafted the Angry Brigade Moonlighter's Cell Communiqué which followed it.<ref name="Communiqués">Carr, "The Angry Brigade", p. 114-7.</ref>

With regular police raids on people known to be supportive of the Angry Brigade and with Mendleson a wanted person (although for cheque fraud only), the police were interested in finding any addresses where she might be found. Mendleson was keeping in regular touch with her family in Stockport and a police informer there passed the Amhurst Road address to police on 18 August 1971.<ref name="Address known">Carr, "The Angry Brigade", p. 121-2.</ref> An observation was set up and when Jim Greenfield was seen leaving the flat, a search warrant was obtained. At 416:15 PM on 20 August the police entered the flat and arrested Mendleson, Creek, Barker and Greenfield. Mendleson again gave her name as Nancy Pye.<ref name="Amhurst Road raid">Carr, "The Angry Brigade", p. 122-3.</ref> The police reported that their searches of 359 Amhurst Road discovered not only duplicating equipment on which Angry Brigade publications had been produced, but a stick of [[gelignite]], two [[submachine gun]]s, a [[Browning Arms Company|Browning]] pistol and 81 rounds of ammunition. Mendleson was remanded in custody at [[Holloway (HM Prison)|Holloway Prison]] and was eventually charged with possession of the armaments and conspiracy to cause explosions. Mendleson's fingerprints were found on a copy of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine used to wrap a bomb planted at the Italian consulate in Manchester, and she was also charged with attempting to cause this explosion.<ref name="Charges">Carr, "The Angry Brigade", p. 143-5.</ref>

Such a lifestyle meant she was not greatly interested in seeing her poetry published, but others thought that her work deserved a larger audience. She is said to have had poems published in the Sheffield Free Press. Also, a volume of poetry, due to be published by the Common Ground Printing Co-operative, was reportedly removed prior to publication after the printer sought to censor the content. She was first published in 1986, according to a later reviewer, through "a series of home-made, distributed hand to hand, photographed-manuscript ''feuilles volantes''".<ref name="Bernache Nonnette review">{{cite news |url=http://www.poetrymagazines.org.uk/magazine/record.asp?id=13920 |title=Nine fine flyaway goose truths |publisher=[[Angel Exhaust]] |date=Autumn 1997|issue=15 |pages=105–110}}</ref> In 1988 two of her poems were published under the title ''La Facciata'' as issue number 5 of ''Poetical Histories'', with a cover design by the author.<ref name="Poetical histories">{{cite web |url=http://www.aprileye.co.uk/histories.html |title=Poetical Histories: the whole story |publisher=Peter Riley |access-date=19 December 2009 |archive-date=28 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228024840/http://www.aprileye.co.uk/histories.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Category:PeopleWriters from Stockport]]