Re: Amelia Stalker Newton & Alexander Stalker,
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In reply to:
Amelia Stalker Newton & Alexander Stalker,
Fiona Urquhart 4/10/02
George Taylor Stalker was born at 'The Feus', Kirriemuir, Forfarshire, on 20th September 1887 to parents John Stalker, a ploughman, later a jute weaver, and Jane Anderson. They had been married on November 7th 1884 in Forfar. The 1901 census shows the family living in Kirriemuir, with John, 43, a calendar worker, Jane, 37, and children James 15, George 13 (apprentice at boot factory), Agnes 11, Emma 9, Mary 7, Harry 5, Elizabeth 3 and Arthur 9 months.
George spent 7 years in the Black Watch, serving in India, then emigrated to the USA, age 25, on the ship SS Columbia, sailing from Glasgow and arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 13th July 1913. In America he married Susan Montgomery who had emigrated with her family from Seaham, County Durham in 1905 on the SS Marion from Liverpool. Susan had previously been married to Andrew Montgomery, an Iron Moulder. Her father was Walter Cullingford, a coal miner, and her mother was Mary Elizabeth Rutherford. Walter and his eldest son, Walter Jr, had gone to the US in 1903 and, once settled, sent for the rest of the family to join them. Five of Susan's siblings had died in infancy at Seaham. Walter Snr and Mary Elizabeth are buried in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania.
George joined the Communist Party in Sioux City, Iowa. He and Susan were arrested and were thrown out of the state for their activities, the family moving to Omaha, Nebraska before George was again arrested. This time he was deported from the USA on 7th June 1933 “for trying to overthrow the United States Government by force or violence”.
Returning to Kirriemuir, he eventually settled in Dundee with Susan and their three children; Margaret, Florence Louise and George Jr. Another daughter, Georgia, had died in America shortly before they left, following acute appendicitis. George joined the Communist Party in Dundee and became one of the leaders of the National Unemployed Workers Movement in North East Scotland. The same year, 1934, daughters Margaret and Florence (at 14) joined the Young Communist League.
At a NUWM demonstration in Dundee in February 1935, five men and one woman were arrested including George and Susan Stalker.
Between August and November 1936, George travelled on the Hunger March from Dundee to London as march cobbler, taking his lasts, hobnails and scraps of leather to repair the marchers' boots.
On 12th December 1938 he presided at a rally in Dundee City Square to welcome home the last seven of Dundee's contingent from the International Brigade. They had returned to the West Station that day after fighting against Franco's forces in the Spanish Civil War.
George died on 29th Sept 1958 at Victoria Hospital, Dundee aged 71. His occupation was given as a shoe repairer. Susan had died, age 61, on 25th April 1954 at Dundee Royal Infirmary with cancer of the pancreas. They had lived at 12 St Mary Place.