Obituary: Roy Corke 1945-2018

Wirral Socialist Party members were shocked to hear of the unexpected death of Roy Corke.

Roy joined the Socialist Party only three years ago, yet had such an impact that it felt we had known him much longer. Into his 70s Roy demonstrated that age is no barrier.

Saturday campaign stalls were Roy’s forte – every Saturday from 10-1, Roy would be there. Our tremendous fighting fund and paper sales over the last few years have been boosted by Roy’s input.

With his cheeky charm, and easy patter, “cancel the Sundays and read the Socialist – the truth’s in there”, he always made a connection. His relentless positivity even on damp, miserable mornings in Birkenhead kept us going: “We’ve done better than if we hadn’t been here.”

From the terraced houses of Barry Street, close to Goodison Park, it was only natural that Roy would be working class, a socialist and an Evertonian. A rich and varied life saw him singing in the pubs, working on the docks and selling insurance, among many other things.

Roy was always the first to make a contribution in meetings and played a key role in visiting picket lines. He was always encouraging people to join: “I should have done it years ago”. He had already bought his ticket for this year’s Socialism 2018 – his enthusiasm was inspiring.

A proud family man, he is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He will be missed by all, but not forgotten.

David Jones, Wirral Socialist Party