CELTIC LEAGUE PRESS INFORMATION
INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST AND COMMITTED SUPPORTER OF THE LEAGUE
The obituary set below was complied by Rhisiart Tal-e-bot of the Celtic
League Cornish branch:
“Royston Green, the first Secretary of the Cornwall Branch of the
Celtic League, passed away on the 5th October 2002. Roy, who was
in his early 80’s was Branch Secretary from 1962 to the early 1970’s
and kept in contact with Branch activities until his death.
Fortunately, in September 2002 all Branch documents and papers in
Roy’s possession relating to the activities of the Cornwall Branch
during his time as Secretary, were passed on to be archived at the
National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, where they are now kept, along with other material from the Celtic League. As Roy commented back in September, he was pleased that a resolution he had made in the 1970’s, to archive material from all Branches in one place, was finally being implemented.
Below are some extracts from the funeral address given by Fr. Ian
Tucker, Team Vicor, Redruth Ministry at the burial of Roy at Carnmenellis Churchyard on Friday 11th October 2002, along with some additional information that Roy passed on to me at our last meeting.
Roy was raised in Somerset and Dorset into a farming family. He was
a pupil of Yeovil Grammar School and then moved on to Exeter where
he gained his degree.
Roy loved Cornwall and regularly visited his relatives near Bodmin
as a child and a young man and always wanted to live there. In fact
some of Roy’s first memories was as a child in Cornwall.
In 1946 he married his wife Blanche, his life-time companion who died
in 1999 with whom he shall be laid to rest with his son David who
died some 20 years ago.
As a young man, Roy’s interest in politics led him to join the Communist Party, of which he remained an active and devoted member all his life. Roy was instrumental in forming the Cornish Branch of the Communist Party.
In the post war years, Roy became a teacher, a profession to which
he was completely dedicated. So much so, that family holidays often
included invitations to boys from underprivileged social; backgrounds
in the north, to join Roy, Blanche and their two children for holidays
in Scotland and Ireland.
Roy and the family returned from living in St Helen’s, Lancashire
to Cornwall in 1959. Here in Cornwall he taught Geography at CornwallTechnical College. His love of Cornwall and its traditions, historyand culture must have been instrumental in Roy studying the Cornish language of which he became a Bard of the Gorsedd in 1964. Roy’s Bardic name was Trevesyk or “Countryman”. Roy was active within Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall as well as the Celtic League, the subjects of which were passions of Roy.
In 1972, Roy and Blanche travelled to East Germany where he taught
English until his retirement in 1976.
Roy loved Ireland and in 1961 bought a cottage there. He last visited
Ireland in March this year, but didn’t get to visit as often as he
would have liked to.
Roy died at his house, aptly named “Tranquilla”, in Carnmenellis,
Cornwall and leaves a daughter, Jenny and a grandson, Michael who
still live in Cornwall” (R. Tal-e-bot).
In addition to Roy’s work for the Cornish branch and also his lifelong
dedication to the International Socialist cause he also carried on
an active role on the League General Council holding the post of Treasurer for many years. It was in this role that I, initially as Assistant Secretary General and subsequently got to know Roy. His commitment to the Inter Celtic cause was unswerving and he was very much to the fore just prior to his death in reviving the league branch in Cornwall.
He will be sorely missed.
Bernard Moffatt
Secretary General
10/01/03
The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries of the
western British Isles and Brittany. It works to promote cooperation
between these countries and campaigns on a broad range of political,
cultural and environmental matters. It targets human rights abuse
and monitors all military activity within these areas.
TEL (UK)01624 877918 MOBILE (UK)07624 491609
Internet site at https://www.manxman.co.im/cleague/index.html
news site at: https://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league
b.moffatt@…