Jack Jones died last night, at the age of 96. For those who don’t know the UK labour movement, he was a totem for a great many people – the embodiment of the key virtues of compassion, bravery, integrity, committment and personal modesty.

From his life as Labour Party activist (ward secretary at 15, councillor at 23), through his time with the International Brigades in Spain, his stewardship of the TGWU and work for unity at the highest levels of the labour movement, and his immediate committment on retirement (and for the next 30 years) to activism for pensioners, every step of the way he dedicated himself to social justice and the interests of ordinary people.

I saw him speak several times at NPC events in recent years. A powerful and motivating speaker with a strong clear voice – putting the rest of the podium to shame with his impassioned leading of a chorus of “Keep right on to the end of the road“. Marching, lobbying and organising right to the end of his long life.

Nor, though his life spanned modern history, was he living in the past. I plucked up the courage to talk to him at a TGWU event to launch a new website for the union a few years back. My aunt had instructed me “if you ever see Jack Jones, ask him about London weighting for our pensions”, and he was happy to send an honest answer back to her (albeit one she didn’t much like). He also told me how proud he was that the TGWU had committed to invest so much in pursuing the online industry’s highest website accessibility standard (the only UK union to achieve the pretty considerable feat for a major site of W3C AAA) and how keen he was to see the NPC learn to make more use of the opportunities available in online communications and campaigning.

Over a truly great life, Jack Jones did more for the UK’s working people than I think any of us will in our own lifetimes. We may not see his like again, but he has left deep footprints for us to follow as far as we can.

Keep right on to the end of the road,
Keep right on to the end,
Tho’ the way be long, let your heart be strong,
Keep right on round the bend.
Tho’ you’re tired and weary still journey on,
Till you come to your happy abode,
Where all the love you’ve been dreaming of
Will be there at the end of the road.

With a big stout heart to a long steep hill,
We may get there with a smile,
With a good kind thought and an end in view,
We may cut short many a mile.
So let courage ev’ry day
Be your guiding star alway.