COMMEMORATING the 50th anniversary of William Gallacher’s death at the age of 83 in 1965, a striking element in this exhibition is the colour film footage shot by local trade unionist William McQuilken of his funeral and the tributes paid to him that year.

An estimated 6,000 mourners took part, with over 20,000 looking on.

Also on view are just some of WilGallacher’s published books and a story board which charts his political activity from the temperance movement in Paisley and his trade union roots on the Clyde to his periods of imprisonment and the building of the British Communist Party.

His election to Parliament in West Fife in 1935 and his support for international communism and peace feature prominently, marked by the bronze bust of Gallacher by world-renowned Soviet sculptor Evgeny Yuchetich.

Another fascinating exhibit is Gallacher’s scrapbook with newspaper reports of the funeral and a collection of moving obituaries.

One in his local paper the Paisley Daily Express declares: “He was a working-class Member of Parliament in the full sense of the term, on every question and at all times defending the interests of the working class.”

There is room for his political opponents too. The Scottish Daily Express conceded that: “He brought humour to the glum creed of Marx.”

Arthur Milligan’s Daily Worker report of the funeral lists a roll call of some of the outstanding working-class leaders and intellectuals of the last century.

Speaking at the funeral, Keir Hardie’s son-in-law Emrys Hughes, Labour MP for South Ayrshire, told the mourners: “He stood for a socialist society, a world without want, and peace.

“He was one of the great contemporary figures of modern politics.”

And John Gollan, then general secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain, paid tribute to Gallacher as: “The living embodiment of all the qualities that made an outstanding communist leader and a man among men: honesty, courage, integrity, principle and clarity of purpose.”

According to Labour Provost Thomas Barbour: “Willie Gallacher deeply loved Paisley. I have often wondered if he ever realised how deeply Paisley loved him.”

This exhibition is a small but gentle reminder that half a century on Barbour’s words still ring true and Renfrewshire Council is to be congratulated for mounting this exhibition, which is accompanied by the warm and authoritative essay William Gallacher: A Paisley Communist in Parliament by John Foster.

This initiative demonstrates the importance of local and working-class history and is another shining example of the vital role of elected local government in keeping it alive.

This spirit of working-class endeavour draws from an inspirational source in looking forward.

• The exhibition runs until September 19 at the Paisley Heritage Centre in Paisley Central Library. As part of the Our Class, Our Culture series, the Morning Star is holding a public meeting “Willie Gallacher: Agitator and MP” in Paisley Town Hall at 7pm on Wednesday December 3, with speakers Jim Whyte and Councillor Mike Holmes.