Afore readin Marx he learnt fittin richt
an the sins o the market an power,
frae Grans tales an deith’s holds constant threit.
Resolved tae serve the puir an ne’er cower,
the deith o royal bluid gae Whitehall a jolt,
an he wis jiled fir wirds ginst wrangs an wars.
This prood airchitect o the Clyde’s revolt,
frae cauld deith tae annals his name soars.
Hearts broke, the dour lamped past red sickled flags,
hung frae the sills o mournin tenements.
The toons broad left, as yin in suits an rags,
strode oot ginst the dreich winters elements.
Tae young, the muivements howp an licht wis gane,
fir aye in Eastwood’s yird his banes remain.

Martin Goldie’s collection, A Kist of Treasure: The Life and Death of John Maclean (Seahorse Publications) is a compelling account of the struggles and achievements of one of Scotland’s greatest socialist heroes who died in Glasgow on 30 November 1923. Such was the regard in which Maclean was held that his funeral was the largest ever seen in Glasgow.