They inspired the Bristol Radical History Group #5 – Ian Bone

[Our comrades at the BRHG are celebrating their 20th anniversary, and their influences.]

Anarchist agitator, Ian Bone, co-founder of Class War in the 1980s, and the ‘smiter of the high and mighty’ The Bristolian scandal sheet around 2000, played a major part in getting Bristol Radical History Group off the ground in 2006.

But the story goes back a lot longer than that. I remember going to a Class War day-school in the 1980s where Ian spoke about British history, particularly the English revolution and the Republic of the 1640s/50s. Funny as always, he introduced us to books like the The World Turned Upside Down[1] and The making of the English working class.[2] If you had only done history at school in the 1970s, then these opened our minds to a whole new world. I was hooked and the rest is history.

In 2005, Ian was already doing radical history walks and running an anarchist book club in Bristol with his longtime partner Jane, when we first came up with the idea of of BRHG. He encouraged us, provided many contacts (several of whom are part of the group today) and gave us plenty of ideas. He also played a direct role in the early events, helping organise and compering the mass recreation in Bristol city centre of the blasphemous ride of radical Quaker James Nayler in 1656,[3] giving talks on the 1831 and 1980 riots,[4] and speaking about the forgotten 1919 revolutionaries[5] at the opening of the Hydra bookshop. His talks were always fascinating, funny as fuck, and opened up hidden histories to even the most well read revolutionaries.

Although suffering from Parkinson’s disease over the last few years, Ian continued to be proper troublemaker, not only on the streets with Jane, but inspiring and acting in films like Armed Love[6] about the Russian Left Social Revolutionist (SR) leader Maria Spiridonova, and recreating the Fifth Monarchist rising[7] against the restoration of the monarchy in London in 1660.

Massive respect to Ian and Jane for their ongoing passion and inspiration.

Roger

Notes

1, https://www.brh.org.uk/site/2026/02/they-inspired-us-2-christopher-hill-and-the-world-turned-upside-down/ 
2, https://www.brh.org.uk/site/book-reviews/the-making-of-the-english-working-class/ 
3, https://www.brh.org.uk/site/articles/bristol-radical-history-week-2006-james-nayler-commemoration/ 
4, https://www.brh.org.uk/site/events/insurrectionary-bristol-1831/ 
5, https://www.brh.org.uk/site/events/hydra-bookshop-opening/ 
6, https://www.brh.org.uk/site/events/film-showing-spiridonova-armed-love/ 
7, https://www.brh.org.uk/site/articles/unfinished-business/ 

From ‘They inspired us #5 – Ian Bone’ https://www.brh.org.uk/site/2026/09/they-inspired-us-5-ian-bone/ 

[Apparently Ian is ‘well chuffed’ with this. We send best wishes to him, Jane and to the Bristol Radical History Group.]