I would like to pay tribute to Wilfrid Price who died on Thursday,2nd September at Overgate Hospice, Elland, West Riding of Yorkshire,aged 87 years.I had the pleasure of knowing Wilfrid through his latter years andthroughout them he never wavered in his support for Social Credit.Many readers of the local paper, the “Evening Courier”, will befamiliar with his letters as he was arguably one of the most prolificcontributors. His letters were always well argued, very readable andalways on the side of the people.His fully reasoned and eminently justifiable attacks on thefraudulent banking system always made a refreshing and welcome changeto the bland and deceitful posturing of various arms of theestablishment. Wilfrid always wanted to liberate us from the yoke offinancial tyranny and unpayable debt and he used most of his 87 yearsto pursue this goal not only on our behalf here in Yorkshire but alsofor the people who starve to death in the midst of plenty all overthe world.Wilf was an original member of the Greenshirt movement, forerunnersof the Greens of today, and had plenty of tales to tell of clasheswith Moseley’s Blackshirt fascists. Indeed, Wilf was arrested atone time for attacking fascists and another time for depositingdustbins full of rubbish on Montague Norman’s front doorstep. Why?Because Montague Norman was the Governor of the Bank of England atthat time and had treasonably funded the armament of NaziGermany. This was more than enough to incense Wilfrid who knew fullwell how bankers worked and the nature and causes of war.Wilf was also a member of the Kibbo Kift Kindred<http://www.enduser.co.uk/kibbokift/>. This group might sound a bitstrange to modern ears, but the Kindred were a pacifist alternative toBaden-Powell’s scouting movement. They broke away in 1920, with JohnHargrave as their leader, in a protest against a perceived drivetowards militarism in Baden-Powell’s movement. Among the members ofthe K.K.K.’s Advisory Council were to be found such luminaries asJulian Huxley and H.G. Wells. Interestingly, a splinter group of theKindred survives today - the Woodcraft Folk - and long may theyprosper.WWII put paid to the strongly advancing Social Credit movement of the30’s due mainly to abundant money being made available for the wareffort by the banks and politicians (strange how it is they never putmoney our way in peacetime, n’est pas?). Wilf was frequentlymisunderstood in his later years probably due to the fact that hemore or less single-handedly carried the torch of Social Credit withhim and his head must have battered the wall many, many times, in hisquest to enlighten the public. He became a familiar sight withinHardcastle Craggs (next door to where he lived at Midgehole) where heused to engage in conversation over the years with hundreds uponhundreds of the general public.Wilf produced many pamphlets and amongst them was a realistic plan tosave the textile industry here in the West Riding. To their credit,the Courier printed this on October 21st 1981, and it ould still beara reprint to help an ailing district to find its feet again in thefinancially troubled times of today. It is a great pity that thepeople then did not realise that Wilf really did have the answers.Perhaps now they might listen. His large heart was further touchedby the plight of the Vietnamese Boat People and he launched, withlittle success, a campaign to try and provide some sort of sanctuaryfor them in the Falklands.Wilf, though, was by no means a single issue man; his interestsextended to poetry (he won prizes, e.g., Honours Certificate at theWharfedale Music Festival) and included writing a book of humour.Above all else in his non-political world, apart, of course, from hisfamily, he liked nothing better than being Father Christmas and in1998 he celebrated 25 years of being Santa Claus. He had along white and very real beard that was frequently put to the test bychildren and then by the presenter of YTV’s “Calendar” when heappeared in full glory to serve presents to disabled children duringhis 20th year. He loved it.Throughout his life, Wilf devoutly believed in children and alwaysadvocated a policy of refraining from smacking. He was a greatbeliever in children’s rights and had ties with Summerhill School,sending a son there.He will be remembered fondly, not perhaps for being a travellingsalesman (industrial cleaning chemicals), nor for being an ex-publicschoolboy (Imperial Services College, Windsor), but for hisgenerous spirit and his unwavering belief in a fair monetary systemand in humanity. He will be sorely missed by those of us who believein the same ideals best expressed in the motto:In a world of PLENTY, there is no need for POVERTY and INTEREST-DEBT.We have the technology to feed, house and clothe all people on EARTHwithout destroying our environment. Whatever is physically possibleand socially desirable can be made financially possible. This isEVERYONE’S CONCERN and it is URGENT.A lovely old man. Rest in Peace, Wilf. John ThomasPhoto: J Thomas