The son of a Welsh miner, and himself a miner, Aneurin
(Nye) Bevan was one of the most influential and
charismatic figures in the history of the British Labour
Party. An outstanding speaker, he became member of
Parliament for Ebbw Vale, in 1929. He clashed with the
party in 1939 over what he considered to be its
ambivalence towards Hitler. He edited the socialist
magazine Tribune during the war, then became Minister of
Health in the Attlee government of 1945. His single greatest
achievement was the inauguration of the National Health Service - though he later resigned (in 1951) over the introduction of NHS charges, leading a Bevanite faction against the government.
In 1956 he became chief Labour spokesperson on foreign affairs, and
