Born at Crawford Priory in Fife, where his father was head gardener, Gossip was educated at Madras Academy, leaving at the age of fourteen to complete an apprenticeship as a cabinet-maker.
[1] Gossip opposed World War I, working closely with NAFTA's national organiser, Fred Bramley, to commit the union to his position.
He strongly supported the October Revolution, but was not a Marxist and so decided not to join the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB).
He also served on the first executive of the League Against Imperialism, and repeatedly called for the CPGB to be permitted to affiliate to the Labour Party.
[1] When the CPGB adopted Third Period policies of breaking with existing trade unions, he was unhappy, and spoke out against their claims that unorganised workers had a more revolutionary character.