Hands Off Russia

The movement was encouraged by the fledgling Communist International and ultimately emulated in several other countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.

[2] The initial committee members were: Mary Bamber, Isaac Brassington, John Bromley, Alexander Gordon Cameron, Rhys Davies, Robert Dunstan, William Gallacher, W. T. Goode, Alex Gossip, Harold Granville Grenfell, David Kirkwood, George Lansbury, Cecil L'Estrange Malone, Ernest Mander, Tom Mann, John Edmund Mills, Tom Myers, George Peet, Fred Shaw, Robert Smillie, Ben Spoor, and James Winstone.

Partly due to the agitation of Harry Pollitt, future leader of the Communist Party of Great Britain,[4] who had at this point quit his job as national organiser of the movement and returned to working in the dock yards,[1] a deputation of dockers was sent to speak with Ernest Bevin, who was then a senior official of the docker's union.

[5] The movement failed to prevent the sailing of a number of other ships laden with arms for Poland, including the Danish steamer Neptune on 1 May 1920, and two Belgian barges.

The subsequent Polish victory in the battle of Warsaw on 16 August rendered the issue moot by making an intervention to save Poland unnecessary.