Harry Leslie Smith: Jeremy Corbyn leads support for seriously ill war veteran and left-wing activist

‘I can assure you, I am not ready to die because I have too much work to do,’ 95-year-old says

Second World War veteran and left-wing political activist Harry Leslie Smith is “critically ill” in hospital in Canada, his family have said.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has lead thousands of supporters wishing Mr Smith a speedy recovery.

The 95-year-old was “not in a good way” and had been taken into A&E, his son John said.

Mr Smith is understood to have fallen ill hours before he was due to fly back to the UK.

Before taking a turn for the worse he tweeted: “Bugger of a day, had a fall and now I am in hospital. It’s nothing just low blood pressure, but signing off for the next few hours.”

This was followed by a tweet which read: “This is Harry Leslie Smith’s son, John. Harry is in A&E and not in a good way. He asked me to inform you in case things don’t work out. I will keep you posted.”

Mr Corbyn said: “Very sorry to hear this. Please pass on my best to Harry. We need him to get well soon as the National Health Service, and our movement, needs him.”

Since then, Mr Smith’s son has posted regular updates on his father’s health and has retweeted messages of support, mostly from left-wing individuals and organisations.

The general secretary of Unite union Len McClusky was among those wishing him the best, as was author Matt Haig, MP Karl Turner and the International Rescue Committee.

Speaking to The Independent, Mr Smith’s son said: “He’s still in critical condition. His blood pressure isn’t great but it’s on the borderline of acceptable. However, it’s medication that is doing this.

“I think what anyone can learn from Harry is you don’t have to be silent in a world gone mad. You can speak up and if your voice is honest and true be heard. He is honestly, just an ordinary man who wouldn’t allow his past to be forgotten that history would repeat.”

He added: “He wants the suffering of his generation to be a warning to others not to allow populism or right-wing politics to erode the progress the Social Welfare State has given to ordinary folk”.

After being examined by a doctor, Mr Smith said: “I can assure you, I am not ready to die because I have too much work to do.”

The younger Mr Smith also said his father had asked him to buy a tin of chocolates for all the nursing staff.

Mr Smith became well known after addressing the 2015 Labour conference, moving many to tears with his recollections of life and death in the UK before the existence of the NHS.

His sister died when she was 10 years old from tuberculosis, with the family unable to afford a doctor.

“We must never ever let the NHS free from our grasp because if we do your future will be my past,” he said.

He also described returning from the Second World War and voting for Clement Attlee’s Labour government in the 1945 general election.

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“It was the proudest day of my life, voting for the creation of the NHS,” he said.