Keith “Beefy” Taylor R.I.P.

Posted by admin978 on June 20, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I received this email over the weekend from a comrade in Leeds.

Sad news today, that an old comrade and NS activist Beefy Taylor from Leeds died today of cancer. He’d been very ill for a while and this news has brought tears to my eyes as did seeing him when he was ill. I will not remember Beefy’s last few months, I will always remember him as a brave street fighter for the National Front, one who terrified the reds and flew our flag wherever he wanted to. Rest in peace comrade Beefy, see you in Valhalla!

KW – Leeds, Yorkshire.

“Beefy” died of cancer, in a hospice in Headingley, Leeds this weekend, aged only 52. He was an active nationalist in his native Leeds, for almost all his adult life.

Keith – known as Beefy to most of his friends (for obvious reasons if you knew him!) – was the younger brother of Pete, a former Leeds NF branch organizer in the 1980s, and came from a real family of nationalists. His father Bob (who will be better known to nationalists from outside Yorkshire) ran Leeds branch for many years and his mother, sister Karen, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law also served on the Leeds committee at times over the years – a real family of Leeds nationalists.

I knew Beefy’s brother Pete better, as for a couple of years Pete was stationed in Plymouth, with in the Royal Navy; at the time I was South West organizer for the NF. Pete would travel up from Plymouth to Torquay/Exeter to meet us for NF activities. Pete served in the Royal Navy for nine years and served in the Falklands War.

Beefy travelled down from Leeds to Exeter once to take us on at football! A Leeds NF XI played a Devon NF team. I can’t remember a whole lot about the game, which took place on a proper rented football pitch, apart from the fact that Leeds NF (like Leeds United!) were not the cleanest of teams, and not many of our side wanted to tackle Beefy! As you would expect Leeds NF won, but we didn’t hold that against them and enjoyed an enjoyable few drinks with them afterwards.

Beefy and Pete sold nationalist papers for many years in Leeds city centre and also at Elland Road, home of Leeds United F.C., every home game. And like many nationalists they were regulars at Elland Road until they started signing loads of black players and getting involved in anti-racism campaigns.

In fact Pete wrote to the club to object. The club said they didn’t want support like his and offered to refund his season ticket. A man of principle he took them up on their offer, but he couldn’t bring himself to support any of Leeds’ West Yorkshire rivals so he started travelling to Scarborough to support the local team there – Scarborough Athletic. Two years before he died he moved to Scarborough where he continued to support the football team and also helped the local BNP group to get off the ground.

Beefy however stayed in Leeds, and not being a big fan of Nick Griffin and his modernising, kept out of the post-John Tyndall BNP for the most part. He still supported JT and was there outside the Court, for the famous Race Hate trial in Leeds, shortly before JT died. I remember being in the pub afterwards with Beefy, JT, Richard Edmonds and myself all having a drink and going over the day’s events.

Beefy was a good nationalist. He will be sorely missed.

A full obituary to Keith Taylor will appear in a future issue of Heritage and Destiny magazine.

Mark Cotterill