Drumaux, Marc

Born May 10, 1922, in Ath, Hainaut Province. Leader in the Belgian workers’ and communist movement.

Drumaux was the son of a railroad worker. After graduating from school in 1941 he started working on the railroad, where he established contact with the leaders of the Resistance Movement. In 1942, while underground, Drumaux joined the Communist Party of Belgium (CPB). Upon instructions from the party he worked with young people, took part in forming partisan detachments, and disseminated illegal printed materials. During the postwar years Drumaux was active in party work. Prior to 1959 he was a member of the Federal Committee and the secretariat of the Tournai Federation (which included this city and its adjacent regions) of the CPB. In 1957 he became a member of the Central Committee of the CPB and in 1960 was elected a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPB; during 1963-65 he was also a member of the Committee’s Secretariat. In December 1966, Drumaux was elected deputy chairman of the CPB and chairman of the Walloon wing of the Central Committee of the CPB. In September 1968 he was elected chairman of the CPB. Since 1961 he has been a deputy to parliament from the mining district of Borinage and from 1965 to 1968 served as chairman of the Communist faction in parliament.