Background
Hyde grew up in Bristol and was brought up as a Methodist.
Hyde grew up in Bristol and was brought up as a Methodist.
In his youth he was active in a number of political organisations which brought him into contact with Communists. He became a Methodist lay preacher and continued this work for some time in parallel with membership of the Communist party. He was once jailed for two years in south-east Asia while trying to agitate for Communist reforms.
After a period working in North Wales he moved to London in 1938 and became the news editor of the Daily Worker.
After his resignation, he published an autobiography, I Believed. The Autobiography of a Former British Communist.
He also wrote a book, Dedication and Leadership, about his experiences and the specific tactics of the Communists especially in the way that they recruited their members and built them into leaders.
He was an early convert to Communism, at age 17 in 1928.