I was lucky enough to meet Bob Crow (obituary, 12 March) several times, and the impression I already had of him as a big, honest character was more than confirmed. We discussed everything from our shared opposition to the EU to the film adaptation of one of my books, The Football Factory, via the novels May Day by John Sommerfield and Jew Boy by Simon Blumenfeld.
Bob came from the East End of London and both those works capture the revolutionary flavour of the area in the 1930s. As part of an RMT drive to support working-class literature, the union sponsored their release through London Books, a company I co-founded. The launch of Jew Boy was held in the Brown Bear, near Cable Street, once run by Bob's auntie, and Bob spoke to a packed pub. It was a warm day and Bob was in his element – pint in hand, a smile on his face, surrounded by passionate people. This is how I will always remember him.