After reading The Communist Manifesto in 1886, Mann became a communist. He was a union activist, being one of the leading figures in the London dock strike of 1889. He was responsible for organising relief for the strikers and their families.
With the support of other unions and various organisations, the strike was successful. The Eastbourne International Workers Mural features the young Tom Mann amongst other great unionists on the Call to Unite panel no 4.
Did he visit Engels in Eastbourne? There are conflicting accounts. Promotional material for “The Engels in Eastbourne Conference 2023,” stated that Tom Mann and Eleanor Marx were frequent visitors to Engels. Other sources dispute this e.g. research by Hymie Fagan (1975), published by the University of Brighton.