Cyril Bence
Encyclopedia
Cyril Raymond Bence was a British
toolmaker, part-time lecturer and politician.
, was born near Bristol
, the son of a farmer and meat purveyor. He went to school in Newport, Monmouthshire but left school when he was 14. After working at first as an articled clerk to a solicitor, he moved into engineering with an apprenticeship at Ashworth, Son and Company who made weighing machines. He later became a weighing machine manager; during the depression of the 1930s he went back into farming, but in 1938 he moved to Birmingham
to go back into the skilled engineering trade.
, Bence was the Labour Party
candidate in Birmingham Handsworth
. He fought the same seat in the 1950
general election and at a byelection in November 1950, but could not defeat the Conservatives.
, Bence was chosen as candidate by the Labour Party in East Dunbartonshire
, a constituency in two parts which included some heavy industry on the north bank of the River Clyde
. He kept the seat for Labour, and represented it until he retired at the 1970 general election
.
Always on the back-benches, Bence served as a member of the Estimates Committee in the 1964-1966 Parliament, and was Parliamentary Private Secretary
to Patrick Gordon Walker
from 1964 and to Anthony Crosland
from 1965 to 1967. He played a key role in securing government subsidy for the building of the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
ocean liner, which
, the historian and President of New Hall, Cambridge
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
toolmaker, part-time lecturer and politician.
Earlier career
Bence, a WelshmanWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, was born near Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, the son of a farmer and meat purveyor. He went to school in Newport, Monmouthshire but left school when he was 14. After working at first as an articled clerk to a solicitor, he moved into engineering with an apprenticeship at Ashworth, Son and Company who made weighing machines. He later became a weighing machine manager; during the depression of the 1930s he went back into farming, but in 1938 he moved to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
to go back into the skilled engineering trade.
Wartime work
He made a name for himself during the Second World War (he was in a 'reserved occupation' not liable to call-up, but was also a pacifist), leading increased production and lecturing to other factories on how to contribute to the war effort; he also served on the Birmingham Trades Council from 1942 to 1945. He was a member of the National Union of Scalemakers, which later joined the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers.Politics
At the 1945 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
, Bence was the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate in Birmingham Handsworth
Birmingham Handsworth (UK Parliament constituency)
Birmingham Handsworth was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Handsworth district of Birmingham. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
. He fought the same seat in the 1950
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
general election and at a byelection in November 1950, but could not defeat the Conservatives.
Parliament
For the 1951 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
, Bence was chosen as candidate by the Labour Party in East Dunbartonshire
East Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency)
East Dunbartonshire is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, a constituency in two parts which included some heavy industry on the north bank of the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
. He kept the seat for Labour, and represented it until he retired at the 1970 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
.
Always on the back-benches, Bence served as a member of the Estimates Committee in the 1964-1966 Parliament, and was Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to Patrick Gordon Walker
Patrick Gordon Walker
Patrick Chrestien Gordon Walker, Baron Gordon-Walker CH, PC was a British Labour Party politician. He was a Member of Parliament for nearly thirty years, and served twice as a Cabinet minister...
from 1964 and to Anthony Crosland
Anthony Crosland
Charles Anthony Raven Crosland , otherwise Tony Crosland or C.A.R. Crosland, was a British Labour Party politician and author. He served as Member of Parliament for South Gloucestershire and later for Great Grimsby...
from 1965 to 1967. He played a key role in securing government subsidy for the building of the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to simply as the QE2, is an ocean liner that was operated by Cunard from 1969 to 2008. Following her retirement from cruising, she is now owned by Istithmar...
ocean liner, which
Family
Bence was the father of Valerie PearlValerie Pearl
Dr Valerie Louise Pearl is an historian, noted for work on the English Civil War and was the second President of New Hall, Cambridge.-Life:Pearl is the daughter of Cyril Bence, the former Labour Party Member of Parliament for...
, the historian and President of New Hall, Cambridge
New Hall, Cambridge
Murray Edwards College is a women-only constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It was founded as "New Hall" in 1954, at a time when Cambridge had the lowest proportion of women undergraduates of any university in the United Kingdom, and when only two other colleges admitted women...
.