Eliot Crawshay-Williams
Encyclopedia
Eliot Crawshay-Williams was a British author, officer, and Liberal Party
politician. He was a Member of Parliament
(MP) and Parliamentary Private Secretary
to Prime Minister Lloyd George
and Winston Churchill.
Crawshay-Williams was the son of Arthur John Williams
, a Welsh barrister and politician. He was educated at Eton
, and Trinity College
, Oxford
. He joined the Royal Field Artillery
and at the 1906 general election
stood he as a Liberal candidate in the Chorley constituency
in Lancashire
. He had been employed by Winston Churchill
at the Colonial Office from 1906 to 1908. He was elected at the January 1910 general election as MP for Leicester
, serving as parliamentary private secretary to David Lloyd George
. He resigned
from Parliament
in 1913 following his being named as co-respondent in a divorce case brought by fellow Liberal Hubert Carr-Gomm the MP for Rotherhithe
. It was as he wrote in his autobiography "the death blow of my career".
During the rest of the First World War, Crawshay-Williams saw active service in the 1st Leicestershire Royal Horse Artillery
in Egypt and Palestine from 1915-17. From 1918 to 1920 he was attached to the headquarters of the Northern Command mainly based in Egypt. During World War Two he served as Chief Civil Defence Officer at Treforest.
In later life, he devoted his time to the writing of fiction,political texts and to Welsh affairs. Eliot Crawshay-Williams wrote numerous novels, short stories, poetry, plays and film scripts. Some of his works include the screenplay Service for Ladies (1932), the play Fascination (1931) and the novel Night in the Hotel (1931). He also wrote Across Persia (1907) about his experiences on an eight-month trek across the deserts of Iran.
In June 2010, a letter written by Crawshay-Williams to Churchill, pleading with the prime minister to come to terms with Adolf Hitler
, was sold by New York publishing executive Steve Forbes
. It was written in 1940, before the U.S. had joined the war. "I'm all for winning this war if it can be done," the letter said, adding that "an informed view of the situation shows that we've really not got a practical chance of actual ultimate victory" and that "no questions of prestige should stand in the way of our using our nuisance value while we have one to get the best peace terms possible." Churchill's reply was bitingly brief and to the point. "I am ashamed of you for writing such a letter. I return it to you -- to burn and forget." The two letters combined fetched $51,264.
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician. He was a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) and 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 Prime Minister Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
and Winston Churchill.
Crawshay-Williams was the son of Arthur John Williams
Arthur John Williams
Arthur John Williams was a Welsh lawyer, author and Member of Parliament for South Glamorganshire 1885-1895.Williams was born in 1834 to Dr John Morgan Williams. Arthur John Williams was one of the trustees of the land that the village of Williamstown was built upon and that took his family name...
, a Welsh barrister and politician. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, and Trinity College
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. He joined the Royal Field Artillery
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
and at the 1906 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
stood he as a Liberal candidate in the Chorley constituency
Chorley (UK Parliament constituency)
Chorley is a county constituency represented in 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.-Boundaries:...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. He had been employed by Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
at the Colonial Office from 1906 to 1908. He was elected at the January 1910 general election as MP for Leicester
Leicester (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicester was a parliamentary borough in Leicestershire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1918, when it was split into three single-member divisions.-History:...
, serving as parliamentary private secretary to David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
. He resigned
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
from Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
in 1913 following his being named as co-respondent in a divorce case brought by fellow Liberal Hubert Carr-Gomm the MP for Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe (UK Parliament constituency)
Rotherhithe was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Rotherhithe district of South London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
. It was as he wrote in his autobiography "the death blow of my career".
During the rest of the First World War, Crawshay-Williams saw active service in the 1st Leicestershire Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
in Egypt and Palestine from 1915-17. From 1918 to 1920 he was attached to the headquarters of the Northern Command mainly based in Egypt. During World War Two he served as Chief Civil Defence Officer at Treforest.
In later life, he devoted his time to the writing of fiction,political texts and to Welsh affairs. Eliot Crawshay-Williams wrote numerous novels, short stories, poetry, plays and film scripts. Some of his works include the screenplay Service for Ladies (1932), the play Fascination (1931) and the novel Night in the Hotel (1931). He also wrote Across Persia (1907) about his experiences on an eight-month trek across the deserts of Iran.
In June 2010, a letter written by Crawshay-Williams to Churchill, pleading with the prime minister to come to terms with Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, was sold by New York publishing executive Steve Forbes
Steve Forbes
Malcolm Stevenson "Steve" Forbes, Jr. is an American editor, publisher, and businessman. He is the editor-in-chief of business magazine Forbes as well as president and chief executive officer of its publisher, Forbes Inc. He was a Republican candidate in the U.S. Presidential primaries in 1996...
. It was written in 1940, before the U.S. had joined the war. "I'm all for winning this war if it can be done," the letter said, adding that "an informed view of the situation shows that we've really not got a practical chance of actual ultimate victory" and that "no questions of prestige should stand in the way of our using our nuisance value while we have one to get the best peace terms possible." Churchill's reply was bitingly brief and to the point. "I am ashamed of you for writing such a letter. I return it to you -- to burn and forget." The two letters combined fetched $51,264.