John Litchfield (politician)
Encyclopedia
Captain John Shirley Sandys Litchfield, OBE
, RN
(27 August 1903 – 31 May 1993) was a British
Royal Navy officer and politician who became Conservative
Member of Parliament
for Chelsea
. He was noted for his connections with the Royal family.
at Dartmouth, and later studied at the Imperial Defence College
and on an exchange trip to the National War College
in the United States
.
, and later served with him on HMS Renown
when it visited the far east with the Prince of Wales
. In 1922, while at the wedding of Lord Louis Mountbatten
, Litchfield accidentally trod on the foot of former Prime Minister Herbert Asquith
, who uttered a response that was "unparliamentary and swift". That same year, it was Mountbatten who personally informed Litchfield of his father's death.
Litchfield was appointed as "King's Midshipman" for Cowes Week
of 1924, and nearly caused problems when his steamship came within inches of colliding with the Royal Yacht
. He later recalled that he heard a loud cry of "Mind my paintwork, boy!" and looked round to see that King George V
was glowering at him.
Later in the 1920s, Litchfield was called upon to reply to the toast "Wives and sweethearts" while on board Renown carrying the Duke
and Duchess of York
to Australia. He decided to end with his own toast, to the Princess Elizabeth
, and ever after claimed to have been the first person to toast the health of the Queen.
and won permission to travel via the Trans-Siberian Railway
. He stopped off in Moscow
to see the sights and when he photographed the Kremlin
, was detained by the OGPU
as a suspected spy. Litchfield was an enthusiastic photographer, both still and cine, and his footage of naval operations is valued by historians. The 1930s saw him stationed in Palestine
commanding armoured cars and trains on the land, and trying to stop Arab terrorists. He was mentioned in dispatches
for his work there.
on the Russian Convoys and aided the Allied landings in North Africa. Later in the war he moved to headquarters, planning for D-Day
; he was awarded the OBE for his work. He became Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence from 1949 to 1950 and commanded HMS Vanguard
, the Navy's last battleship from 21 December 1951 until 18 January 1953. The ship was due to take the King and Queen to South Africa
in 1952 but the King's death forced the cancellation of the trip.
and was elected to Kent County Council
in 1955, serving for a single three year term.
(Margaret Thatcher
was a fellow candidate). However he was selected for Chelsea
for the 1959 general election
(where he followed another Navy man, Allan Noble
). Chelsea was a very safe seat and his selection was controversial because Litchfield was in his fifties and not likely to become a long-standing member. Nicholas Ridley
was the choice of the minority, but Litchfield won many around by his sincerity. He was comfortably elected.
During the Profumo affair
, Litchfield was among a small group of Conservative MPs who felt that Harold Macmillan
had been mistaken in keeping Profumo in the government following his denial of any impropriety. However, Litchfield liked Profumo personally. During a Parliamentary trip to NATO headquarters, Litchfield found that all the seats in the limousines were taken, and was forced to travel sitting on Harold Wilson
's lap.
who used it to win a libel action against author David Irving
. He was also a raconteur who used his store of stories of his naval career to entertain audiences.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
(27 August 1903 – 31 May 1993) was a British
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...
Royal Navy officer and politician who became Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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,...
for Chelsea
Chelsea (UK Parliament constituency)
Chelsea was a borough constituency, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The constituency was created by the Reform Act 1867 for the 1868 general election, when it returned two Members of Parliament , elected by the bloc vote system of election.Under the...
. He was noted for his connections with the Royal family.
Education
Litchfield was the son of a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy (F.S. Litchfield-Speer), and went to the Royal Naval College at Osborne where Naval officer cadets received an education akin to a public school subsidised by the Navy. He went on from there to the Royal Naval CollegeBritannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...
at Dartmouth, and later studied at the Imperial Defence College
Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies is an internationally-renowned institution and component of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom...
and on an exchange trip to the National War College
National War College
The National War College of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. It was officially established on July 1, 1946, as an upgraded replacement for the...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Royal connections
At Dartmouth, Litchfield was asked to "keep a fraternal eye" on fellow cadet Prince Charles of BelgiumPrince Charles of Belgium
Prince Charles, Count of Flanders, Prince of Belgium was the second son of Albert I, King of the Belgians and Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria. Born in Brussels, he served in lieu of his older brother King Leopold III from 1944 until 1950 as Prince Regent until Leopold could return to Belgium and...
, and later served with him on HMS Renown
HMS Renown (1916)
HMS Renown was the lead ship of her class of battlecruisers of the Royal Navy built during the First World War. She was originally laid down as an improved version of the s. Her construction was suspended on the outbreak of war on the grounds she would not be ready in a timely manner...
when it visited the far east with the Prince of Wales
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
. In 1922, while at the wedding of Lord Louis Mountbatten
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, Litchfield accidentally trod on the foot of former Prime Minister Herbert Asquith
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC, KC served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916...
, who uttered a response that was "unparliamentary and swift". That same year, it was Mountbatten who personally informed Litchfield of his father's death.
Litchfield was appointed as "King's Midshipman" for Cowes Week
Cowes Week
Cowes Week is one of the longest-running regular regattas in the world. With 40 daily races, up to 1,000 boats, and 8,500 competitors ranging from Olympic and world class professionals to weekend sailors, it is the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world...
of 1924, and nearly caused problems when his steamship came within inches of colliding with the Royal Yacht
Royal Yacht
A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head...
. He later recalled that he heard a loud cry of "Mind my paintwork, boy!" and looked round to see that King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
was glowering at him.
Later in the 1920s, Litchfield was called upon to reply to the toast "Wives and sweethearts" while on board Renown carrying the Duke
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
and Duchess of York
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
to Australia. He decided to end with his own toast, to the Princess Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, and ever after claimed to have been the first person to toast the health of the Queen.
Naval advancement
In 1929, Litchfield was posted to the Yangtze RiverYangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
and won permission to travel via the Trans-Siberian Railway
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
. He stopped off in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to see the sights and when he photographed the Kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
, was detained by the OGPU
State Political Directorate
The State Political Directorate was the secret police of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1934...
as a suspected spy. Litchfield was an enthusiastic photographer, both still and cine, and his footage of naval operations is valued by historians. The 1930s saw him stationed in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
commanding armoured cars and trains on the land, and trying to stop Arab terrorists. He was mentioned in dispatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
for his work there.
Wartime service
During the Second World War, Litchfield served on HMS NorfolkHMS Norfolk (78)
HMS Norfolk was a County-class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy; along with her sister ship , she was part of a planned four-ship subclass.She served throughout the Second World War....
on the Russian Convoys and aided the Allied landings in North Africa. Later in the war he moved to headquarters, planning for D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
; he was awarded the OBE for his work. He became Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence from 1949 to 1950 and commanded HMS Vanguard
HMS Vanguard (23)
HMS Vanguard was a British fast battleship built during World War II and commissioned after the end of the war. She was the only ship of her class and was the biggest, fastest and last of the Royal Navy's dreadnoughts, and the final battleship to be launched in the world...
, the Navy's last battleship from 21 December 1951 until 18 January 1953. The ship was due to take the King and Queen to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1952 but the King's death forced the cancellation of the trip.
Leaving the Navy
Litchfield was struck down by polyneuritis that year and took six months' sick leave to recover. He ended his naval career as Director of Operations for the Admiralty in 1953–1954, and retired with the rank of Captain in 1955. On leaving he had already decided to go into politics with the Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and was elected to Kent County Council
Kent County Council
Kent County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Kent in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council has 84 elected councillors...
in 1955, serving for a single three year term.
Parliament
Having determined to try to enter Parliament, Litchfield was disappointed at MaidstoneMaidstone (UK Parliament constituency)
Maidstone was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The parliamentary borough of Maidstone returned two Members of Parliament from 1552 until 1885, when its representation was reduced to one member...
(Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
was a fellow candidate). However he was selected for Chelsea
Chelsea (UK Parliament constituency)
Chelsea was a borough constituency, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The constituency was created by the Reform Act 1867 for the 1868 general election, when it returned two Members of Parliament , elected by the bloc vote system of election.Under the...
for the 1959 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
(where he followed another Navy man, Allan Noble
Allan Noble
Sir Allan Herbert Percy Noble, DSO, DSC was an English naval commander, politician, and diplomat.-Career:Noble was the only son of Admiral Sir Percy Noble. He joined the Royal Navy in 1926 and was a destroyer commander during World War II, earning a DSO and a DSC...
). Chelsea was a very safe seat and his selection was controversial because Litchfield was in his fifties and not likely to become a long-standing member. Nicholas Ridley
Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale
Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale, PC was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister.-Personal life:...
was the choice of the minority, but Litchfield won many around by his sincerity. He was comfortably elected.
During the Profumo affair
John Profumo
Brigadier John Dennis Profumo, 5th Baron Profumo CBE , informally known as Jack Profumo , was a British politician. His title, 5th Baron, which he did not use, was Italian. Although Profumo held an increasingly responsible series of political posts in the 1950s, he is best known today for his...
, Litchfield was among a small group of Conservative MPs who felt that Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
had been mistaken in keeping Profumo in the government following his denial of any impropriety. However, Litchfield liked Profumo personally. During a Parliamentary trip to NATO headquarters, Litchfield found that all the seats in the limousines were taken, and was forced to travel sitting on Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
's lap.
Retirement
As suspected by the Chelsea selectorate, Litchfield would not have a long Parliamentary career, retiring in 1966. He continued making films, and was pleased to loan one of his films on the Russian convoys to Captain Jack BroomeJack Broome
Captain John Egerton "Jack" Broome DSC, RN, was a Royal Navy officer who served in both World Wars. He commanded the escort group of the ill-fated Arctic Convoy PQ-17 in 1942...
who used it to win a libel action against author David Irving
David Irving
David John Cawdell Irving is an English writer,best known for his denial of the Holocaust, who specialises in the military and political history of World War II, with a focus on Nazi Germany...
. He was also a raconteur who used his store of stories of his naval career to entertain audiences.