Julian Amery, Baron Amery of Lustleigh
Encyclopedia
Harold Julian Amery, Baron Amery of Lustleigh, PC
(27 March 1919 – 3 September 1996) was a British
politician of the Conservative Party
, who served as a Member of Parliament
(MP) for 39 of the 42 years between 1950 and 1992. He was appointed to the Privy Council
in 1960. He was created a life peer upon his retirement from the House of Commons
in 1992. For three decades, he was a leading figure in the Conservative Monday Club
.
, a British statesman and Conservative politician. His brother, John Amery
, was hanged for treason
having pleaded guilty.
Amery was educated at Eton College
and Balliol College, Oxford
. While an undergraduate, he had a brief romance with the novelist Barbara Pym
, who was some years his senior.
On 26 January 1950, he married Catherine Macmillan, daughter of Harold Macmillan
. Julian and Catherine had one son Leo Amery, a stained glass artist living in France and three daughters: Caroline Louise Michelle Amery (born 1951), Theresa Catherine Roxane Amery (born 1954) who married John Harvey Boteler, and Alexandra Elizabeth "Lizzie" Charmian Amery (born 1956). Catherine, his wife, died in 1991.
and later an attaché for the British Foreign Office in Belgrade
. After the war began, he joined the RAF as a sergeant in 1940 then was commissioned and transferred to the British Army
on the General List in 1941, reaching the rank of Captain
. He spent 1941-1942 in the eastern Mediterranean (the Middle East, Malta
, Yugoslavia
), and served as Liaison Officer to the Albanian Resistance Movement in 1943-44 (The Muskeeters : Captain Julian Amery, Major David Smiley
and Lieutenant-Colonel Neil McLean
). The following year, Amery went to China to work with General Carton de Wiart, then Prime Minister's Personal Representative to Generalissimo
Chiang Kai Shek.
Amery became a close friend of King Zog of Albania
and described him as "the cleverest man I have ever met".
.
While sitting for Preston North, Amery held a number of government offices, all in governments led by his father-in-law, now the Prime Minister. He began with two Under-Secretaryships of State: for War (1957–1958) and for the Colonies (1958–1960). He was then promoted to Secretary of State for Air
(1960–1962), followed by a promotion to the post of Minister of Aviation
(1962–1964). In this role, Amery played a major role in developing the supersonic passenger service known as Concorde.
Amery lost his seat in 1966, but was elected again in 1969 for Brighton Pavilion, a seat he would hold until 1992, when he retired and was created a life peer
as Baron Amery of Lustleigh, of Preston in the County of Lancashire
and of Brighton in the County of East Sussex
. He is buried in the churchyard in the Devon village of Lustleigh from which he took his title.
Under the Heath
administration, Amery held three ministerial posts: Minister for Public Works
(1970), Minister for Housing and Construction (1970–1972) and Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1972–1974).
, where he became friendly with General Sir Walter Walker, subsequently writing the foreword for Walker's anti-Soviet book, The Next Domino. He was Guest of Honour at the Club's Annual Dinner at the Cutlers' Hall in 1963. In 1965, he wrote the foreword for Club activist Geoffrey Stewart-Smith
's book, No Vision Here. On May Day 1970, he was one of the Club's principal speakers at their 'Law and Liberty' rally in Trafalgar Square
, held in answer to the 'Stop the Seventy Tour' campaign, designed to stop the South Africa
n cricket tour.
Julian Amery was the Monday Club's Guest-of-Honour at their Annual Dinner held at the Savoy Hotel
, London, in January 1974 and again at the dinner at the end of the Club's two-day Conference in Birmingham
in March 1975.
and also of the nuclear deterrent. Both caused some discord between himself and his old friend Enoch Powell
. He was, however, regarded by most as an Imperialist. His father Leo noted at the time of the Suez Crisis
that "only Julian and Enoch Powell felt sufficiently strongly about the issue to go to the point of risking the government's existence".
In 1963, Amery took charge of Quintin Hogg
's campaign for leadership of the Conservative Party
.
In early 1975, he took part in a House of Commons
debate on the Trades Unions Congress's invitation to Alexander Shelepin
, the former Soviet
KGB
Chief, to visit Britain. He stated that "more and more people are beginning to look upon the TUC as a Communist-penetrated show and this invitation must strengthen that view."
According to Margaret Thatcher
, in her 1995 memoirs The Path to Power
, when Harold Wilson
's Labour government proposed devolution
for Scotland
in 1976, "Julian Amery and Maurice Macmillan proved effective leaders of the anti-devolution Tory camp."
Although he was Harold Macmillan's son-in-law, he failed to defend him when Count Nikolai Tolstoy
published The Minister and the Massacres in 1986, focusing the ultimate burden of blame sharply on Macmillan for the repatriation of anti-communists and old Russian émigrés to Stalin and certain death. Amery stated that the repatriations were "one of the few blots on Harold that I can think of".
in the Persian Gulf
, the rubber
and tin of Malaya
, and the gold
, copper
and precious metal
s of South- and Central Africa
. As long as we have access to these; as long as we can realize the investments we have there; as long as we trade with this part of the world, we shall be prosperous. If the communists [or anyone else] were to take them over, we would lose the lot. Governments like Colonel Nasser's in Egypt
are just as dangerous."
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(27 March 1919 – 3 September 1996) 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...
politician of the Conservative Party
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...
, who served as 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) for 39 of the 42 years between 1950 and 1992. He was appointed to the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1960. He was created a life peer upon his retirement from the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
in 1992. For three decades, he was a leading figure in the Conservative Monday Club
Conservative Monday Club
The Conservative Monday Club is a British pressure group "on the right-wing" of the Conservative Party.-Overview:...
.
Early and family life
Amery's father was Leo AmeryLeopold Stennett Amery
Leopold Charles Maurice Stennett Amery CH , usually known as Leo Amery or L. S. Amery, was a British Conservative Party politician and journalist, noted for his interest in military preparedness, India, and the British Empire.-Early life:Leopold Amery was born in Gorakhpur, India to an English...
, a British statesman and Conservative politician. His brother, John Amery
John Amery
John Amery was a British fascist who proposed to the Wehrmacht the formation of a British volunteer force and made recruitment efforts and propaganda broadcasts for Nazi Germany...
, was hanged for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
having pleaded guilty.
Amery was educated at Eton College
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 Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
. While an undergraduate, he had a brief romance with the novelist Barbara Pym
Barbara Pym
Barbara Mary Crampton Pym was an English novelist. In 1977 her career was revived when two prominent writers, Lord David Cecil and Philip Larkin, nominated her as the most underrated writer of the century...
, who was some years his senior.
On 26 January 1950, he married Catherine Macmillan, daughter of 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....
. Julian and Catherine had one son Leo Amery, a stained glass artist living in France and three daughters: Caroline Louise Michelle Amery (born 1951), Theresa Catherine Roxane Amery (born 1954) who married John Harvey Boteler, and Alexandra Elizabeth "Lizzie" Charmian Amery (born 1956). Catherine, his wife, died in 1991.
Military service
Before World War II started, Amery was a war correspondent in the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and later an attaché for the British Foreign Office in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. After the war began, he joined the RAF as a sergeant in 1940 then was commissioned and transferred to the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
on the General List in 1941, reaching the rank of Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
. He spent 1941-1942 in the eastern Mediterranean (the Middle East, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
), and served as Liaison Officer to the Albanian Resistance Movement in 1943-44 (The Muskeeters : Captain Julian Amery, Major David Smiley
David Smiley
Colonel David de Crespigny Smiley, LVO, OBE, MC & Bar was a British special forces and intelligence officer. He fought in the Second World War in Palestine, Iraq, Persia, Syria, Western Desert and with Special Operations Executive in Albania and Thailand.- Background :Smiley was the 4th and...
and Lieutenant-Colonel Neil McLean
Neil McLean (politician)
Lieutenant-Colonel Neil Loudon Desmond McLean DSO, known as Billy McLean , was a British Army intelligence officer and politician who led a celebrated Special Operations Executive operation in Albania during the Second World War, and later attempted to overthrow Communism in the country...
). The following year, Amery went to China to work with General Carton de Wiart, then Prime Minister's Personal Representative to Generalissimo
Generalissimo
Generalissimo and Generalissimus are military ranks of the highest degree, superior to Field Marshal and other five-star ranks.-Usage:...
Chiang Kai Shek.
Amery became a close friend of King Zog of Albania
Zog of Albania
Zog I, Skanderbeg III of the Albanians , born Ahmet Muhtar Bey Zogolli, was King of the Albanians from 1928 to 1939. He was previously Prime Minister of Albania and President of Albania .-Background and early political career:...
and described him as "the cleverest man I have ever met".
Political career
Amery won a Parliamentary seat in the first general election held after he returned to civilian life, in 1950. He was elected as Conservative MP for Preston NorthPreston North (UK Parliament constituency)
Preston North was a parliamentary constituency in Lancashire, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
.
While sitting for Preston North, Amery held a number of government offices, all in governments led by his father-in-law, now the Prime Minister. He began with two Under-Secretaryships of State: for War (1957–1958) and for the Colonies (1958–1960). He was then promoted to Secretary of State for Air
Secretary of State for Air
The Secretary of State for Air was a cabinet level British position. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. It was created on 10 January 1919 to manage the Royal Air Force...
(1960–1962), followed by a promotion to the post of Minister of Aviation
Ministry of Aviation
Ministry of Aviation was a department of the United Kingdom government, established in 1959. Its responsibilities included the regulation of civil aviation and the supply of military aircraft, which it took on from the Ministry of Supply....
(1962–1964). In this role, Amery played a major role in developing the supersonic passenger service known as Concorde.
Amery lost his seat in 1966, but was elected again in 1969 for Brighton Pavilion, a seat he would hold until 1992, when he retired and was created a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Amery of Lustleigh, of Preston in the County of 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...
and of Brighton in the County of East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. He is buried in the churchyard in the Devon village of Lustleigh from which he took his title.
Under the Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
administration, Amery held three ministerial posts: Minister for Public Works
First Commissioner of Works
The First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings was a position within the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It took over some of the functions of the First Commissioner of Woods and Forests in 1851 when the portfolio of Crown holdings was divided into the public...
(1970), Minister for Housing and Construction (1970–1972) and Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1972–1974).
Monday Club
For 30 years, Julian Amery was an active member and later a Patron of the Conservative Monday ClubConservative Monday Club
The Conservative Monday Club is a British pressure group "on the right-wing" of the Conservative Party.-Overview:...
, where he became friendly with General Sir Walter Walker, subsequently writing the foreword for Walker's anti-Soviet book, The Next Domino. He was Guest of Honour at the Club's Annual Dinner at the Cutlers' Hall in 1963. In 1965, he wrote the foreword for Club activist Geoffrey Stewart-Smith
Geoffrey Stewart-Smith
Geoffrey Stewart-Smith was a British politician. He served one term as Conservative Member of Parliament for Belper in Derbyshire after he defeated the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party George Brown...
's book, No Vision Here. On May Day 1970, he was one of the Club's principal speakers at their 'Law and Liberty' rally in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
, held in answer to the 'Stop the Seventy Tour' campaign, designed to stop the 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...
n cricket tour.
Julian Amery was the Monday Club's Guest-of-Honour at their Annual Dinner held at the Savoy Hotel
Savoy Hotel
The Savoy Hotel is a hotel located on the Strand, in the City of Westminster in central London. Built by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas, the hotel opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by...
, London, in January 1974 and again at the dinner at the end of the Club's two-day Conference in 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...
in March 1975.
Political views
Amery was, for a time, in favour of entry to the European Common MarketEuropean Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
and also of the nuclear deterrent. Both caused some discord between himself and his old friend Enoch Powell
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
. He was, however, regarded by most as an Imperialist. His father Leo noted at the time of the Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
that "only Julian and Enoch Powell felt sufficiently strongly about the issue to go to the point of risking the government's existence".
In 1963, Amery took charge of Quintin Hogg
Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone
For the businessman and philanthropist, see Quintin Hogg Quintin McGarel Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone, KG, CH, PC, QC, FRS , formerly 2nd Viscount Hailsham , was a British politician who was known for the longevity of his career, the vigour with which he campaigned for the Conservative...
's campaign for leadership of the Conservative Party
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...
.
In early 1975, he took part in a House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
debate on the Trades Unions Congress's invitation to Alexander Shelepin
Alexander Shelepin
Alexander Nikolayevich Shelepin was a Soviet state security officer and party statesman. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and its Politburo and was the head of the KGB from 25 December 1958 to 13 November 1961.Shelepin was born in Voronezh...
, the former Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
Chief, to visit Britain. He stated that "more and more people are beginning to look upon the TUC as a Communist-penetrated show and this invitation must strengthen that view."
According to Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, in her 1995 memoirs The Path to Power
The Path to Power
, is the seventeenth Japanese animated feature film based on the Dragon Ball manga, following the first three Dragon Ball films and thirteen Dragon Ball Z films. It is a re-telling of the original Dragon Ball anime series and is also the longest film in the franchise...
, when 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 Labour government proposed devolution
History of Scottish devolution
The decision of the Parliament of Scotland to ratify the Treaty of Union in 1707 was not unanimous and from that time, individuals and organizations have advocated the return of a Scottish Parliament. Some have argued for devolution - a Scottish Parliament within the United Kingdom - whereas others...
for Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1976, "Julian Amery and Maurice Macmillan proved effective leaders of the anti-devolution Tory camp."
Although he was Harold Macmillan's son-in-law, he failed to defend him when Count Nikolai Tolstoy
Nikolai Tolstoy
Count Nikolai Dmitrievich Tolstoy-Miloslavsky is an Anglo-Russian historian and author who writes under the name Nikolai Tolstoy. A member of the prominent Tolstoy family, he is of part Russian descent and is the stepson of the author Patrick O'Brian...
published The Minister and the Massacres in 1986, focusing the ultimate burden of blame sharply on Macmillan for the repatriation of anti-communists and old Russian émigrés to Stalin and certain death. Amery stated that the repatriations were "one of the few blots on Harold that I can think of".
Quotes
"The prosperity of our people rests really on the oilOil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, the rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
and tin of Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
, and the gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and precious metal
Precious metal
A precious metal is a rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical element of high economic value.Chemically, the precious metals are less reactive than most elements, have high lustre, are softer or more ductile, and have higher melting points than other metals...
s of South- and Central Africa
Central Africa
Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
. As long as we have access to these; as long as we can realize the investments we have there; as long as we trade with this part of the world, we shall be prosperous. If the communists [or anyone else] were to take them over, we would lose the lot. Governments like Colonel Nasser's in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
are just as dangerous."
External links
- Index entry at JANUS