Norman Coates
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Norman Coates M.C.
(27 April 1890 – 21 March 1966) was a British
army
officer, School Head Master, and briefly a Conservative politician. First employed as a trainee accountant, he was given a commission when he enlisted in the first month of the First World War. He was wounded in action at Gallipoli and then served in senior staff officer roles. In civilian life he established a public school
for the sons of Army Officers, and was elected to Parliament but lived well beyond his means and was made bankrupt – disclosing his highly dubious financial practices. He rebuilt his life again in the world of private education.
Volunteering for service again in the Second World War, he was given an appointment organising Prisoner of War camps at the War Office
where he ruffled feathers with other departments but played his role in ensuring the safety and survival of Rudolf Hess
. He was dismissed as part of a major clear-out of his Directorate and subsequently convicted of a criminal offence; his disgrace meant that he disappeared from public life.
and Justice of the Peace
in Durham
; he was educated at Durham School and at King's College, Durham. He was employed as a clerk for the County Accountant for County Durham
; Coates was employed with a view to taking articles
although he did not do so. After two or three years at Durham he moved to Truro
where he worked in the office of the County Accountant for Cornwall
on the accounts of the Education department for a year before moving to a similar appointment at Cardiff
earning £140 annually.
's Royal Warwickshire Regiment in 1911; on the outbreak of World War I
he served full time in the Army beginning as an Adjutant
in the 4th Battalion, the Welsh Regiment
. He received a commission as Second Lieutenant
on 2 September 1914. Promoted the next January to be a temporary Lieutenant, his battalion was sent to Gallipoli in the summer of 1915. Coates was wounded in action at Gallipoli, when the battalion participated in the landing at Suvla Bay
between 9 August and 15 August.
After recovering Coates became a Staff Captain to Sir Archibald Murray
and went with Murray to the war in Egypt
. He was Deputy Assistant Adjutant General
to the Desert Column in 1916, then Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General to the Desert Mounted Corps in 1917. Later that year he became Aide-de-camp
to Field Marshal Duke of Connaught
. By the end of the war he was Assistant Quartermaster General to the Cavalry. In 1919 he became Assistant Adjutant General at General Headquarters of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force
and was also Military Secretary to Lord Allenby
. In the King's Birthday honours list
of 3 June 1918 Coates was awarded the Military Cross
in connection with the war in Egypt. He was mentioned in despatches and received the Order of St Anne of Russia
in 1915; he was a Brevet
Major by the end of the war. At the time of his political career he was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment Reserve of Officers.
, Coates (described as an "ardent Conservative") was adopted as Conservative candidate for Bethnal Green North East
; however he did not in the end fight the election after the boat returning him to Britain arrived too late. After the end of the war he continued in the Army as Assistant Adjutant-General at the headquarters of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force
in 1919, and then Military Secretary to Lord Allenby
. Leaving the army in September 1919, he held a special appointment at the War Office
from 1920 to 1928, a form of volunteer reserve.
in Palestine in memory of those who had fallen in battle. In December 1919 Lord Treowen
criticised the proposed design and site of the memorial as a desecration of the Mount of Olives
; Coates defended the choice of both and referred Treowen's letter to Field Marshal Lord Allenby
. Treowen responded by questioning Coates' methods as "not those which carry conviction or inspire confidence". Coates then corresponded privately, and persuaded Treowen to retreat and state that he was not motivated by any personal feelings against Coates.
The Zionist Organisation
decided to give a grant of £100, noting that the memorial was non-sectarian. By the beginning of March 1920, the fund based at 70 Finsbury Pavement reported having received £11,200 11s. in total.
Coates established the United Services College, a public school
for the sons of officers and ex-officers, in Hurst
, Berkshire
in 1920 despite having no previous experience as a schoolmaster; he later explained that he knew the requirements of young officers proceeding in the Army. In order to found the school, he used £2,000 available to him as executor of the will of a fellow Army officer he had met in Egypt; Coates claimed to have the consent of Mrs Grieve, the sole legatee of the will who allowed him to use the money for any purpose. After six months at Hurst, the school (which was successful in attracting students) moved to Binfield
. In March 1922 the school moved to Bray
where Coates was granted a seven year lease on Bray Court which was set in 50 acres (202,343 m²) of land.
Advertisements for the United Services College identified its visitor as the Marquess of Carisbrooke
GCVO
, and the Chairman as Bishop Shaw
, and claimed three pupils had secured entrance to the University of Cambridge
in 1922 as well as two to Sandhurst
. Coates styled himself as the Commandant of the school.
in the autumn of 1922, Isle of Ely
Conservative
Association had no candidate in place. The sitting Member of Parliament
Colin Coote
had been elected unopposed as a Coalition Liberal with their support in the previous election, but was now fighting as a Liberal candidate prepared to give the Conservative government only qualified support. When the Association's executive met at March
on 25 October 1922, a motion to endorse Coote was defeated by 11 votes to 3, and a motion to adopt a Conservative candidate was carried. Some local names were mentioned as possible candidates, as well as General Townshend
. At a further meeting at the Regent Theatre in March on 30 October, a telegram from Capt Powell from Conservative Central Office was read out:
The information concerning Townshend turned out to be incorrect but his acceptance was received too late. Coates was duly adopted as the Association's candidate, styling himself as "The Conservative and Agricultural Candidate". During the campaign Coates told a public meeting at the Guyhim Schoolroom on 7 November that he was "out for no axe to grind, except the axe of agriculture". In his campaign Coates pledged to bring about "real reductions in tea, beer and tobacco" by lowering duties on them.
candidate. His majority was much larger than anyone had expected. However there was a rumour a fortnight after the election that Coates would resign his seat to allow Sir Arthur Griffith-Boscawen
, a Conservative Minister unexpectedly defeated in the general election to return; Coates disclaimed any knowledge and Griffith-Boscawen continued looking.
He was active in parliament, promoting the interests of potato farmers in the constituency and opposing government agricultural policy. In particular he sought the ending of potato imports, the provision of credit to farmers and the decrease in rates charged by railways for transporting agricultural produce.
The next general election
came soon after when Stanley Baldwin
sought a mandate to impose protectionist tariffs
. Coates had to decide whether to pursue his putative Independent candidacy and arrived in Ely
on 12 November, to find that rumours about "other reasons for the break" were current. He said that he would meet supporters over the weekend of 17-18 November 1923 in Whittlesey
. However he instead telephoned the Falcon Hotel to say that he was not coming as had learned that the Conservative Association had a new candidate (Max Townley
was selected) and would withdraw.
stating that he was a member of the Bath Club
in London but that "his present residence or place of business the Petitioners are unable to obtain". When Coates was tracked down, he was clearly insolvent and an examination in public was ordered. The details of Coates' financial dealings were uncovered at two hearings at Windsor Bankruptcy Court at the Windsor Guildhall in July and October 1924. It was immediately apparent and acknowledged by Coates that financial troubles were the reason for the end of his Parliamentary career.
For the first examination Coates prepared a statement of affairs claiming that his debt was only £314 8s. 2d., but his claimed principal asset was the lease "and goodwill" of the United Services College. The Trustee in bankruptcy
noted that the valuation had increased since the preliminary examination and disputed its correctness. Coates also admitted that he had not told Mrs Grieve that he used money willed to her to start a school, and had to admit that the school had not paid its way. Mrs Grieve's representative accused Coates of having told Mrs Grieve that the money from the will had been invested in stocks and bonds when in fact he had been transferring it to his own overdrawn account.
The Official Receiver
tackled Coates over £1,000 paid to him by the Imperial War Graves Commission
in the interests of the Palestine War Memorial Fund, which had not yet been built. Coates admitted he received the money and that no memorial had been built, but insisted that he was entitled to keep it as payment for services rendered to the fund. He stated that it was his expenses as a Member of Parliament, renting a flat in London and visiting his constituency, which had led to his running out of ready money, as a result of which he had gone to moneylenders and ended up owing £1,836 to them. He had known he was insolvent for over a year.
At the second hearing Coates was questioned about his lifestyle and accepted that he had that year gone to the Derby
, to Lord's
and to Henley
. He usually stayed in expensive hotels and had gone to Switzerland for a fortnight over Christmas 1923 with two boys from the school. He had also adopted a boy after persuading the boy's mother that her son was to be a beneficiary in Coates' will; the items in the will conveyed to the boy were all known to be worthless or nonexistent. Coates was indeed made bankrupt; creditors received only 8.25d per £ (3.4%). The trustee in bankruptcy was discharged on 23 September 1925.
, where later in 1924 he established the Chichester School and named himself as Head Master, implying a connection to the University of Durham. Coates remained in Chichester until 1931 when he moved to Colchester
, and then to Great Wratting
in Suffolk.
. He was soon placed at the War Office
headquarters, and joined the Directorate of Prisoners of War when it was established on 25 May 1940; a simultaneous policy decision removed the responsibility for civilian internment under Defence Regulation 18B
from the War Office to the Home Office
, although the War Office retained responsibility for staffing them and for discipline. In June 1940, Coates announced that there was room for 10,000 internees after all the Italian citizens had been rounded up and that there would be an additional 6,000 places for internees after the first ships had left for Canada where some were being sent. Later in the summer Coates was appointed Deputy Director for Prisoners of War, responsible for administration of all branches of the department.
One characteristic of Coates' approach as Deputy Director was defending the directorate from other departments. When the Home Office pressed to take over managing the internment camps in August 1940, Coates' superior, Director of Prisoners of War Sir Alan Hunter, wrote a memo defending the War Office position and strongly criticising the Home Office for failing to recruit civilian staff and free up soldiers for the war effort. The response of Home Office official Sir John Moylan was that Hunter's memo was based on "a suggestio falsi which convinces me that this letter must have been drafted by Col Coates". At the end of April 1941, Coates wrote to the Foreign Office
official in charge of Prisoners of War, W.St.C.H. Roberts, to stress the War Office's vigilance in ensuring that the British Red Cross
Society and the Order of St John did not speak out on matters which were under War Office control.
was taken into British custody in 1941, Col A. Malcolm Scott was appointed as Commandant of 'Camp Z' which had been set up specially to hold him, and reported to Coates. On 29 May, Scott passed on the news that the doctor assigned to Hess believed his patient was "definitely over the border that lies between mental instability and insanity". Coates quickly arranged for psychiatrist J.R. Rees
to go to relieve the doctor. Hess attempted suicide in the early hours of 16 June, and Scott wrote to Coates that day to explain what had happened. When Rees saw Hess a few days after, he wrote to Coates that Hess was growing more delusional. When MI5
discovered a putative plot by Polish exiles to break in to Camp Z at Mytchett Place and kidnap or murder Hess, Coates saw Director of Counter-Espionage Guy Liddell
and arranged to take MI5 officer Edward Hinchley-Cooke to the Camp to inform Col Scott.
and Capt W. Rosser James were removed in September 1941. General Sir Alan Hunter was succeeded by Major-General E.C. Gepp as Director of Prisoners of War. On 20 April 1942, having been convicted of a criminal offence, Coates was removed from the Army. Coates' entries in Who's Who
and Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed and Official Classes ceased at or shortly after this time and his date of death is not recorded.
He died on 21 March 1966 and is buried in the churchyard of St Llawddog's Church, Llanllawddog
, Carmarthenshire
.
Coates' medals, including his Military Cross, 1914 Star
, British War and Victory medals, and the Order of St Anne 2nd Class, were sold in 1977.
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(27 April 1890 – 21 March 1966) 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...
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...
officer, School Head Master, and briefly a Conservative politician. First employed as a trainee accountant, he was given a commission when he enlisted in the first month of the First World War. He was wounded in action at Gallipoli and then served in senior staff officer roles. In civilian life he established a public school
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
for the sons of Army Officers, and was elected to Parliament but lived well beyond his means and was made bankrupt – disclosing his highly dubious financial practices. He rebuilt his life again in the world of private education.
Volunteering for service again in the Second World War, he was given an appointment organising Prisoner of War camps at the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
where he ruffled feathers with other departments but played his role in ensuring the safety and survival of Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess was a prominent Nazi politician who was Adolf Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party during the 1930s and early 1940s...
. He was dismissed as part of a major clear-out of his Directorate and subsequently convicted of a criminal offence; his disgrace meant that he disappeared from public life.
Accountancy training
Coates was the son of Thomas Coates, a master builder who was an AldermanAlderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
and Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
; he was educated at Durham School and at King's College, Durham. He was employed as a clerk for the County Accountant for County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
; Coates was employed with a view to taking articles
Articled clerk
An articled clerk, also known as an articling student, is an apprentice in a professional firm in Commonwealth countries. Generally the term arises in the accountancy profession and in the legal profession. The articled clerk signs a contract, known as "articles of clerkship", committing to a...
although he did not do so. After two or three years at Durham he moved to Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
where he worked in the office of the County Accountant for Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
on the accounts of the Education department for a year before moving to a similar appointment at Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
earning £140 annually.
War service
Coates later claimed to have joined the armyBritish 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...
's Royal Warwickshire Regiment in 1911; on the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he served full time in the Army beginning as an Adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
in the 4th Battalion, the Welsh Regiment
Welch Regiment
The Welch Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1969.-History:It was formed as the Welsh Regiment during the Childers Reforms of 1881, by the amalgamation of the 41st Regiment of Foot and the 69th Regiment of Foot...
. He received a commission as Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
on 2 September 1914. Promoted the next January to be a temporary Lieutenant, his battalion was sent to Gallipoli in the summer of 1915. Coates was wounded in action at Gallipoli, when the battalion participated in the landing at Suvla Bay
Landing at Suvla Bay
The landing at Suvla Bay was an amphibious landing made at Suvla on the Aegean coast of Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire as part of the August Offensive, the final British attempt to break the deadlock of the Battle of Gallipoli...
between 9 August and 15 August.
After recovering Coates became a Staff Captain to Sir Archibald Murray
Archibald Murray
General Sir Archibald James Murray, GCMG, KCB, CVO, DSO was a British Army officer during World War I, most famous for his commanding the Egyptian Expeditionary Force from 1916 to 1917.-Army career:...
and went with Murray to the war 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...
. He was Deputy Assistant Adjutant General
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
to the Desert Column in 1916, then Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General to the Desert Mounted Corps in 1917. Later that year he became Aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Field Marshal Duke of Connaught
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
. By the end of the war he was Assistant Quartermaster General to the Cavalry. In 1919 he became Assistant Adjutant General at General Headquarters of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force
Egyptian Expeditionary Force
The Egyptian Expeditionary Force was formed in March 1916 to command the British and British Empire military forces in Egypt during World War I. Originally known as the 'Force in Egypt' it had been commanded by General Maxwell who was recalled to England...
and was also Military Secretary to Lord Allenby
Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby
Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby GCB, GCMG, GCVO was a British soldier and administrator most famous for his role during the First World War, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918.Allenby, nicknamed...
. In the King's Birthday honours list
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
of 3 June 1918 Coates was awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
in connection with the war in Egypt. He was mentioned in despatches and received the Order of St Anne of Russia
Order of St. Anna
The Order of St. Anna ) is a Holstein and then Russian Imperial order of chivalry established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp on 14 February 1735, in honour of his wife Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great of Russia...
in 1915; he was a Brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Major by the end of the war. At the time of his political career he was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment Reserve of Officers.
Post-war career
In the 1918 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
, Coates (described as an "ardent Conservative") was adopted as Conservative candidate for Bethnal Green North East
Bethnal Green North East (UK Parliament constituency)
Bethnal Green North East was a parliamentary constituency in London, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
; however he did not in the end fight the election after the boat returning him to Britain arrived too late. After the end of the war he continued in the Army as Assistant Adjutant-General at the headquarters of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force
Egyptian Expeditionary Force
The Egyptian Expeditionary Force was formed in March 1916 to command the British and British Empire military forces in Egypt during World War I. Originally known as the 'Force in Egypt' it had been commanded by General Maxwell who was recalled to England...
in 1919, and then Military Secretary to Lord Allenby
Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby
Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby GCB, GCMG, GCVO was a British soldier and administrator most famous for his role during the First World War, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918.Allenby, nicknamed...
. Leaving the army in September 1919, he held a special appointment at the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
from 1920 to 1928, a form of volunteer reserve.
Palestine War Memorial
Coates became the representative of the Palestine Memorial Committee in London, raising funds from friends of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force to build a cenotaphCenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
in Palestine in memory of those who had fallen in battle. In December 1919 Lord Treowen
Ivor Herbert, 1st Baron Treowen
Major-General Ivor John Caradoc Herbert, 1st Baron Treowen CB, CMG, KStJ , known as Sir Ivor Herbert, Bt, between 1907 and 1917, was a British Liberal politician and British Army officer in the Grenadier Guards, who served as General Officer Commanding the Militia of Canada from 1890 to 1895...
criticised the proposed design and site of the memorial as a desecration of the Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
; Coates defended the choice of both and referred Treowen's letter to Field Marshal Lord Allenby
Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby
Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby GCB, GCMG, GCVO was a British soldier and administrator most famous for his role during the First World War, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918.Allenby, nicknamed...
. Treowen responded by questioning Coates' methods as "not those which carry conviction or inspire confidence". Coates then corresponded privately, and persuaded Treowen to retreat and state that he was not motivated by any personal feelings against Coates.
The Zionist Organisation
World Zionist Organization
The World Zionist Organization , or WZO, was founded as the Zionist Organization , or ZO, in 1897 at the First Zionist Congress, held from August 29 to August 31 in Basel, Switzerland...
decided to give a grant of £100, noting that the memorial was non-sectarian. By the beginning of March 1920, the fund based at 70 Finsbury Pavement reported having received £11,200 11s. in total.
United Services College
While still at the War Office Coates had established his own company, Coates and Company, with the intention of carrying on foreign exchange banking. He had stationery printed with the logo "Coates and Company, bankers", but the company had no capital and did no actual business.Coates established the United Services College, a public school
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
for the sons of officers and ex-officers, in Hurst
Hurst, Berkshire
Hurst is a village in the civil parish of St Nicholas Hurst in the English county of Berkshire.-Geography:The parish of St Nicholas Hurst is situated at , north of Wokingham and south of Twyford in the county of Berkshire...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
in 1920 despite having no previous experience as a schoolmaster; he later explained that he knew the requirements of young officers proceeding in the Army. In order to found the school, he used £2,000 available to him as executor of the will of a fellow Army officer he had met in Egypt; Coates claimed to have the consent of Mrs Grieve, the sole legatee of the will who allowed him to use the money for any purpose. After six months at Hurst, the school (which was successful in attracting students) moved to Binfield
Binfield
Binfield is a village and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest borough of Berkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it has a population of 7,475...
. In March 1922 the school moved to Bray
Bray, Berkshire
Bray, sometimes known as Bray on Thames, is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. It stands on the banks of the River Thames, just south-east of Maidenhead. It is famous as the village mentioned in the song The Vicar of Bray...
where Coates was granted a seven year lease on Bray Court which was set in 50 acres (202,343 m²) of land.
Advertisements for the United Services College identified its visitor as the Marquess of Carisbrooke
Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke
Alexander Albert Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke, GCB, GCVO, GJStJ was a member of the Hessian princely Battenberg family and the extended British Royal Family, a grandson of Queen Victoria...
GCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, and the Chairman as Bishop Shaw
Edward Domett Shaw
Edward Domett Shaw was Bishop of Buckingham from 1914 to 1921. He was educated at Forest School,Walthamstow and Oriel College, Oxford. As a young man he played first class cricket, both for his university and Middlesex....
, and claimed three pupils had secured entrance to the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in 1922 as well as two to Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. Coates styled himself as the Commandant of the school.
1922 election
When the Lloyd George coalition collapsed, precipitating a sudden general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
in the autumn of 1922, Isle of Ely
Isle of Ely (UK Parliament constituency)
Isle of Ely was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, centred on the Isle of Ely in Cambridgeshire...
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...
Association had no candidate in place. The sitting 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,...
Colin Coote
Colin Coote
Sir Colin Reith Coote DSO was a British journalist and Liberal politician. For fourteen years he was the editor of the Daily Telegraph.-Biography:...
had been elected unopposed as a Coalition Liberal with their support in the previous election, but was now fighting as a Liberal candidate prepared to give the Conservative government only qualified support. When the Association's executive met at March
March, Cambridgeshire
March is a Fenland market town and civil parish in the Isle of Ely area of Cambridgeshire, England. March was the county town of the Isle of Ely, a separate administrative county between 1889 and 1965, and is now the administrative centre of Fenland District Council.The town was an important...
on 25 October 1922, a motion to endorse Coote was defeated by 11 votes to 3, and a motion to adopt a Conservative candidate was carried. Some local names were mentioned as possible candidates, as well as General Townshend
Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend
Major General Sir Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend KCB, DSO was a British Indian Army officer who led the ultimately disastrous first British Expedition against Baghdad during World War I, and was later elected to Parliament....
. At a further meeting at the Regent Theatre in March on 30 October, a telegram from Capt Powell from Conservative Central Office was read out:
The information concerning Townshend turned out to be incorrect but his acceptance was received too late. Coates was duly adopted as the Association's candidate, styling himself as "The Conservative and Agricultural Candidate". During the campaign Coates told a public meeting at the Guyhim Schoolroom on 7 November that he was "out for no axe to grind, except the axe of agriculture". In his campaign Coates pledged to bring about "real reductions in tea, beer and tobacco" by lowering duties on them.
Parliamentary contribution
When the election result was declared at 2:30 PM on 16 November, Coates was successful, benefitting from a split in the vote between Coote and the LabourLabour 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. His majority was much larger than anyone had expected. However there was a rumour a fortnight after the election that Coates would resign his seat to allow Sir Arthur Griffith-Boscawen
Arthur Griffith-Boscawen
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Arthur Sackville Trevor Griffith-Boscawen PC was a British Conservative Party politician whose career was cut short by losing a string of Parliamentary elections....
, a Conservative Minister unexpectedly defeated in the general election to return; Coates disclaimed any knowledge and Griffith-Boscawen continued looking.
He was active in parliament, promoting the interests of potato farmers in the constituency and opposing government agricultural policy. In particular he sought the ending of potato imports, the provision of credit to farmers and the decrease in rates charged by railways for transporting agricultural produce.
Leaving Parliament
At a concert organised by the Wisbech Conservative Association at the Alexandra Theatre on 3 October 1923, the Chairman of the Association announced that he had received a letter from Coates announcing his intention not to seek re-election. Coates stated that "with my other private affairs", the constituency was too big to allow him enough time for his private interests "which of course I must, in duty bound, protect even more so than my political interests". He went on to write that he could not stand as an Independent Conservative candidate but could be an Independent Agricultural candidate, while claiming that he had been offered an alternative constituency which would not require so lengthy tours. He finished by stressing that he was not retiring from politics. The local newspaper commented that Coates had failed to live up to the promises made at the time of the election, "promises of agricultural meetings, explanations of agricultural policy, did not reach fruition. Local appointments were not fulfilled, and often came the explanatory telegram, which caused disappointment".The next general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
came soon after when Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
sought a mandate to impose protectionist tariffs
Protectionism
Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other government regulations designed to allow "fair competition" between imports and goods and services produced domestically.This...
. Coates had to decide whether to pursue his putative Independent candidacy and arrived in Ely
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about by road from London. It is built on a Lower Greensand island, which at a maximum elevation of is the highest land in the Fens...
on 12 November, to find that rumours about "other reasons for the break" were current. He said that he would meet supporters over the weekend of 17-18 November 1923 in Whittlesey
Whittlesey
Whittlesey, historically known as Whittlesea as the name of the railway station is still spelt, or Witesie, is an ancient Fenland market town around six miles east of Peterborough in the county of Cambridgeshire in England...
. However he instead telephoned the Falcon Hotel to say that he was not coming as had learned that the Conservative Association had a new candidate (Max Townley
Max Townley
Maximilian Gowran Townley was a British land agent, agriculturist and politician. He served one term in Parliament as a Conservative, and later campaigned for policies to support agriculture...
was selected) and would withdraw.
Bankruptcy
Coates continued as Commandant of the United Services College after entering Parliament. However in February 1924 his creditors issued a petition for his bankruptcyBankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
stating that he was a member of the Bath Club
Bath Club
The Bath Club was a sports-themed London gentlemen's club in the twentieth century. It was established in 1894 at 34 Dover Street. Its swimming pool was a noted feature, and it is thought that the swimming pool of the fictional Drones Club was based on this. Sir Henry "Chips" Channon was a member....
in London but that "his present residence or place of business the Petitioners are unable to obtain". When Coates was tracked down, he was clearly insolvent and an examination in public was ordered. The details of Coates' financial dealings were uncovered at two hearings at Windsor Bankruptcy Court at the Windsor Guildhall in July and October 1924. It was immediately apparent and acknowledged by Coates that financial troubles were the reason for the end of his Parliamentary career.
For the first examination Coates prepared a statement of affairs claiming that his debt was only £314 8s. 2d., but his claimed principal asset was the lease "and goodwill" of the United Services College. The Trustee in bankruptcy
Trustee in bankruptcy
A trustee in bankruptcy is an entity, often an individual, in charge of administering a bankruptcy estate.- United States :In the United States, a Trustee in Bankruptcy is a person who is appointed by the United States Department of Justice or by the creditors involved in a bankruptcy case.In a...
noted that the valuation had increased since the preliminary examination and disputed its correctness. Coates also admitted that he had not told Mrs Grieve that he used money willed to her to start a school, and had to admit that the school had not paid its way. Mrs Grieve's representative accused Coates of having told Mrs Grieve that the money from the will had been invested in stocks and bonds when in fact he had been transferring it to his own overdrawn account.
The Official Receiver
Official Receiver
An officer of the Insolvency Service of the United Kingdom, the Official Receiver is an officer of the court to which he is attached. The OR is therefore answerable to the courts for carrying out the courts' orders and for fulfilling his duties under law...
tackled Coates over £1,000 paid to him by the Imperial War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
in the interests of the Palestine War Memorial Fund, which had not yet been built. Coates admitted he received the money and that no memorial had been built, but insisted that he was entitled to keep it as payment for services rendered to the fund. He stated that it was his expenses as a Member of Parliament, renting a flat in London and visiting his constituency, which had led to his running out of ready money, as a result of which he had gone to moneylenders and ended up owing £1,836 to them. He had known he was insolvent for over a year.
At the second hearing Coates was questioned about his lifestyle and accepted that he had that year gone to the Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
, to Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
and to Henley
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
. He usually stayed in expensive hotels and had gone to Switzerland for a fortnight over Christmas 1923 with two boys from the school. He had also adopted a boy after persuading the boy's mother that her son was to be a beneficiary in Coates' will; the items in the will conveyed to the boy were all known to be worthless or nonexistent. Coates was indeed made bankrupt; creditors received only 8.25d per £ (3.4%). The trustee in bankruptcy was discharged on 23 September 1925.
Subsequent life
After his bankruptcy Coates moved to ChichesterChichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, where later in 1924 he established the Chichester School and named himself as Head Master, implying a connection to the University of Durham. Coates remained in Chichester until 1931 when he moved to Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, and then to Great Wratting
Great Wratting
Great Wratting is a village and civil parish in England, about four miles from Haverhill, Suffolk, in the valley of the River Stour. There is a ford across the Stour in the centre of the village, where bathing and fishing are common pursuits.The river here is heavily populated by crayfish, a non...
in Suffolk.
Second World War
On 4 September 1939 he was granted an emergency commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Army Service CorpsRoyal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
. He was soon placed at the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
headquarters, and joined the Directorate of Prisoners of War when it was established on 25 May 1940; a simultaneous policy decision removed the responsibility for civilian internment under Defence Regulation 18B
Defence Regulation 18B
Defence Regulation 18B, often referred to as simply 18B, was the most famous of the Defence Regulations used by the British Government during World War II. The complete technical reference name for this rule was: Regulation 18B of the Defence Regulations 1939. It allowed for the internment of...
from the War Office to the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
, although the War Office retained responsibility for staffing them and for discipline. In June 1940, Coates announced that there was room for 10,000 internees after all the Italian citizens had been rounded up and that there would be an additional 6,000 places for internees after the first ships had left for Canada where some were being sent. Later in the summer Coates was appointed Deputy Director for Prisoners of War, responsible for administration of all branches of the department.
One characteristic of Coates' approach as Deputy Director was defending the directorate from other departments. When the Home Office pressed to take over managing the internment camps in August 1940, Coates' superior, Director of Prisoners of War Sir Alan Hunter, wrote a memo defending the War Office position and strongly criticising the Home Office for failing to recruit civilian staff and free up soldiers for the war effort. The response of Home Office official Sir John Moylan was that Hunter's memo was based on "a suggestio falsi which convinces me that this letter must have been drafted by Col Coates". At the end of April 1941, Coates wrote to the Foreign Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
official in charge of Prisoners of War, W.St.C.H. Roberts, to stress the War Office's vigilance in ensuring that the British Red Cross
British Red Cross
The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom branch of the worldwide impartial humanitarian organisation the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with over 31,000 volunteers and 2,600 staff. At the heart of their work...
Society and the Order of St John did not speak out on matters which were under War Office control.
Rudolf Hess
When Rudolf HessRudolf Hess
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess was a prominent Nazi politician who was Adolf Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party during the 1930s and early 1940s...
was taken into British custody in 1941, Col A. Malcolm Scott was appointed as Commandant of 'Camp Z' which had been set up specially to hold him, and reported to Coates. On 29 May, Scott passed on the news that the doctor assigned to Hess believed his patient was "definitely over the border that lies between mental instability and insanity". Coates quickly arranged for psychiatrist J.R. Rees
John Rawlings Rees
John Rawlings Rees OBE MD RAMC was a wartime and civilian psychiatrist and became a brigadier in the British Army. He was a member of the group of key figures at the original Tavistock Clinic and became its medical director from 1934...
to go to relieve the doctor. Hess attempted suicide in the early hours of 16 June, and Scott wrote to Coates that day to explain what had happened. When Rees saw Hess a few days after, he wrote to Coates that Hess was growing more delusional. When MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
discovered a putative plot by Polish exiles to break in to Camp Z at Mytchett Place and kidnap or murder Hess, Coates saw Director of Counter-Espionage Guy Liddell
Guy Liddell
Guy Maynard Liddell, CB, CBE, MC was a British intelligence officer during World War II.-Early life & career:...
and arranged to take MI5 officer Edward Hinchley-Cooke to the Camp to inform Col Scott.
Departure
By Autumn 1941 the Directorate of Prisoners of War at the War Office had "all the trappings of a major bureaucratic machine". However all the leading members of the Directorate including Coates, his superior Sir Alan Hunter, Inspector Sir Oswald BorrettOswald Borrett
Lieutenant General Sir Oswald Cuthbert Borrett KCB CMG CBE DSO was Commander of British Troops in China.-Military career:Borrett was commissioned into the King's Own Royal Regiment in 1898. He served in the Second Boer War and then became Adjutant in the Indian Volunteers in 1911.He also served in...
and Capt W. Rosser James were removed in September 1941. General Sir Alan Hunter was succeeded by Major-General E.C. Gepp as Director of Prisoners of War. On 20 April 1942, having been convicted of a criminal offence, Coates was removed from the Army. Coates' entries in Who's Who
Who's Who (UK)
Who's Who is an annual British publication of biographies which vary in length of about 30,000 living notable Britons.-History:...
and Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed and Official Classes ceased at or shortly after this time and his date of death is not recorded.
He died on 21 March 1966 and is buried in the churchyard of St Llawddog's Church, Llanllawddog
Llanllawddog
Llanllawddog is a community located in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales....
, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
.
Coates' medals, including his Military Cross, 1914 Star
1914 Star
The 1914 Star was a British Empire campaign medal for service in World War I.The 1914 Star was approved in 1917, for issue to officers and men of British forces who served in France or Belgium between 5 August and midnight 22/23 November 1914...
, British War and Victory medals, and the Order of St Anne 2nd Class, were sold in 1977.