Oswald Phipps, 4th Marquess of Normanby
Encyclopedia
Oswald Constantine John Phipps, 4th Marquess of Normanby, KG
, CBE
(29 July 1912 – 30 January 1994) was a British
peer
and philanthropist
for blind
people.
and Christ Church, Oxford
. He inherited his father's titles in 1932 and joined the Green Howards as a Lieutenant
in 1939. In 1940, Lord Normanby was captured at the Battle of Dunkirk
and was a prisoner of war
at Obermassfeldt in Thuringia
until 1943.
During his captivity, he persuaded his captors to allow him to teach braille
to the blind prisoners, despite not knowing it himself. They constructed their alphabets with glass-headed pins and cardboard. He progressed from this to teach lessons in wider subjects. In recognition of his successful independent efforts, the head of St Dunstan's
charity for blinded service personnel, Lord Fraser of Lonsdale
, appointed him an honourary member of the charity's teaching staff. Later, when he was repatriated along with his blind students, he joined St Dunstan's council. He was also awarded a military MBE
in recognition of his work in leading the POWs.
and was Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
, Viscount Cranborne
from 1944-45 and briefly to the Lord President of the Council
, Lord Woolton in 1945. That year, Lord Normanby was also made appointed a Lord-in-Waiting
, but the appointment was brief due to him crossing the floor
, becoming the only Labour
marquess
(he later left the Labour Party also and became a crossbencher).
) and they had seven children:
from 1948 (for which he was promoted to a CBE in 1974) until his death and as well as a member of St Dunstan's council, he was also Chairman of the National Library for the Blind
from 1946 until his death and its President from 1977-88. In 1985, he was made a Knight of the Garter
and died in 1994, when his titles passed to his eldest son.
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, CBE
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...
(29 July 1912 – 30 January 1994) 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...
peer
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
and philanthropist
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
for blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
people.
Early life
Styled Earl of Mulgrave from birth, he was the eldest son of Constantine Phipps, 3rd Marquess of Normanby and was educated at Eton CollegeEton 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 Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. He inherited his father's titles in 1932 and joined the Green Howards as a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1939. In 1940, Lord Normanby was captured at the Battle of Dunkirk
Battle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk was a battle in the Second World War between the Allies and Germany. A part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defence and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe from 26 May–4 June 1940.After the Phoney War, the Battle of...
and was a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
at Obermassfeldt in Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
until 1943.
During his captivity, he persuaded his captors to allow him to teach braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
to the blind prisoners, despite not knowing it himself. They constructed their alphabets with glass-headed pins and cardboard. He progressed from this to teach lessons in wider subjects. In recognition of his successful independent efforts, the head of St Dunstan's
St Dunstan's
St Dunstan's is a large national charity in the United Kingdom, providing support, rehabilitation and respite care to blind ex-service personnel of the British Armed Forces....
charity for blinded service personnel, Lord Fraser of Lonsdale
Ian Fraser, Baron Fraser of Lonsdale
William Jocelyn Ian Fraser, Baron Fraser of Lonsdale CH CBE, , known as Ian Fraser, was a British Conservative Party politician, a Governor of the BBC, a successful businessman and the first person to be awarded a life peerage under the Life Peerages Act 1958.Fraser was blinded in World War I and...
, appointed him an honourary member of the charity's teaching staff. Later, when he was repatriated along with his blind students, he joined St Dunstan's council. He was also awarded a military MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
in recognition of his work in leading the POWs.
Politics
On his release, Lord Normanby was appointed a MBEOrder 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...
and was Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
The position of Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs was a British cabinet level position created in 1925 responsible for British relations with the Dominions — Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Newfoundland, and the Irish Free State, as well as the self-governing colony of...
, Viscount Cranborne
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury, KG, PC , known as Viscount Cranborne from 1903 to 1947, was a British Conservative politician.-Background:...
from 1944-45 and briefly to the Lord President of the Council
Lord President of the Council
The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends each meeting of the Privy Council, presenting business for the monarch's approval...
, Lord Woolton in 1945. That year, Lord Normanby was also made appointed a Lord-in-Waiting
Lord-in-Waiting
Most Lords in Waiting are Government whips in the House of Lords who are members of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As members of the Royal Household their duties are nominal, though they are occasionally required to meet visiting political and state leaders on visits...
, but the appointment was brief due to him crossing the floor
Crossing the floor
In politics, crossing the floor has two meanings referring to a change of allegiance in a Westminster system parliament.The term originates from the British House of Commons, which is configured with the Government and Opposition facing each other on rows of benches...
, becoming the only Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
marquess
Marquess
A marquess or marquis is a nobleman of hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The term is also used to translate equivalent oriental styles, as in imperial China, Japan, and Vietnam...
(he later left the Labour Party also and became a crossbencher).
Family
On 10 February 1951, Lord Normanby married Hon. Grania Guinness (a daughter of Walter Guinness, 1st Baron MoyneWalter Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne
Walter Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne DSO & Bar PC was a Anglo-Irish politician and businessman. He served as the British minister of state in the Middle East until November 1944, when he was assassinated by the militant Jewish Zionist group Lehi...
) and they had seven children:
- Lady Lepel Sophia (b. 1952)
- Constantine Edmund Walter, styled Earl of Mulgrave, later 5th Marquess of NormanbyConstantine Phipps, 5th Marquess of NormanbyConstantine Edmund Walter Phipps, 5th Marquess of Normanby is the son of Oswald Phipps, 4th Marquess of Normanby and Grania Guinness. He was educated at Worcester College, Oxford....
(b. 1954) - Lady Evelyn Rose (b. 1955; married novelist James BuchanJames BuchanJames Buchan, born 11 June 1954, is a British novelist and journalist.-Biography:Buchan is the son of William Buchan, 3rd Baron Tweedsmuir and grandson of John Buchan, the Scottish novelist and diplomat. He was educated at Eton and Magdalen College, Oxford, and began his career as a Financial...
in 1986) - Lord Justin (b. 1958)
- Lady Peronel Katharine (b. 1959)
- Lady Henrietta Laura (b. 1962)
- Lady Anne Elizabeth Grania (b. 1965)
Later years
Lord Normanby was Chairman of King's College HospitalKing's College Hospital
King's College Hospital is an acute care facility in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH"...
from 1948 (for which he was promoted to a CBE in 1974) until his death and as well as a member of St Dunstan's council, he was also Chairman of the National Library for the Blind
National Library for the Blind
The National Library for the Blind was a public library in the United Kingdom, founded 1882, which aimed to ensure that people with sight problems have the same access to library services as sighted people. NLB was taken over by RNIB on 1 January 2007.-Origins:The Lending Library for the Blind...
from 1946 until his death and its President from 1977-88. In 1985, he was made a Knight of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
and died in 1994, when his titles passed to his eldest son.