Otho Prior-Palmer
Encyclopedia
Brigadier
Sir Otho Leslie Prior-Palmer, DSO
(28 October 1897 – 29 January 1986) was an Anglo-Irish
British Army
officer and Conservative Party
politician. He served for nearly twenty years as a Member of Parliament
for Worthing
. His main contributions were on the subject of defence, on which he was sometimes roused to outspoken criticism of the opposition Labour Party.
where his father, Spunner Prior-Palmer, was a landowner in County Sligo. He was sent to Wellington College
for his schooling, and joined the Army immediately on leaving school. In 1916 he was commissioned into the 9th Lancers
. He trained at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
.
Hounds
, although he sometimes had to sell up when his leave was cancelled and he was posted abroad. He also enjoyed sailing in the late 1920s, and was a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron
.
In July 1926 he married Hon. Barbara Frankland. His interest in horses was also manifest in horse racing
: he was at first a jockey
. In the Sandown Park Grand Military Gold Cup of 1932, he rode "Master of Orange" and led in the early stages, before coming in second at the finish. Later he was an active trainer of race horses.
. However, he sued for and was granted a divorce
in 1936 on the grounds of his wife's adultery with the Earl of Normanton, whom she subsequently married. On May 11, 1940 Prior-Palmer took as his second wife, Sheila Weller-Poley. His second wife was to be active in politics later as a Conservative
and as Chairman of West Sussex
County Council Education Committee.
; this involved heavy fighting. In October 1944 his brigade made a particularly effective contribution to fighting around the Savio River
. In 1945 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
.
, Prior-Palmer was adopted as the Conservative Party
candidate for Worthing
, a new constituency which had been created in boundary changes just before the election. He was placed on retired pay by the Army in 1946 with the honorary rank of Brigadier.
In Parliament, Prior-Palmer began his career by voting (along with many backbench Conservative MPs) against the large loan from the United States
which the Labour government had negotiated after the end of Lend-Lease
. However, these were the only dissenting votes he ever cast against the Conservative whip. In 1946 he argued for retaining conventional defence in addition to nuclear arms, because an answer would be found to the atomic bomb.
after achieving a level of efficiency in the cadets. In March 1948 he went on a Parliamentary delegation to East Africa (Kenya
, Uganda
, Tanganyika
and Zanzibar
). Later that year he warned of the danger of invasion of the United Kingdom by air, and urged the creation of a force to tackle it.
. In the first month of the new Parliament, with a Conservative government once again, he was required to apologise after being overheard saying that the Labour frontbencher and former Minister Jim Griffiths
"had never done a damned day's work in his life". In May 1953 he launched a debate on the need for voluntary defence services. In September 1954 he was named on a delegation to visit the Soviet Union
.
in an unwhipped House of Commons vote in February 1956, one of only 48 Conservative MPs to do so. He backed the Eden
government on Suez
, arguing that it took British and French intervention to get a United Nations
force to come in. Having served as Chair of the Conservative Backbenchers' Army sub-committee for most of the 1950s, he was made Vice-Chairman of the Defence Committee from 1958.
to stop men making Spitfires
". Despite uproar among Labour MPs present, he refused to withdraw. In February 1961, Prior-Palmer signed, but later withdrew his name from, a motion critical of the constitutional development of Northern Rhodesia
.
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Sir Otho Leslie Prior-Palmer, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(28 October 1897 – 29 January 1986) was an Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
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...
officer and 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...
politician. He served for nearly twenty years 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,...
for Worthing
Worthing (UK Parliament constituency)
Worthing was a parliamentary constituency in West Sussex, centred on the town of Worthing in West Sussex. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
. His main contributions were on the subject of defence, on which he was sometimes roused to outspoken criticism of the opposition Labour Party.
Early career
Prior-Palmer was born in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
where his father, Spunner Prior-Palmer, was a landowner in County Sligo. He was sent to Wellington College
Wellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
for his schooling, and joined the Army immediately on leaving school. In 1916 he was commissioned into the 9th Lancers
9th Queen's Royal Lancers
The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, or the Delhi Spearmen, were a cavalry regiment of the British Army. They are best known for their roles in the Indian mutiny of 1857 and for their part in the North African campaign of World War II including the retreat to and the battle of El Alamein in 1942.-Early...
. He trained at the Royal Military College, 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...
.
Recreations
During the inter-war period, Prior-Palmer took an interest in equestrianism while continuing in service with the Lancers. He owned a stud which bred horses for the WarwickshireWarwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
Hounds
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
, although he sometimes had to sell up when his leave was cancelled and he was posted abroad. He also enjoyed sailing in the late 1920s, and was a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron
Royal Yacht Squadron
The Royal Yacht Squadron is the most prestigious yacht club in the United Kingdom and arguably the world. Its clubhouse is located in Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom...
.
In July 1926 he married Hon. Barbara Frankland. His interest in horses was also manifest in horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
: he was at first a jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
. In the Sandown Park Grand Military Gold Cup of 1932, he rode "Master of Orange" and led in the early stages, before coming in second at the finish. Later he was an active trainer of race horses.
Promotion
In March 1936, Prior-Palmer was promoted MajorMajor
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
. However, he sued for and was granted a divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
in 1936 on the grounds of his wife's adultery with the Earl of Normanton, whom she subsequently married. On May 11, 1940 Prior-Palmer took as his second wife, Sheila Weller-Poley. His second wife was to be active in politics later as a 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...
and as Chairman of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
County Council Education Committee.
Second World War
During the Second World War, Prior-Palmer was placed in command of the 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry in 1940. In March 1942, he was transferred to command the 30th Armoured Brigade, and in August he moved to the 29th Armoured Brigade; both of these units were stationed in Britain. In 1943 Prior-Palmer was put in command of the 7th Armoured Brigade in ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
; this involved heavy fighting. In October 1944 his brigade made a particularly effective contribution to fighting around the Savio River
Savio River
The Savio is a river in northern Italy. Its source is near Montecoronaro on Mount Castelvecchio which is near the western side of Mount Fumaiolo. The source is at an elevation of 1,126 meters and is marked by an iron monument. A wolf and the rings of the "caveja" are on this monument. The river...
. In 1945 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
.
Entry to Parliament
At the 1945 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
, Prior-Palmer was adopted as 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...
candidate for Worthing
Worthing (UK Parliament constituency)
Worthing was a parliamentary constituency in West Sussex, centred on the town of Worthing in West Sussex. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
, a new constituency which had been created in boundary changes just before the election. He was placed on retired pay by the Army in 1946 with the honorary rank of Brigadier.
In Parliament, Prior-Palmer began his career by voting (along with many backbench Conservative MPs) against the large loan from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
which the Labour government had negotiated after the end of Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
. However, these were the only dissenting votes he ever cast against the Conservative whip. In 1946 he argued for retaining conventional defence in addition to nuclear arms, because an answer would be found to the atomic bomb.
Contribution to debates
With an interest in army training and the cadet services, in May 1947 Prior-Palmer moved a new clause to the National Service Bill which would give an incentive to those who were called up for National ServiceNational service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
after achieving a level of efficiency in the cadets. In March 1948 he went on a Parliamentary delegation to East Africa (Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
and Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
). Later that year he warned of the danger of invasion of the United Kingdom by air, and urged the creation of a force to tackle it.
Outspokenness
His constituency was safely Conservative and Prior-Palmer had a majority of over 21,000 in the 1951 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
. In the first month of the new Parliament, with a Conservative government once again, he was required to apologise after being overheard saying that the Labour frontbencher and former Minister Jim Griffiths
Jim Griffiths
James "Jim" Griffiths CH , was a Welsh Labour politician, trade union leader and the first ever Secretary of State for Wales.-Background and education:...
"had never done a damned day's work in his life". In May 1953 he launched a debate on the need for voluntary defence services. In September 1954 he was named on a delegation to visit the Soviet Union
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....
.
Suez
Prior-Palmer supported abolition of capital punishmentCapital punishment in the United Kingdom
Capital punishment in the United Kingdom was used from the creation of the state in 1707 until the practice was abolished in the 20th century. The last executions in the United Kingdom, by hanging, took place in 1964, prior to capital punishment being abolished for murder...
in an unwhipped House of Commons vote in February 1956, one of only 48 Conservative MPs to do so. He backed the Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
government on Suez
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,...
, arguing that it took British and French intervention to get a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
force to come in. Having served as Chair of the Conservative Backbenchers' Army sub-committee for most of the 1950s, he was made Vice-Chairman of the Defence Committee from 1958.
Elder statesman
Knighted in 1959, Prior-Palmer was regarded as an 'elder statesman' but could still be angered by pacifist sentiment. In February 1960 he claimed that the Labour Party had "sent one of their chief leaders to SwaythlingSwaythling
Swaythling was once a village but over the years it has gradually become a suburb and electoral ward of Southampton in Hampshire, England. The ward has a population of 13,394....
to stop men making Spitfires
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
". Despite uproar among Labour MPs present, he refused to withdraw. In February 1961, Prior-Palmer signed, but later withdrew his name from, a motion critical of the constitutional development of Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a territory in south central Africa, formed in 1911. It became independent in 1964 as Zambia.It was initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by amalgamating North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia...
.
Retirement
On 7 November 1963, Prior-Palmer announced that owing to "personal reasons and reasons of ill-health", he would not be a candidate at the next general election. He had in the meantime become involved in business in the field of commercial radio, as an investor. In 1964 he divorced his second wife and married his third, Elizabeth Henderson. They had two sons in the mid-1960s.Sources
- M. Stenton and S. Lees, "Who's Who of British MPs" Vol. IV (Harvester Press, 1981)
- "Who Was Who", A & C Black
- Thepeerage.com