Shapurji Saklatvala
Encyclopedia
Shapurji Saklatvala was a British
politician of India
n Parsi heritage. He was the third Indian Member of Parliament
(MP) in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
after fellow Parsis Dadabhai Naoroji
and Mancherjee Bhownagree
.
), India
, the son of a merchant. He worked briefly as an iron and coal prospector for Jamsetji Tata
before moving to England
in 1905 where he worked for British Westinghouse
. It was at this time that he joined Lincoln's Inn and qualified as a barrister
.
, the Labour Party
and on its formation the Communist Party of Great Britain
(Labour allowed joint membership at the time). He attended the 2nd Pan-African Congress held in Paris in 1921. At the 1922 general election
he was elected as the Communist candidate for the constituency of Battersea North
, with the support of the Labour Party.
He was one of the first Communists elected to the British Parliament, along with Walton Newbold
, although in 1920 Cecil L'Estrange Malone
had joined the party while already an MP.
Saklatvala lost his seat at the 1923 general election
, but was re-elected without official Labour support in the same seat in the 1924 general election
— the first Communist to achieve this feat, although he did not face a Labour opponent. He again lost the seat in the 1929 general election
.
Saklatvala was arrested in 1926 following a speech he made in support of striking coal miners and was jailed for two months. During the Spanish Civil War
, the Britons fighting in the International Brigades
were sometimes called the Saklatvala Battalion, although they were more frequently known as the British Battalion
since no other battalions from the UK fought.
In January 2009, The National Archives published the 1911 Census for the general public's use. Saklatvala is listed along with his wife Sarah Elizabeth and two children as living in Salford, when he was still working with British Westinghouse
in nearby Trafford Park
, Manchester
. Saklatvala married Sarah Elizabeth on 14 August 1907, in the Parish Church of St Thomas, Moorside, Oldham after a courtship of about a year. Sarah Elizabeth was the third daughter and fourth child of twelve children, ten of them daughters.
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 India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Parsi heritage. He was the third Indian 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) in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
after fellow Parsis Dadabhai Naoroji
Dadabhai Naoroji
Dadabhai Naoroji , known as the Grand Old Man of India, was a Parsi intellectual, educator, cotton trader, and an early Indian political leader. His book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India brought attention to the draining of India's wealth into Britain...
and Mancherjee Bhownagree
Mancherjee Bhownagree
Sir Mancherjee Merwanjee Bhownagree, KCIE, was a British Conservative Party politician of Indian Parsi heritage...
.
Early years
Saklatvala was born in Bombay (now MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
), India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the son of a merchant. He worked briefly as an iron and coal prospector for Jamsetji Tata
Jamsetji Tata
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata was an Indian entrepreneur and industrialist, prominent for his pioneering work in Indian industry. He was born to a Parsi family in Navsari, Gujarat, India....
before moving to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1905 where he worked for British Westinghouse
British Westinghouse
British Westinghouse Electrical and Manufacturing Company was a subsidiary of the American Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. British Westinghouse would become a subsidiary of Metropolitan-Vickers in 1919; and after Metropolitan Vickers merged with British Thomson-Houston in 1929, it...
. It was at this time that he joined Lincoln's Inn and qualified as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
.
Political career
Saklatvala joined the Independent Labour PartyIndependent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
, the Labour Party
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...
and on its formation the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
(Labour allowed joint membership at the time). He attended the 2nd Pan-African Congress held in Paris in 1921. At the 1922 general election
United 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...
he was elected as the Communist candidate for the constituency of Battersea North
Battersea North (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 1960s:-Elections in the 1950s:-Elections in the 1940s:Francis Douglas was appointed Governor of Malta, leading to a by-election....
, with the support of the Labour Party.
He was one of the first Communists elected to the British Parliament, along with Walton Newbold
Walton Newbold
John Turner Walton Newbold , known as Walton Newbold, was the first Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom to be elected as a Communist.-Early years:...
, although in 1920 Cecil L'Estrange Malone
Cecil L'Estrange Malone
Cecil John L'Estrange Malone was Britain's first communist member of the House of Commons.-Early years:Born in Dalton Holme, Yorkshire on 7 September 1890, a rector's son, he joined the Royal Navy in 1905 and attended the Royal Naval College at Devonport. In 1912 he learned to fly and gained his...
had joined the party while already an MP.
Saklatvala lost his seat at the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, but was re-elected without official Labour support in the same seat in the 1924 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
— the first Communist to achieve this feat, although he did not face a Labour opponent. He again lost the seat in the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
.
Saklatvala was arrested in 1926 following a speech he made in support of striking coal miners and was jailed for two months. During the Spanish Civil War
Spanish 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...
, the Britons fighting in the International Brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
were sometimes called the Saklatvala Battalion, although they were more frequently known as the British Battalion
British Battalion
The British Battalion was the 16th battalion of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War.- Early volunteers :A number of British volunteers, including Tom Wintringham and Nat Cohen, arrived in Spain during August-September 1936 and formed the Tom Mann Centuria - a rifle company in...
since no other battalions from the UK fought.
In January 2009, The National Archives published the 1911 Census for the general public's use. Saklatvala is listed along with his wife Sarah Elizabeth and two children as living in Salford, when he was still working with British Westinghouse
British Westinghouse
British Westinghouse Electrical and Manufacturing Company was a subsidiary of the American Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. British Westinghouse would become a subsidiary of Metropolitan-Vickers in 1919; and after Metropolitan Vickers merged with British Thomson-Houston in 1929, it...
in nearby Trafford Park
Trafford Park
Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located opposite Salford Quays, on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, it is west-southwest of Manchester city centre, and north of Stretford. Until the late 19th century it was the...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Saklatvala married Sarah Elizabeth on 14 August 1907, in the Parish Church of St Thomas, Moorside, Oldham after a courtship of about a year. Sarah Elizabeth was the third daughter and fourth child of twelve children, ten of them daughters.
See also
- Politics of the United KingdomPolitics of the United KingdomThe politics of the United Kingdom takes place within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is the head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government...
- British Asians in politics of the United KingdomBritish Asians in politics of the United KingdomBritish Asians have played a large role in the recent politics of the United Kingdom. People from the Indian subcontinent have had a role in the politics of the United Kingdom, starting from the British educated Indians who struggled for independence as well as Indians who became Members of...
- Dadabhai NaorojiDadabhai NaorojiDadabhai Naoroji , known as the Grand Old Man of India, was a Parsi intellectual, educator, cotton trader, and an early Indian political leader. His book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India brought attention to the draining of India's wealth into Britain...
- Mancherjee BhownagreeMancherjee BhownagreeSir Mancherjee Merwanjee Bhownagree, KCIE, was a British Conservative Party politician of Indian Parsi heritage...