Stephen King-Hall
Encyclopedia
Sir William Stephen Richard King-Hall, Baron King-Hall of Headley (21 January 1893 - 1 June 1966) was a British
naval officer, writer, politician and playwright.
and Olga Felicia Ker; theirs was an artistic Naval family, King-Hall's sisters Magdalen and Lou also being writers. He married Kathleen Amelia Spencer (d 14 Aug 1950), daughter of Francis Spencer, on 15 April 1919 and they had three children, Ann, Frances Susan and Jane.
He was educated at Lausanne
in Switzerland
and at the Royal Naval College
in Dartmouth. He fought in the First World War between 1914 and 1918, with the Grand Fleet, serving on HMS Southampton
and 11th Submarine Flotilla. He gained the rank of Commander in the service of the Royal Navy in 1928, before resigning in 1929. He wrote several plays between 1924 and 1940. He joined the Royal Institute of International Affairs in 1929, having previously been awarded their Gold Medal for his 1920 thesis on submarine warfare. He entered the House of Commons in 1939 as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Ormskirk
standing as the National Labour candidate. He later changed his affiliation and continued to stand as an Independent
, subsequently losing the seat to future Prime Minister Harold Wilson
in the 1945 general election
. During the Second World War, he served in the Ministry of Aircraft Production under Beaverbrook as Director of the Factory Defence Section.
In 1944 he founded and chaired the Hansard Society
to promote parliamentary democracy. He presented a programme for children on current affairs on both BBC radio and television. He was invested as a Knight Bachelor
in 1954 and was created Baron King-Hall, of Headley in the County of Hampshire (Life Peer
) on 15 January 1966. He died on 1 June 1966.
There have been several accounts and appraisals of his work advocating unilateral nuclear disarmament and defence by civil resistance.
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...
naval officer, writer, politician and playwright.
Life
The son of Admiral Sir George Fowler King-HallGeorge King-Hall
Admiral Sir George Fowler King–Hall KCB, CVO was a senior officer of the Royal Navy.King-Hall was born on 14 August 1850 as the second surviving son of Admiral William King-Hall and Louisa Forman...
and Olga Felicia Ker; theirs was an artistic Naval family, King-Hall's sisters Magdalen and Lou also being writers. He married Kathleen Amelia Spencer (d 14 Aug 1950), daughter of Francis Spencer, on 15 April 1919 and they had three children, Ann, Frances Susan and Jane.
He was educated at Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and at the Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...
in Dartmouth. He fought in the First World War between 1914 and 1918, with the Grand Fleet, serving on HMS Southampton
HMS Southampton (1912)
HMS Southampton was a Royal Navy warship that served in the First World War.Southampton was one of the third batch of "Town" class light cruisers, her sister ships were Dublin and Chatham...
and 11th Submarine Flotilla. He gained the rank of Commander in the service of the Royal Navy in 1928, before resigning in 1929. He wrote several plays between 1924 and 1940. He joined the Royal Institute of International Affairs in 1929, having previously been awarded their Gold Medal for his 1920 thesis on submarine warfare. He entered the House of Commons in 1939 as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Ormskirk
Ormskirk (UK Parliament constituency)
Ormskirk was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as a division of the parliamentary county of...
standing as the National Labour candidate. He later changed his affiliation and continued to stand as an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
, subsequently losing the seat to future Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
in the 1945 general election
United 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...
. During the Second World War, he served in the Ministry of Aircraft Production under Beaverbrook as Director of the Factory Defence Section.
In 1944 he founded and chaired the Hansard Society
Hansard Society
The Hansard Society was formed in 1944 to promote parliamentary democracy. Founded and chaired by Commander Stephen King-Hall, the first subscribers were Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee...
to promote parliamentary democracy. He presented a programme for children on current affairs on both BBC radio and television. He was invested as a Knight Bachelor
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in 1954 and was created Baron King-Hall, of Headley in the County of Hampshire (Life Peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
) on 15 January 1966. He died on 1 June 1966.
Research and writing
- "Diary of a U-Boat-Commander" as "Etienne"
- Submarines in the Future of Naval Warfare, 1920. Thesis.
- His 1958 book Defence in the Nuclear Age advocated a British policy of unilateral nuclear disarmament and national defence involving some reliance on conventional military force. This was to be supplemented by "a defence system of non-violence against violence" - what is often called "defence by civil resistanceCivil resistanceThe term civil resistance, alongside the term nonviolent resistance, is used to describe political action that relies on the use of non-violent methods by civil groups to challenge a particular power, force, policy or regime. Civil resistance operates through appeals to the adversary, pressure and...
" or "social defenceSocial defenceThe term "social defence" is used to describe non-military action by a society or social group, particularly in a context of a sustained campaign against outside attack or dictatorial rule - or preparations for such a campaign in the event of external attack or usurpation...
".
- His numerous other books included a 1962 study, Power Politics in the Nuclear Age.
- He also published a novel Moment of No Return (Men of Destiny in the USA) in 1960 This criticised all sides for the creation of the Cold War and further promoted his aim of nuclear disarmament.
There have been several accounts and appraisals of his work advocating unilateral nuclear disarmament and defence by civil resistance.
Media
- Western Civilization and the Far East, 1924
- The Middle Watch, 1930
- The Midshipmaid, 1932
- Admirals All, 1935
- Tropical Trouble, 1936
- The Middle Watch, 1940
- Carry on Admiral, 1957
- Girls at Sea, 1958
- BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Children's HourChildren's HourChildren's Hour—at first: "The Children's Hour", from a verse by Longfellow—was the name of the BBC's principal recreational service for children during the period when radio dominated broadcasting.... - London Newsletter (a.k.a. K-H Weekly News Letter, National News Letter)
See also
- Civil resistanceCivil resistanceThe term civil resistance, alongside the term nonviolent resistance, is used to describe political action that relies on the use of non-violent methods by civil groups to challenge a particular power, force, policy or regime. Civil resistance operates through appeals to the adversary, pressure and...
- Hansard SocietyHansard SocietyThe Hansard Society was formed in 1944 to promote parliamentary democracy. Founded and chaired by Commander Stephen King-Hall, the first subscribers were Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee...
- Nonviolent resistanceNonviolent resistanceNonviolent resistance is the practice of achieving goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence. It is largely synonymous with civil resistance...
- Social defenceSocial defenceThe term "social defence" is used to describe non-military action by a society or social group, particularly in a context of a sustained campaign against outside attack or dictatorial rule - or preparations for such a campaign in the event of external attack or usurpation...
External links
- Works by or about Stephen King-Hall at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
(scanned books original editions color illustrated) - A North Sea Diary 1914-1918 Account of his experience on board the Southampton.