Tufton Beamish, Baron Chelwood
Encyclopedia
Tufton Victor Hamilton Beamish, Baron Chelwood MC
(27 January 1917 – 6 April 1989) was a British Army
officer and Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
for Lewes
(1945-1974).
During the Second World War
, he served in France, Belgium (1940), Malaya (1942), India and Burma (1942-43), North Africa and Italy (1943-44). In 1940 he was awarded the Military Cross
; was knighted in 1961 and upon his retirement from the House of Commons was created a life peer
as Baron Chelwood, of Lewes in the County of East Sussex
in May 1974.
Beamish's father was Tufton Percy Hamilton Beamish
who served in the Royal Navy
until 1925 when he retired with the rank of Rear Admiral
. He had followed his career in the Navy by entering politics and served as the member of Parliament for Lewes
from 1924 until 1931 and again from 1936 until 1945.
and the Royal Military College Sandhurst. He received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
in 1937. In 1938 Beamish served in Cairo and Palestine and developed a lifelong interest in the Arab people of the region. After the outbreak of the Second World War, he was transferred to France as a company commander with the British Expeditionary Force
. Beamish was wounded on the retreat to Dunkirk and managed to secure his evacuation. In 1941, he was transferred to the far-east and was serving in Singapore
when the Japanese began their assault of the Malayan peninsular. He avoided being captured at the fall of Singapore by taking to a rowing boat with seven other men. The men rowed to Sumatra
but upon reaching their destination the found that it too had fallen to the Japanese and laid a new course for Ceylon, which they eventually reached safely. Beamish now worked as an intelligence officer in India before transferred to the Eighth Army in North Africa
in 1943, taking part in the invasion of Italy later that year. He left the Army in 1945 with the rank of Captain
.
candidate for the 1945 general election
. He was elected, and continued to serve as the constituency Member of Parliament until he retired from the Commons at the 1974 general election
.
From 1947 to 1953, Beamish served on the executive of the 1922 Committee
, and from 1965 to 1967 as opposition spokesman on defence. He never sought, and actively refused, the offer of a ministerial position. Beamish was a firm believer in the creation of European harmony through the promotion of a strong European Economic Community
(serving on the Monnet Action Committee for United States of Europe, 1971-76). He was strongly opposed to the Soviet Union's domination of Eastern Europe to which he addressed himself in his 1950 book Must Night Fall?.
In 1970, he published a book, Half Marx, warning against the rise of the extreme left in the Labour Party. His other noted publication was a book on the Battle of Lewes
(1264) between King Henry III
and Simon de Montfort
, but he is most noted for his interest in nature conservancy. He was an active member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
, and, from 1978, a member of the Nature Conservancy Council
. He fought hard for the passing of a private members bill that was enacted as the Protection of Birds Act 1954, and the subsequent amendments in 1964 and 1967. As a member of the House of Lords
, he campaigned vigorously for the passing of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
.
Beamish was married twice: first to Janet McMillan Stevenson of New York in 1950 (dissolved in 1973); and secondly to Pia "Maria" McHenry (also a divorcee) in 1975. Baron Beamish died on 6 April 1989, aged 72, and was survived by his second wife and by two daughters from his first marriage.
Although Beamish's name inspired the Private Eye
character Sir Bufton Tufton, he was not actually as far to the right of the Tory party as that character (who bore a closer resemblance to the likes of Sir Gerald Nabarro
, Sir Patrick Wall
, Sir Marcus Fox
and the general attitudes associated with the Monday Club
and its supporters) might have suggested. Beamish was within the party considered a "One Nation Conservative" and as a member of the House of Lords
he moved an amendment to the Community Charge
('Poll Tax') legislation to have the charge vary by income rather than being the same rate for all.
Beamish's daughter, The honourable
Claudia Hamilton Beamish, is a leading activist in the Scottish Labour Party
. She topped Labour's list for the South of Scotland
in the 2003
and 2007 Scottish Parliament election
s and was Labour Co-operative
candidate for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
at the 2010 general election.
- 1961
Military Cross
- 20 December 1940
Mentioned in Despatches - 19 July 1945
Golden Cross of Merit - 1944
Polonia Restituta
(Poland)
Commander, Order of the Phoenix (Greece) - 1949
Order of the Cedar (Lebanon) - 1969
Honorary Freeman
, Lewes - 1970
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
(27 January 1917 – 6 April 1989) was a 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...
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 Lewes
Lewes (UK Parliament constituency)
Lewes is a constituency located in East Sussex and centred on the town of Lewes. It is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a safe Conservative seat until 1997, but the Liberal Democrats have gained a strong foothold.-Boundaries:The constituency is...
(1945-1974).
During the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he served in France, Belgium (1940), Malaya (1942), India and Burma (1942-43), North Africa and Italy (1943-44). In 1940 he 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....
; was knighted in 1961 and upon his retirement from the House of Commons was created a 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...
as Baron Chelwood, of Lewes in the County of East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
in May 1974.
Beamish's father was Tufton Percy Hamilton Beamish
Tufton Percy Hamilton Beamish
Rear Admiral Tufton Percy Hamilton Beamish, RN, DL was an English naval officer and Conservative Party politician. He married Margaret Simon in 1914. The couple had two daughters and one surviving son....
who served in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
until 1925 when he retired with the rank of Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
. He had followed his career in the Navy by entering politics and served as the member of Parliament for Lewes
Lewes (UK Parliament constituency)
Lewes is a constituency located in East Sussex and centred on the town of Lewes. It is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a safe Conservative seat until 1997, but the Liberal Democrats have gained a strong foothold.-Boundaries:The constituency is...
from 1924 until 1931 and again from 1936 until 1945.
Military career
Beamish was educated at Stowe SchoolStowe School
Stowe School is an independent school in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. It was founded on 11 May 1923 by J. F. Roxburgh, initially with 99 male pupils. It is a member of the Rugby Group and Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school is also a member of the G20 Schools Group...
and the Royal Military College Sandhurst. He received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Originally raised in 1674, the regiment was amalgamated with three other fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.-Origins:...
in 1937. In 1938 Beamish served in Cairo and Palestine and developed a lifelong interest in the Arab people of the region. After the outbreak of the Second World War, he was transferred to France as a company commander with the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
. Beamish was wounded on the retreat to Dunkirk and managed to secure his evacuation. In 1941, he was transferred to the far-east and was serving in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
when the Japanese began their assault of the Malayan peninsular. He avoided being captured at the fall of Singapore by taking to a rowing boat with seven other men. The men rowed to Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
but upon reaching their destination the found that it too had fallen to the Japanese and laid a new course for Ceylon, which they eventually reached safely. Beamish now worked as an intelligence officer in India before transferred to the Eighth Army in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
in 1943, taking part in the invasion of Italy later that year. He left the Army in 1945 with the rank of Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
.
Political career
In 1945, his father retired from politics, and Beamish was chosen to replace him as the ConservativeConservative 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 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...
. He was elected, and continued to serve as the constituency Member of Parliament until he retired from the Commons at the 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
.
From 1947 to 1953, Beamish served on the executive of the 1922 Committee
1922 Committee
In British politics, the 1922 Committee is a committee of Conservative Members of Parliament. Voting membership is limited to backbench MPs although frontbench Conservative MPs have an open invitation to attend meetings. While the party was in opposition, frontbench MPs other than the party leader...
, and from 1965 to 1967 as opposition spokesman on defence. He never sought, and actively refused, the offer of a ministerial position. Beamish was a firm believer in the creation of European harmony through the promotion of a strong European Economic Community
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
(serving on the Monnet Action Committee for United States of Europe, 1971-76). He was strongly opposed to the Soviet Union's domination of Eastern Europe to which he addressed himself in his 1950 book Must Night Fall?.
In 1970, he published a book, Half Marx, warning against the rise of the extreme left in the Labour Party. His other noted publication was a book on the Battle of Lewes
Battle of Lewes
The Battle of Lewes was one of two main battles of the conflict known as the Second Barons' War. It took place at Lewes in Sussex, on 14 May 1264...
(1264) between King Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
and Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
, but he is most noted for his interest in nature conservancy. He was an active member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...
, and, from 1978, a member of the Nature Conservancy Council
Nature Conservancy Council
The Nature Conservancy Council was a United Kingdom government agency responsible for designating and managing National Nature Reserves and other nature conservation areas in Great Britain between 1973 and 1991 ....
. He fought hard for the passing of a private members bill that was enacted as the Protection of Birds Act 1954, and the subsequent amendments in 1964 and 1967. As a member of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, he campaigned vigorously for the passing of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom and was implemented to comply with the Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds...
.
Beamish was married twice: first to Janet McMillan Stevenson of New York in 1950 (dissolved in 1973); and secondly to Pia "Maria" McHenry (also a divorcee) in 1975. Baron Beamish died on 6 April 1989, aged 72, and was survived by his second wife and by two daughters from his first marriage.
Although Beamish's name inspired the Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
character Sir Bufton Tufton, he was not actually as far to the right of the Tory party as that character (who bore a closer resemblance to the likes of Sir Gerald Nabarro
Gerald Nabarro
Sir Gerald David Nunes Nabarro was a Conservative Party politician of the 1950s and 1960s. Nabarro had a flamboyant public profile and a reputation for taking maverick political stances.-Early life:...
, Sir Patrick Wall
Patrick Wall
Major Sir Patrick Henry Bligh Wall KBE , MC, VRD was a British senior commando in the Royal Marines during World War II and later a Conservative politician. He was Member of Parliament for Haltemprice, East Yorkshire and subsequently for Beverley...
, Sir Marcus Fox
Marcus Fox
Sir John Marcus Fox MBE was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as the Member of Parliament for Shipley from 1970 to 1997. He was chairman of the 1922 Committee and he directly oversaw candidate selection for the Conservative Party in the 1979 General Election.-Early life:Fox had...
and the general attitudes associated with the Monday Club
Conservative Monday Club
The Conservative Monday Club is a British pressure group "on the right-wing" of the Conservative Party.-Overview:...
and its supporters) might have suggested. Beamish was within the party considered a "One Nation Conservative" and as a member of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
he moved an amendment to the Community Charge
Community Charge
The Community Charge, popularly known as the "poll tax", was a system of taxation introduced in replacement of the rates to part fund local government in Scotland from 1989, and England and Wales from 1990. It provided for a single flat-rate per-capita tax on every adult, at a rate set by the...
('Poll Tax') legislation to have the charge vary by income rather than being the same rate for all.
Beamish's daughter, The honourable
The Honourable
The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
Claudia Hamilton Beamish, is a leading activist in the Scottish Labour Party
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
. She topped Labour's list for the South of Scotland
South of Scotland
South of Scotland can refer to:* South of Scotland * South of Scotland rugby union team* An area comprising the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway...
in the 2003
Scottish Parliament election, 2003
The Scottish Parliament election, 2003, was the second general election of the Scottish Parliament. It was held on 1 May 2003 and it brought no change in terms of control of the Scottish Executive...
and 2007 Scottish Parliament election
Scottish Parliament election, 2007
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999...
s and was Labour Co-operative
Labour Co-operative
Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties....
candidate for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (UK Parliament constituency)
Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in the south of Scotland, within the Dumfries and Galloway, South Lanarkshire and Scottish Borders council areas...
at the 2010 general election.
Honours and awards
Knight BachelorKnight 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...
- 1961
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....
- 20 December 1940
Mentioned in Despatches - 19 July 1945
Golden Cross of Merit - 1944
Polonia Restituta
Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta is one of Poland's highest Orders. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries...
(Poland)
Commander, Order of the Phoenix (Greece) - 1949
Order of the Cedar (Lebanon) - 1969
Honorary Freeman
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
, Lewes - 1970