Wilfrid Roberts
Encyclopedia
Wilfrid Hubert Wace Roberts (28 August 1900 – 26 May 1991) was a British
Liberal Party
politician who later joined the Labour Party
.
Charles Roberts, chairman of Cumberland County Council
, and Lady Cecilia Roberts, daughter of the 9th Earl of Carlisle. He was educated at Gresham's School
, Holt, Norfolk
, and Balliol College, Oxford
and became a farmer and a district councillor
.
in 1931, losing by 1,277 votes. He became a Member of Parliament
(MP) for the seat at the 1935 election
, gaining his seat from the Conservatives
.
At the time of the Spanish Civil War
, he worked in the relief effort for Basque refugees, with Christopher Hill. He was Secretary of the National Joint Committee for Spanish Relief, working with Conservative MP the Duchess of Atholl as Chair, David Grenfell
of the Labour Party, and Eleanor Rathbone
of the Independent Labour Party
, from 1937 to 1940. He was also joint secretary, with the Conservative MP John Macnamara
, of the Basque Children's Committee.
A radical Liberal, he was a supporter of the Popular Front
advocated by Sir Stafford Cripps, seeking an alliance between left-of-centre political forces. He spoke at the 1938 Emergency Conference for a Popular Front.
Having been commissioned in the Border Regiment
, from 1941-42 he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary
(PPS) to the Liberal Leader, Sir Archibald Sinclair, Secretary of State for Air
.
At the 1950 general election
, following boundary changes, Roberts contested the re-drawn seat of Penrith and the Border
but lost to the Conservative. In the three previous elections, Labour had not opposed him but, in 1950, they intervened and cost him his seat.
fought Hexham
as a Labour candidate without success. He was also the owner of the Carlisle Journal newspaper, which ceased publication in 1969.
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...
Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician who later joined 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...
.
Early life
Roberts was born to AldermanAlderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
Charles Roberts, chairman of Cumberland County Council
Cumberland County Council
Cumberland County Council was the county council of Cumberland in the North West of England, an elected local government body responsible for most local services in the county. It was established in 1889 as a result of the Local Government Act 1888. Carlisle was initially within its area but became...
, and Lady Cecilia Roberts, daughter of the 9th Earl of Carlisle. He was educated at Gresham's School
Gresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, Holt, Norfolk
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
, and Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
and became a farmer and a district councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
.
Liberal MP
He first stood, without success, for North CumberlandNorth Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency)
North Cumberland was a parliamentary constituency in Cumberland which 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 of election....
in 1931, losing by 1,277 votes. He became 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,...
(MP) for the seat at the 1935 election
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
, gaining his seat from the Conservatives
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...
.
At the time of 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...
, he worked in the relief effort for Basque refugees, with Christopher Hill. He was Secretary of the National Joint Committee for Spanish Relief, working with Conservative MP the Duchess of Atholl as Chair, David Grenfell
David Grenfell
David Rhys Grenfell PC, CBE, LlD was a British Member of Parliament. He represented the Gower constituency for the Labour Party from 1922 to 1959.-Early life:...
of the Labour Party, and Eleanor Rathbone
Eleanor Rathbone
Eleanor Florence Rathbone was an independent British Member of Parliament and long-term campaigner for women's rights. She was a member of the noted Rathbone family of Liverpool.-Life:...
of the Independent Labour Party
Independent 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...
, from 1937 to 1940. He was also joint secretary, with the Conservative MP John Macnamara
John Macnamara
Colonel John Robert Jermain Macnamara was a British Conservative Party politician and British Army officer who was killed in Italy during the Second World War....
, of the Basque Children's Committee.
A radical Liberal, he was a supporter of the Popular Front
Popular front
A popular front is a broad coalition of different political groupings, often made up of leftists and centrists. Being very broad, they can sometimes include centrist and liberal forces as well as socialist and communist groups...
advocated by Sir Stafford Cripps, seeking an alliance between left-of-centre political forces. He spoke at the 1938 Emergency Conference for a Popular Front.
Having been commissioned in the Border Regiment
Border Regiment
The Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 34th Regiment of Foot and the 55th Regiment of Foot....
, from 1941-42 he served as 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...
(PPS) to the Liberal Leader, Sir Archibald Sinclair, Secretary of State for Air
Secretary of State for Air
The Secretary of State for Air was a cabinet level British position. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. It was created on 10 January 1919 to manage the Royal Air Force...
.
At the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
, following boundary changes, Roberts contested the re-drawn seat of Penrith and the Border
Penrith and The Border (UK Parliament constituency)
Penrith and The Border is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is represented by one Member of Parliament elected by the first past the post system of election. This Cumbrian constituency was first contested in 1950.-History:The constutuency is...
but lost to the Conservative. In the three previous elections, Labour had not opposed him but, in 1950, they intervened and cost him his seat.
Later life
In 1956 he joined the Labour Party and at the 1959 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
fought Hexham
Hexham (UK Parliament constituency)
- Elections in the 2000s :- Elections in the 1990s :- Elections in the 1980s :- Elections in the 1970s :-Notes and references:...
as a Labour candidate without success. He was also the owner of the Carlisle Journal newspaper, which ceased publication in 1969.