William Baring du Pré
Encyclopedia
Colonel William Baring du Pré (5 April 1875 – 23 August 1946) was a British
Conservative Party
politician.
Du Pré was educated at Winchester and the RMA and was originally commissioned into the King's Royal Rifle Corps but served in the Boer War with 47th Coy., Imperial Yeomanry. He was captured in the "Yeomanry Disaster" at Lindley in May 1900 and held at Barberton p.o.w. camp until released. He later commanded the 2/1 Leicester RHA (Territorials) and served on the Western Front 1915-18.
He was appointed High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire
in 1911 (Coronation Medal, 1911) and was a JP for Bucks.
Du Pre was elected as Member of Parliament
for Wycombe
at a by-election
in 1914, when the Conservative MP Charles Cripps
was elevated to the peerage as Baron Parmoor
.
Du Pré was re-elected at the 1918 general election
as a Coalition Conservative, but faced a strong challenge at the 1922 general election
from the Liberal
candidate Lady Terrington
. He held his seat with a majority of 4,473, but in December the following year, at the 1923 general election
, Lady Terrington took the seat with a majority of 1,682. Du Pré was a strong opponent of the women's rights advocated by Terrington, so his defeat was welcomed by women's groups.
Lt-Col Du Pré, as he was known in the croquet world, was a leading croquet
player between the wars. He won the Open Championship
twice (1929 and 1934), the Men's Championship
on three occasions (1927, 1933 and 1936) and the Champion Cup in 1935.
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...
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.
Du Pré was educated at Winchester and the RMA and was originally commissioned into the King's Royal Rifle Corps but served in the Boer War with 47th Coy., Imperial Yeomanry. He was captured in the "Yeomanry Disaster" at Lindley in May 1900 and held at Barberton p.o.w. camp until released. He later commanded the 2/1 Leicester RHA (Territorials) and served on the Western Front 1915-18.
He was appointed High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire
High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire
The High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King's representative on taxation upholding the law in Saxon times...
in 1911 (Coronation Medal, 1911) and was a JP for Bucks.
Du Pre was elected 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,...
for Wycombe
Wycombe (UK Parliament constituency)
Wycombe is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It currently elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of elections....
at a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in 1914, when the Conservative MP Charles Cripps
Charles Cripps, 1st Baron Parmoor
Charles Alfred Cripps, 1st Baron Parmoor KCVO, PC, QC was a British politician who crossed the floor from the Conservative to the Labour Party and was a strong supporter of the League of Nations and of Church of England causes....
was elevated to the peerage as Baron Parmoor
Baron Parmoor
Baron Parmoor, of Frieth in the County of Buckingham, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1914 for the lawyer and politician Sir Charles Cripps. Two of his sons, the second and third Baron, both succeeded in the title. The third Baron was succeeded by his son, the...
.
Du Pré was re-elected at the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
as a Coalition Conservative, but faced a strong challenge 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...
from the Liberal
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...
candidate Lady Terrington
Vera Woodhouse, Lady Terrington
Vera Florence Annie Woodhouse, Lady Terrington was a British Liberal Party politician, and one of the first women Members of Parliament ....
. He held his seat with a majority of 4,473, but in December the following year, at the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, Lady Terrington took the seat with a majority of 1,682. Du Pré was a strong opponent of the women's rights advocated by Terrington, so his defeat was welcomed by women's groups.
Lt-Col Du Pré, as he was known in the croquet world, was a leading croquet
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
player between the wars. He won the Open Championship
Croquet Association
The Croquet Association, which was formed as the United All England Croquet Association in 1897 , is the national governing body for the sport of croquet in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle Of Man. Until 1974 the association was responsible for croquet in the whole...
twice (1929 and 1934), the Men's Championship
Croquet Association
The Croquet Association, which was formed as the United All England Croquet Association in 1897 , is the national governing body for the sport of croquet in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle Of Man. Until 1974 the association was responsible for croquet in the whole...
on three occasions (1927, 1933 and 1936) and the Champion Cup in 1935.