Dudley Aman, 1st Baron Marley
Encyclopedia
Dudley Leigh Aman, 1st Baron Marley DSC
(16 May 1884 – 29 February 1952), was a British
soldier and Labour
politician.
Marley was the son of Edward Godfrey Aman, of Farnham
, and was educated at Marlborough
and the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. During the First World War he served in France
and Belgium
as a Major in the Royal Marine Artillery. He was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
for his services at the Second Battle of Ypres
. After the war he made five unsuccessful attempts to enter the House of Commons
for the Labour Party
. However, in January 1930 he was raised to the peerage by the Labour government
of Ramsay Macdonald
as Baron Marley, of Marley in the County of Sussex.
Marley then served under Macdonald as Under-Secretary of State for War
and Vice-President of the Army Council
from June 1930 until the government fell in August 1931. From 1930 to 1937 he was Chief Labour Whip in the House of Lords
and served as a Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords from 1930 to 1941. As Chairman of the Parliamentary Advisory Committee for the aid of Jews in Europe Marley became deeply involved in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
of Birobidzhan
, an area in eastern Siberia
which was designated by Joseph Stalin
as an autonomous area for the Jewish people. He wrote the introduction to The Brown Book of the Hitler Terror and the Burning of the Reichstag, a publication on the conditions of the Jewish population which greatly raised awareness among American Jewry about the Jews of Germany.
Lord Marley married Octable Turquet, daughter of Sir Hugh Gilzean Reid, in 1910. He died in February 1952, aged 67, and was succeeded in the barony by his only son Godfrey. Lady Marley died in 1969.
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
(16 May 1884 – 29 February 1952), was a British
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...
soldier and Labour
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...
politician.
Marley was the son of Edward Godfrey Aman, of Farnham
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
, and was educated at Marlborough
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
and the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. During the First World War he served in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
as a Major in the Royal Marine Artillery. He was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
for his services at the Second Battle of Ypres
Second Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
. After the war he made five unsuccessful attempts to enter the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
for 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...
. However, in January 1930 he was raised to the peerage by the Labour government
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...
of Ramsay Macdonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
as Baron Marley, of Marley in the County of Sussex.
Marley then served under Macdonald as Under-Secretary of State for War
Under-Secretary of State for War
The position of Under-Secretary of State for War was a British government position, first applied to Evan Nepean . In 1801 the offices for War and the Colonies were merged and the post became that of Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies...
and Vice-President of the Army Council
Army Council (1904)
The Army Council is a governing board for the British military organization. It was created in 1904 along with other institutional changes made in that year to the British Army....
from June 1930 until the government fell in August 1931. From 1930 to 1937 he was Chief Labour Whip in 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....
and served as a Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords from 1930 to 1941. As Chairman of the Parliamentary Advisory Committee for the aid of Jews in Europe Marley became deeply involved in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
Jewish Autonomous Oblast
The Jewish Autonomous Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated in the Russian Far East, bordering Khabarovsk Krai and Amur Oblast of Russia and Heilongjiang province of China. Its administrative center is the town of Birobidzhan....
of Birobidzhan
Birobidzhan
Birobidzhan is a town and the administrative center of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Trans-Siberian railway, close to the border with the People's Republic of China....
, an area in eastern Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
which was designated by Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
as an autonomous area for the Jewish people. He wrote the introduction to The Brown Book of the Hitler Terror and the Burning of the Reichstag, a publication on the conditions of the Jewish population which greatly raised awareness among American Jewry about the Jews of Germany.
Lord Marley married Octable Turquet, daughter of Sir Hugh Gilzean Reid, in 1910. He died in February 1952, aged 67, and was succeeded in the barony by his only son Godfrey. Lady Marley died in 1969.