Frederick Lister
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas Frederick Lister CBE
(1886/7? – 13 March 1966) was the first chairman of the British Legion. Along with Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
, Lister was a leading advocate for the foundation of the British Legion in the aftermath of the First World War.
higher grade school, and worked as insurance clerk in Liverpool.
He was a tall man, some 6 feet 6 inches tall, he married Isobel Lewis, daughter of a shipping clerk, on 31 July 1911. They had no children.
, becoming a lance-bombardier. He was wounded and discharged in 1916.
At the time, there was little assistance for disabled veterans, and Lister joined the National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers
(formed in 1917 to campaign against the Review of Exceptions Act, which was intended to re-conscript men formerly discharged on medical grounds). Early veterans organisations were split on largely political lines. The National Federation had links with the Liberal Party
, and its first president was a Liberal MP James Hogge. The National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers
was linked with the Labour Party
and trades unions; and the Comrades of the Great War
was supported by the Conservative Party
. The non-partisan Officers Association split the veterans movements further.
Lister was the National Federation's candiate in the December 1918 general election
, in the Ashton-under-Lyne constituency
. Lister received over over 7,300 votes (over 40% of the votes cast), but lost to the Coalition Unionist candidate, Albert Stanley
. After the Federation's poor showing at the election, Lister replaced Hogge as its president.
Field Marshal Earl Haig pushed for the competing veterans organisations to unify, suppported by Lister. The Federation invited the other organizations to a conference in August 1920, and a series of meetings in 1920 and 1921 resulted in the amalgamation of the various groups into the new British Legion in July 1921, with Lister elected as its first chairman and Haig as its first president. Lister remained chairman of the British Legion until 1927. He continued as an active member of the British Legion's national executive council until his death in 1966. He was also chairman of the United Services Fund from 1942 to 1948. He was appointed CBE
in 1927, and knighted in 1961.
Lister combined his duties with the British Legion with a full time job as the accident department manager of an insurance company.
He died in Birkenhead.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(1886/7? – 13 March 1966) was the first chairman of the British Legion. Along with Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
, Lister was a leading advocate for the foundation of the British Legion in the aftermath of the First World War.
Early life
Lister was born in Manchester. His birth date is unclear, but census returns suggest that he was born between April 1886 and April 1887. His father was an insurance surveyor. He was educated at TranmereTranmere, Merseyside
Tranmere is a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively, it is also a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Birkenhead, within the geographical county of Cheshire...
higher grade school, and worked as insurance clerk in Liverpool.
He was a tall man, some 6 feet 6 inches tall, he married Isobel Lewis, daughter of a shipping clerk, on 31 July 1911. They had no children.
First World War and post-war service
When the First World War broke out in 1914, Lister joined the Royal Garrison ArtilleryRoyal Garrison Artillery
The Royal Garrison Artillery was an arm of the Royal Artillery that was originally tasked with manning the guns of the British Empire's forts and fortresses, including coastal artillery batteries, the heavy gun batteries attached to each infantry division, and the guns of the siege...
, becoming a lance-bombardier. He was wounded and discharged in 1916.
At the time, there was little assistance for disabled veterans, and Lister joined the National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers
National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers
The National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers was a British veterans organisation.The organisation was founded in January 1917 by various London-based veterans groups opposed to the Review of Exceptions Act, which made it possible for people invalided out of the armed...
(formed in 1917 to campaign against the Review of Exceptions Act, which was intended to re-conscript men formerly discharged on medical grounds). Early veterans organisations were split on largely political lines. The National Federation had links with the 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...
, and its first president was a Liberal MP James Hogge. The National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers
National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers
The National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers was a British veterans' organisation.The group was founded in early 1917 at a conference in Blackburn, drawing together various local groups representing working men who had served in World War I but had since been discharged. It...
was linked with 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...
and trades unions; and the Comrades of the Great War
Comrades of the Great War
The Comrades of The Great War were formed in 1917 as a non-political association to represent the rights of ex-service men and women who had served or had been discharged from service during World War I. Comrades of The Great War was one of the original four ex-service associations that amalgamated...
was supported by the 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...
. The non-partisan Officers Association split the veterans movements further.
Lister was the National Federation's candiate in the December 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...
, in the Ashton-under-Lyne constituency
Ashton-under-Lyne (UK Parliament constituency)
Ashton-under-Lyne is a constituency centred on the town of Ashton-under-Lyne that is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
. Lister received over over 7,300 votes (over 40% of the votes cast), but lost to the Coalition Unionist candidate, Albert Stanley
Albert Stanley, 1st Baron Ashfield
Albert Henry Stanley, 1st Baron Ashfield, PC, TD , born Albert Henry Knattriess, was a British-American who was managing director, then chairman of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London from 1910 to 1933 and chairman of the London Passenger Transport Board from 1933 to 1947.Although...
. After the Federation's poor showing at the election, Lister replaced Hogge as its president.
Field Marshal Earl Haig pushed for the competing veterans organisations to unify, suppported by Lister. The Federation invited the other organizations to a conference in August 1920, and a series of meetings in 1920 and 1921 resulted in the amalgamation of the various groups into the new British Legion in July 1921, with Lister elected as its first chairman and Haig as its first president. Lister remained chairman of the British Legion until 1927. He continued as an active member of the British Legion's national executive council until his death in 1966. He was also chairman of the United Services Fund from 1942 to 1948. He was appointed CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
in 1927, and knighted in 1961.
Lister combined his duties with the British Legion with a full time job as the accident department manager of an insurance company.
He died in Birkenhead.