George Woodwark
Encyclopedia
Graham Woodwark CBE
(1 July 1874 – 26 December 1938) was an English Liberal
politician.
G S Woodwark JP
. He was educated at King Edward VII’s Grammar School, King’s Lynn, Norfolk
. In 1930 he married Isabel Palmer. He was always known to his family and friends as Graham.
and was then sent on the British War Mission to America in 1918. He remained in the USA for fifteen months, during which period frequently deputised for the British Ambassador, Lord Reading
. He retained his connection to the TA reaching the rank of Colonel in the 2/5th Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment , although during his mission to the USA and throughout he 1920s he was frequently referred to as Lieutenant-Colonel.
. He seems to have been a supporter of the Conservatives
at one point but then associated himself with the Liberals. In 1926 he became Chairman of the Eastern Counties Liberal Federation. However his position is less certain as the crisis surrounding the National Government unfolded. At the 1931 general election
Woodwark was publicly supporting the Conservative MP for his home town of King’s Lynn, Lord Fermoy for the National Government on the principle of sound money. This seems to have been as part of a general agreement between Conservatives, Liberals and Liberal Nationals
in Norfolk. Woodwark maintained his support for the new National candidate at the 1935 general election
, even though a Liberal candidate, Mr F Darvall, was adopted to contest the seat.
of the town. He was a member of various committees including the Town Planning Committee, and the Elementary Education and War Pensions Committees, both of which he chaired.
as Liberal candidate for King’s Lynn at the 1922 general election
. In a tight three-cornered contest he came third behind the sitting Conservative
MP, Neville Jodrell
who held the seat and the Labour
candidate, R B Walker. At the 1923 general election
however in an ever closer race, Woodwark leapt to the top of the poll to take King’s Lynn by the narrow majority of 677 votes. However he could not hold on in the face of a national Conservative revival in 1924
and lost the seat back to the Tories. He did not stand for election to the House of Commons
again.
. In pursuing his interest in education, Woodwark was a Governor of King Edward VII’s Grammar School and a Member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Education Committees.
in 1933.
In 1934 he was created an Officer of the Legion of Honour in recognition of his services as an honorary Consular Agent of France and in 1937 he was made Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau
.
and the Kennel Club
. He was also an officer of the Wire Fox Terrier Association, founded in 1913.
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...
(1 July 1874 – 26 December 1938) was an English 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...
politician.
Family and education
Woodwark was the son of the 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...
G S Woodwark JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
. He was educated at King Edward VII’s Grammar School, King’s Lynn, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. In 1930 he married Isabel Palmer. He was always known to his family and friends as Graham.
Military service
Woodwark’s career was almost exclusively one of public service. He served in the armed forces in the First World War. Having been for some years associated with the local Territorials, Woodwark raised and trained battalions in England in the early period of the War. He served in France, 1916–18 and was wounded on the Somme. While in France he gained the Legion of Honour (1917) and was mentioned in despatches in the same year. On discharge from hospital he joined the War OfficeWar Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
and was then sent on the British War Mission to America in 1918. He remained in the USA for fifteen months, during which period frequently deputised for the British Ambassador, Lord Reading
Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading
Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading, GCB, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, PC, KC , was an English lawyer, jurist and politician...
. He retained his connection to the TA reaching the rank of Colonel in the 2/5th Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment , although during his mission to the USA and throughout he 1920s he was frequently referred to as Lieutenant-Colonel.
Beliefs
Woodwark was a proponent of the traditional Liberal policy of Free TradeFree trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
. He seems to have been a supporter of 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 one point but then associated himself with the Liberals. In 1926 he became Chairman of the Eastern Counties Liberal Federation. However his position is less certain as the crisis surrounding the National Government unfolded. At the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
Woodwark was publicly supporting the Conservative MP for his home town of King’s Lynn, Lord Fermoy for the National Government on the principle of sound money. This seems to have been as part of a general agreement between Conservatives, Liberals and Liberal Nationals
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
in Norfolk. Woodwark maintained his support for the new National candidate at the 1935 general 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...
, even though a Liberal candidate, Mr F Darvall, was adopted to contest the seat.
Local government
Woodwark served on King’s Lynn Town Council, of which he was sometime an Alderman. In 1926 and again in 1932 he was MayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the town. He was a member of various committees including the Town Planning Committee, and the Elementary Education and War Pensions Committees, both of which he chaired.
Parliament
Woodwark first stood for ParliamentParliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
as Liberal candidate for King’s Lynn 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...
. In a tight three-cornered contest he came third behind the sitting Conservative
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...
MP, Neville Jodrell
Neville Jodrell
Sir Neville Paul Jodrell was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.He was elected as Member of Parliament for Mid Norfolk at a by-election in October 1918 following the death of William Lewis Boyle MP....
who held the seat and the 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...
candidate, R B Walker. At the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
however in an ever closer race, Woodwark leapt to the top of the poll to take King’s Lynn by the narrow majority of 677 votes. However he could not hold on in the face of a national Conservative revival in 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
and lost the seat back to the Tories. He did not stand for election to 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...
again.
Other appointments
Like his father, Woodwark served as a Justice of the Peace and was a member of the Juvenile Panel of Magistrates. He was a member of the King’s Lynn Conservancy Board, the King’s Lynn Docks and Railway Board, and the Eastern Sea Fisheries Committee. He was also a Pilotage Commissioner for The WashThe Wash
The Wash is the square-mouthed bay and estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire. It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom...
. In pursuing his interest in education, Woodwark was a Governor of King Edward VII’s Grammar School and a Member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Education Committees.
Awards
Woodwark received his CBE in the New Years Honours of 1920. He was awarded la Croix de Chevalier du Mérite Agricole in 1932 and was made a Grand Officer of the Nichan IftikharNichan Iftikhar
Nichan Iftikhar or Atiq Nishan-i-Iftikhar or Nişan-i İftihar , was an Ottoman and Tunisian honorary order founded in 1835 by Al-Mustafa ibn Mahmud...
in 1933.
In 1934 he was created an Officer of the Legion of Honour in recognition of his services as an honorary Consular Agent of France and in 1937 he was made Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau
Order of Orange-Nassau
The Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
.
Dogs
Woodwark was a keen dog owner and breeder. He exhibited in many shows winning numerous prizes for his wire fox terriers at various venues including CruftsCrufts
Crufts is an annual international Championship conformation show for dogs organised and hosted by the Kennel Club, currently held every March at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. It is the largest annual dog show in the world, as declared by Guinness World Records, and lasts...
and the Kennel Club
Kennel club
A kennel club is an organization for canine affairs that concerns itself with the breeding, showing and promotion of more than one breed of dog...
. He was also an officer of the Wire Fox Terrier Association, founded in 1913.