Herbrand Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr
Encyclopedia
Herbrand Edward Dundonald Brassey Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr, GBE
, PC, DL
, JP
(20 June 1900 - 28 January 1976), styled Lord Buckhurst until 1915 (and sometimes nicknamed "Buck de la Warr" after that), was a British
politician. He was the first hereditary peer
to join the Labour Party
and became a government minister at the age of 23. He was later one of the few Labour politician to follow Ramsay Macdonald
in the formation of the National Government and the National Labour Organisation. However, he ended his political career by serving as Postmaster General
in the last Conservative administration of Winston Churchill
.
. He was educated at Eton
and Magdalen College, Oxford
. The son of a Conservative
father and Liberal
mother, he developed trends towards socialism
at university. In 1915 his father was killed in the First World War
, and he succeeded to the title as a minor
. On reaching 18, he refused as a conscientious objector
to take part in active combat, but joined the Royal Naval Reserve
(trawler section).
to join the Labour Party
, and in February 1924, then aged 23, was one of the youngest ever ministers when he was appointed Lord in Waiting in the first Labour government
of Ramsay MacDonald
. He made his maiden speech in the House of Lords
the same month. In the second Labour government of 1929 to 1931 he served as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (government chief whip in the House of Lords
) and Under-Secretary of State for War
between 1929 and 1930, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries between 1930 and 1931 and as a Lord-in-Waiting between 1929 and 1931.
In 1931 the Labour government fell and MacDonald formed a "National Government
" of politicians drawn from all parties. De La Warr was one of only a tiny handful of Labour ministers to follow MacDonald, and prior to the 1931 general election
, he was instrumental in the formation of the National Labour Organisation to provide a vehicle of support for MacDonald and other ex-Labour members of the National Government. He resumed office as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, a post he held until 1935, and then served under Stanley Baldwin
as Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education
between 1935 and 1936 and as Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
between 1936 and 1937. In 1936 he was sworn of the Privy Council.
In 1937 the new Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
gave De La Warr his first cabinet post as Lord Privy Seal
. Like several other younger members of the cabinet, De La Warr found himself disagreeing over the government's foreign policy, and contemplated resigning over the Munich Agreement
but decided not to do so. In the aftermath of the agreement he was transferred in 1938 to be President of the Board of Education
. During his time in this post it was expected that he would oversee legislation for raising of the school leaving age
to 15, but the outbreak of World War II
deferred all such plans until the end of hostilities.
In April 1940 De La Warr became First Commissioner of Works
in a series of ministerial changes by Chamberlain, but was demoted from the cabinet. The following month Chamberlain was replaced by Winston Churchill
, who formed an all-party coalition government, and the objections of the Labour Party
to National Labour ministers meant that De La Warr was dropped, and he did not return to government for eleven years. In 1951, in Churchill's peacetime Conservative government, De La Warr was appointed Postmaster General
, and as such, was in charge at the time of the Eastcastle Street robbery
, before leaving office for the final time in 1955. He continued to contribute regularly in the House of Lords
until 1966, but from then on until his death ten years later only spoke twice, both times in 1972.
Apart from his career in national politics, Lord De La Warr was Mayor of Bexhill-on-Sea
between 1932 and 1934 and a Justice of the Peace
and Deputy Lieutenant
for Sussex
. In 1956 he was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
. The De La Warr Pavilion
was built in 1936 in Bexhill-on-Sea
and was named after Lord De La Warr. The "De La Warr" in both the pavilion's name and the Earl's name is pronounced "Delaware" (as in the American state
).
, daughter of William Reginald Harrison and widow of David Maxwell Fyfe, 1st Earl of Kilmuir
, in 1968. Lord De La Warr died in January 1976, aged 75, and was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest and only surviving son, William. The Countess De La Warr died in June 1992. His sister was Lady Avice Ela Muriel Sackville (d. 1985). He attended her marriage to Stewart Menzies
, (leader of British wartime intelligence or 'C' ), dressed in a lowerdeck seaman's bellbottomed uniform.
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...
, PC, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
, 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...
(20 June 1900 - 28 January 1976), styled Lord Buckhurst until 1915 (and sometimes nicknamed "Buck de la Warr" after that), 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...
politician. He was the first hereditary peer
Hereditary peer
Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...
to join 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 became a government minister at the age of 23. He was later one of the few Labour politician to follow 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....
in the formation of the National Government and the National Labour Organisation. However, he ended his political career by serving as Postmaster General
United Kingdom Postmaster General
The Postmaster General of the United Kingdom is a defunct Cabinet-level ministerial position in HM Government. Aside from maintaining the postal system, the Telegraph Act of 1868 established the Postmaster General's right to exclusively maintain electric telegraphs...
in the last Conservative administration of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
.
Background and education
De La Warr was the son of Gilbert Sackville, 8th Earl De La Warr, and the Hon. Muriel Agnes, daughter of Thomas Brassey, 1st Baron Brassey, subsequently 1st Earl Brassey, eldest son of the railway engineer Thomas BrasseyThomas Brassey
Thomas Brassey was an English civil engineering contractor and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. By 1847, he had built about one-third of the railways in Britain, and by time of his death in 1870 he had built one...
. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
. The son of a 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...
father and 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...
mother, he developed trends towards socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
at university. In 1915 his father was killed in the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and he succeeded to the title as a minor
Minor (law)
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age — the age of majority — which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18...
. On reaching 18, he refused as a conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
to take part in active combat, but joined the Royal Naval Reserve
Royal Naval Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. The present Royal Naval Reserve was formed in 1958 by merging the original Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve , a reserve of civilian volunteers founded in 1903...
(trawler section).
Political career
De La Warr became the first hereditary peerHereditary peer
Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...
to join 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 in February 1924, then aged 23, was one of the youngest ever ministers when he was appointed Lord in Waiting in the first Labour government
Labour Government 1924
See also First Labour Government Members of the Cabinet are in bold face.Source: D. Butler and G. Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900-2000...
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....
. He made his maiden speech 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....
the same month. In the second Labour government of 1929 to 1931 he served as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (government chief 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 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...
between 1929 and 1930, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries between 1930 and 1931 and as a Lord-in-Waiting between 1929 and 1931.
In 1931 the Labour government fell and MacDonald formed a "National Government
UK National Government
In the United Kingdom the term National Government is an abstract concept referring to a coalition of some or all major political parties. In a historical sense it usually refers primarily to the governments of Ramsay MacDonald, Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain which held office from 1931...
" of politicians drawn from all parties. De La Warr was one of only a tiny handful of Labour ministers to follow MacDonald, and prior to 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...
, he was instrumental in the formation of the National Labour Organisation to provide a vehicle of support for MacDonald and other ex-Labour members of the National Government. He resumed office as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, a post he held until 1935, and then served under Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
as Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education was a junior ministerial office in the United Kingdom Government. In 1899 the Board of Education Act abolished the Committee of the Privy Council which had been responsible for education matters and instituted a new Board from 1 April 1900. The...
between 1935 and 1936 and as Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for the Colonies and, from 1948, also to a Minister of State....
between 1936 and 1937. In 1936 he was sworn of the Privy Council.
In 1937 the new Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
gave De La Warr his first cabinet post as Lord Privy Seal
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
. Like several other younger members of the cabinet, De La Warr found himself disagreeing over the government's foreign policy, and contemplated resigning over the Munich Agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
but decided not to do so. In the aftermath of the agreement he was transferred in 1938 to be President of the Board of Education
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
The Secretary of State for Education is the chief minister of the Department for Education in the United Kingdom government. The position was re-established on 12 May 2010, held by Michael Gove....
. During his time in this post it was expected that he would oversee legislation for raising of the school leaving age
Raising of school leaving age
The raising of school leaving age is an act brought into force when the legal age a child is allowed to leave compulsory education increases...
to 15, but the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
deferred all such plans until the end of hostilities.
In April 1940 De La Warr became First Commissioner of Works
First Commissioner of Works
The First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings was a position within the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It took over some of the functions of the First Commissioner of Woods and Forests in 1851 when the portfolio of Crown holdings was divided into the public...
in a series of ministerial changes by Chamberlain, but was demoted from the cabinet. The following month Chamberlain was replaced by Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, who formed an all-party coalition government, and the objections of 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...
to National Labour ministers meant that De La Warr was dropped, and he did not return to government for eleven years. In 1951, in Churchill's peacetime Conservative government, De La Warr was appointed Postmaster General
United Kingdom Postmaster General
The Postmaster General of the United Kingdom is a defunct Cabinet-level ministerial position in HM Government. Aside from maintaining the postal system, the Telegraph Act of 1868 established the Postmaster General's right to exclusively maintain electric telegraphs...
, and as such, was in charge at the time of the Eastcastle Street robbery
Eastcastle Street robbery
The Eastcastle Street robbery was, at the time, Britain's largest postwar robbery. It occurred on Wednesday 21 May 1952 when seven masked men held up a post office van just off Oxford Street, London. The robbers escaped with £287,000 ....
, before leaving office for the final time in 1955. He continued to contribute regularly 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....
until 1966, but from then on until his death ten years later only spoke twice, both times in 1972.
Apart from his career in national politics, Lord De La Warr was Mayor of Bexhill-on-Sea
Bexhill-on-Sea
Bexhill-on-Sea is a town and seaside resort in the county of East Sussex, in the south of England, within the District of Rother. It has a population of approximately 40,000...
between 1932 and 1934 and a Justice of the Peace
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...
and Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. In 1956 he was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
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...
. The De La Warr Pavilion
The De La Warr Pavilion
The De La Warr Pavilion is an International Style building constructed in 1935 and designed by the architects Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff; considered by some to be in an Art Deco style. Some claim it to be the first major Modernist public building in Britain, although in fact it was...
was built in 1936 in Bexhill-on-Sea
Bexhill-on-Sea
Bexhill-on-Sea is a town and seaside resort in the county of East Sussex, in the south of England, within the District of Rother. It has a population of approximately 40,000...
and was named after Lord De La Warr. The "De La Warr" in both the pavilion's name and the Earl's name is pronounced "Delaware" (as in the American state
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
).
Family
Lord De La Warr was twice married. He married firstly Diana Helena, daughter of Henry Gerard Leigh, in 1920. They had two sons and a daughter. Their younger son the Hon. Thomas Sackville (1922-1943) was killed in action during the Second World War. After Diana's death in March 1966 he married secondly Sylvia, Countess of KilmuirSylvia Sackville, Countess De La Warr
Sylvia Sackville, Countess De La Warr DBE was a distinguished public servant and a former Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party ....
, daughter of William Reginald Harrison and widow of David Maxwell Fyfe, 1st Earl of Kilmuir
David Maxwell Fyfe, 1st Earl of Kilmuir
David Patrick Maxwell Fyfe, 1st Earl of Kilmuir GCVO, PC, KC, , known as Sir David Maxwell Fyfe from 1942 to 1954 and as The Viscount Kilmuir from 1954 to 1962, was a British Conservative politician, lawyer and judge who combined an industrious and precocious legal career with political ambitions...
, in 1968. Lord De La Warr died in January 1976, aged 75, and was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest and only surviving son, William. The Countess De La Warr died in June 1992. His sister was Lady Avice Ela Muriel Sackville (d. 1985). He attended her marriage to Stewart Menzies
Stewart Menzies
Major General Sir Stewart Graham Menzies, KCB, KCMG, DSO, MC was Chief of MI6 , British Secret Intelligence Service, during and after World War II.-Early life, family:...
, (leader of British wartime intelligence or 'C' ), dressed in a lowerdeck seaman's bellbottomed uniform.