John Broadbent
Encyclopedia
Colonel John Broadbent was a British
army
officer and Conservative
politician.
Broadbent was educated at Stamford Academy, Ashton-under-Lyne
. In 1895 he received a commission in the 3rd Volunteer
Battalion of the Manchester Regiment. Broadbent served as part of the detachment the battalion sent to serve with the regular army during the Second Boer War
.
When the Territorial Force
was created in 1908, the 3rd VB of the Manchesters became the 9th Battalion (TF). Broadbent, by this time holding the rank of major, transferred to the new force. He resigned his commission in 1912, but rejoined the battalion in 1914 on the outbreak of the First World War. He went on to be promoted to lieutenant-colonel and command the battalion.
After the war he became involved in politics, becoming the president of the Ashton Conservative Association. At the 1929 general election
, he was the party's candidate in Ashton-under-Lyne
, but lost by a margin of over 3,000 votes to the sitting Labour
MP, Albert Bellamy
.
However, Bellamy died in March 1931, causing a by-election
. Broadbent was again the Conservative candidate, and he campaigned vigorously on the issue of trade tariffs. He hired a shop window in the centre of the town which he filled with a display of imported textiles and goods that he claimed were displacing locally produced goods. In the event, Broadbent was elected with a majority of 1,415, helped by a split in the Labour vote caused by the presence of a candidate for Oswald Mosley
's New Party. He held the seat at the 1931 general election
, with an increased majority. However,at the 1935 general election
he was defeated by the Labour Party
candidate Fred Simpson
by a majority of only 114 votes.
Broadbent was a large landowner in Derbyshire
's Hope Valley
, and he died at his residence in the area, "Bella Vista", Castleton in June 1938, aged 65.
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...
army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer and 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...
politician.
Broadbent was educated at Stamford Academy, Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
. In 1895 he received a commission in the 3rd Volunteer
Volunteer Force (Great Britain)
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the...
Battalion of the Manchester Regiment. Broadbent served as part of the detachment the battalion sent to serve with the regular army during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
.
When the Territorial Force
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...
was created in 1908, the 3rd VB of the Manchesters became the 9th Battalion (TF). Broadbent, by this time holding the rank of major, transferred to the new force. He resigned his commission in 1912, but rejoined the battalion in 1914 on the outbreak of the First World War. He went on to be promoted to lieutenant-colonel and command the battalion.
After the war he became involved in politics, becoming the president of the Ashton Conservative Association. At the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, he was the party's candidate in Ashton-under-Lyne
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...
, but lost by a margin of over 3,000 votes to the sitting 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...
MP, Albert Bellamy
Albert Bellamy
Albert Bellamy was a British trades unionist and Labour Party politician.Bellamy was born in Wigan, Lancashire and took up employment as an engine-driver for the London and North Western Railway. He became involved in trade union activities, rising to the presidency of the Amalgamated Society of...
.
However, Bellamy died in March 1931, causing a by-election
Ashton-under-Lyne by-election, 1931
The Ashton-under-Lyne by-election of 1931 was held on April 30. It was triggered by the death of the town's Labour MP, Albert Bellamy, and resulted in a victory for the Conservative candidate, Col John Broadbent....
. Broadbent was again the Conservative candidate, and he campaigned vigorously on the issue of trade tariffs. He hired a shop window in the centre of the town which he filled with a display of imported textiles and goods that he claimed were displacing locally produced goods. In the event, Broadbent was elected with a majority of 1,415, helped by a split in the Labour vote caused by the presence of a candidate for Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
's New Party. He held the seat 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...
, with an increased majority. However,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...
he was defeated by 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...
candidate Fred Simpson
Fred Simpson (politician)
Frederick Brown Simpson was a British Labour Party politician.Born in Nottingham and in 1922 Simpson was elected to Leeds City Council as an alderman, and in 1931 was Lord Mayor of the city...
by a majority of only 114 votes.
Broadbent was a large landowner in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
's Hope Valley
Hope Valley, Derbyshire
The Hope Valley is a rural area centred on the village of Hope, Derbyshire in the Peak District in the northern Midlands of England.The name also applies to the Post Town which includes the surrounding villages.-The Valley:...
, and he died at his residence in the area, "Bella Vista", Castleton in June 1938, aged 65.