Noel Whiteside
Encyclopedia
Borras Noel Hamilton Whiteside (12 December 1903 – 13 June 1948) was a British
company director and politician, who served a single term as a Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP). He was noted for his interest in aviation, being a private pilot and frequently raising the issue of air defence in Parliament. During the Second World War he was a senior civil servant; at the end he fought again for a seat in Parliament but was unsuccessful.
, died on active service in France during the First World War, when he was 11. His mother, Leonore, was a daughter of 9th Lord Belhaven and Stenton. Whiteside was sent to Wellington College
, and went on to University College London
. After leaving university he went into the insurance business and in 1925 was made West End Local Director of the London and Scottish Assurance Company. Whiteside also became a civilian pilot, holding an A license
.
causes, Whiteside was adopted as the Conservative candidate for Leeds South
, a seat held for the Labour Party by Henry Charleton who was a Whip
for his party. When the general election
was called in October 1931, the Conservaives hoped that Whiteside and Charleton would have a straight fight. However at the last moment Captain Frederick Boult came forward as a Liberal Party
candidate, having withdrawn from fighting at Buckrose
. This shift was thought to make the election more difficult for Whiteside, and Charleton was expected to win the election. However, on polling day Leeds South was part of the landslide result, with Whiteside winning a majority of 725 over Charleton and Boult coming a poor third.
and called for lower costs for compulsory government inspection of aircraft and for local authorities to build airfields closer to centres of population.
After the Ottawa Conference
concluded in 1932, Whiteside made a speech supporting its outcome and attacking the idea of a meat quota during which he described quotas as "Socialism run mad". With the rise to prominence of the British Union of Fascists
and its 'Blackshirts', Whiteside urged in January 1934 that no political body be allowed to wear a uniform because doing so would be liable to lead to breaches of the peace. He also urged adoption of the 24-hour clock. Whiteside was a supporter of the International League Against the Export of Horses, and spoke at a May 1934 meeting in support of the Export of Horses Bill which made illegal the trade in live horses for meat.
. In 1933 he argued that it was so inadequate to Britain's defence that it was inviting attack.. During the debate on the 1934 Air Estimates, Whiteside spoke of Stanley Baldwin
's remark the previous year that "the bomber will always get through" and rhetorically asked what was the point of such a large expenditure on the RAF if it could not defend Britain. He implicitly disagreed with Baldwin, calling attention to the RAF's success in preventing the Gotha bombers breaking through after May 1918. In April 1934 he took up the matter with Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald
, pressing for the RAF to be built up to parity with other countries. He also suggested that six aircraft carrier
s would be sufficient to protect the Royal Navy
against air attack throughout the world.
in Kent. That November, a new general election
required him to defend his seat against Henry Charleton, who attempted to regain it for the Labour Party. Whiteside having been an unexpected winner in what was regarded as a safe Labour seat, he was thought to be vulnerable. There was again a three-cornered contest with the third candidate coming from the Social Credit Party of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
, one of only three candidates in the election. After a keen contest, Charleton regained his seat with a majority of 1,016.
and the United Club. He also became director of an aircraft company. During World War II, he became a civil servant, working as Assistant Divisional Food Officer for London from 1939. Two years later he was promoted to be a Principal at the Board of Trade
. From 1942 he was Deputy Director of Salvage and Recovery for the Ministry of Supply
. At the end of the war, Whiteside was adopted as Conservative candidate for the newly-created division of Wembley South
. Whiteside's campaign asked "Are you going to sack Winston Churchill
? That is the issue." However the Labour candidate won the seat with a majority of 3,431.
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...
company director and politician, who served a single term as 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...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP). He was noted for his interest in aviation, being a private pilot and frequently raising the issue of air defence in Parliament. During the Second World War he was a senior civil servant; at the end he fought again for a seat in Parliament but was unsuccessful.
Family and early life
Whiteside's father, Capt. R. Borras Whiteside RASCRoyal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
, died on active service in France during the First World War, when he was 11. His mother, Leonore, was a daughter of 9th Lord Belhaven and Stenton. Whiteside was sent to Wellington College
Wellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
, and went on to University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. After leaving university he went into the insurance business and in 1925 was made West End Local Director of the London and Scottish Assurance Company. Whiteside also became a civilian pilot, holding an A license
Pilot licensing in the United Kingdom
Pilot licensing in the United Kingdom is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority under the auspices of the Joint Aviation Authorities and European Aviation Safety Agency. Each member nation in the EU has responsibility for regulating their own pilot licensing...
.
1931 election
After spending several years public speaking in support of Conservative PartyConservative 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...
causes, Whiteside was adopted as the Conservative candidate for Leeds South
Leeds South (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds South was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election...
, a seat held for the Labour Party by Henry Charleton who was a Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
for his party. When the 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...
was called in October 1931, the Conservaives hoped that Whiteside and Charleton would have a straight fight. However at the last moment Captain Frederick Boult came forward as a 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...
candidate, having withdrawn from fighting at Buckrose
Buckrose (UK Parliament constituency)
Buckrose was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a county constituency comprising the northern part of the East Riding of Yorkshire, represented by one Member of Parliament, and was created for the 1885 general election.It was redefined in...
. This shift was thought to make the election more difficult for Whiteside, and Charleton was expected to win the election. However, on polling day Leeds South was part of the landslide result, with Whiteside winning a majority of 725 over Charleton and Boult coming a poor third.
Parliament
Whiteside made his maiden speech in March 1932 on the Air Estimates. He opposed a Labour suggestion that civil aviation be transferred to the League of NationsLeague of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
and called for lower costs for compulsory government inspection of aircraft and for local authorities to build airfields closer to centres of population.
After the Ottawa Conference
British Empire Economic Conference
The British Empire Economic Conference was a 1932 conference of British colonies and the autonomous dominions held to discuss the Great Depression. It was held between 21 July and 20 August in Ottawa.The conference saw the group admit the failure of the gold standard and abandon attempts to...
concluded in 1932, Whiteside made a speech supporting its outcome and attacking the idea of a meat quota during which he described quotas as "Socialism run mad". With the rise to prominence of the British Union of Fascists
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
and its 'Blackshirts', Whiteside urged in January 1934 that no political body be allowed to wear a uniform because doing so would be liable to lead to breaches of the peace. He also urged adoption of the 24-hour clock. Whiteside was a supporter of the International League Against the Export of Horses, and spoke at a May 1934 meeting in support of the Export of Horses Bill which made illegal the trade in live horses for meat.
Air Force
Increasingly Whiteside took up issues concerning the strength of the Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. In 1933 he argued that it was so inadequate to Britain's defence that it was inviting attack.. During the debate on the 1934 Air Estimates, Whiteside spoke of 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...
's remark the previous year that "the bomber will always get through" and rhetorically asked what was the point of such a large expenditure on the RAF if it could not defend Britain. He implicitly disagreed with Baldwin, calling attention to the RAF's success in preventing the Gotha bombers breaking through after May 1918. In April 1934 he took up the matter with Prime Minister 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....
, pressing for the RAF to be built up to parity with other countries. He also suggested that six aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s would be sufficient to protect the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
against air attack throughout the world.
1935 election
On 6 June 1935, Whiteside married Dorothy Farrington at SpeldhurstSpeldhurst
Speldhurst is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The parish is to the west of Tunbridge Wells: the village is west of the town.-Parish Church:...
in Kent. That November, a new 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...
required him to defend his seat against Henry Charleton, who attempted to regain it for the Labour Party. Whiteside having been an unexpected winner in what was regarded as a safe Labour seat, he was thought to be vulnerable. There was again a three-cornered contest with the third candidate coming from the Social Credit Party of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Social Credit Party of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The Social Credit Party of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was a political party in the United Kingdom. It grew out of the Kibbo Kift, which was established in 1920 as a more craft-based alternative for youth to the Boy Scouts....
, one of only three candidates in the election. After a keen contest, Charleton regained his seat with a majority of 1,016.
Wartime
Whiteside remained involved in politics, and was a member of the Carlton ClubCarlton Club
The Carlton Club is a gentlemen's club in London which describes itself as the "oldest, most elite, and most important of all Conservative clubs." Membership of the club is by nomination and election only.-History:...
and the United Club. He also became director of an aircraft company. During World War II, he became a civil servant, working as Assistant Divisional Food Officer for London from 1939. Two years later he was promoted to be a Principal at the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
. From 1942 he was Deputy Director of Salvage and Recovery for the Ministry of Supply
Minister of Supply
The Minister of Supply was the minister in the British Government responsible for the Ministry of Supply, which existed to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to the national armed forces...
. At the end of the war, Whiteside was adopted as Conservative candidate for the newly-created division of Wembley South
Wembley South (UK Parliament constituency)
Wembley South was a parliamentary constituency in what was then the Borough of Wembley in North-West London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
. Whiteside's campaign asked "Are you going to sack 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...
? That is the issue." However the Labour candidate won the seat with a majority of 3,431.