Richard Brooman-White
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Charles Brooman-White (known as Dick Brooman-White, 16 February 1912 – 25 January 1964) was a British
journalist, intelligence agent and politician for the Conservative Party
.
and Trinity College
, Cambridge
. He studied economics and foreign languages, obtaining a good degree. On leaving university, he became a journalist, writing on politics and foreign affairs for Scottish newspapers. He was also a broadcaster on BBC radio.
. In 1940 he resigned his commission due to ill-health. From 1940 he was a desk officer for the Security Service
; in June 1940 he was put in charge of a new section of MI5 which looked at "Celtic movements". His normal work was as head of section B1(g) which dealt with Spanish espionage.
In 1941, Brooman-White met with an informant who told him that Arthur Donaldson
, leader of the Scottish National Party
, intended in the event of a Nazi invasion of Britain, to form a puppet government along the lines of Vidkun Quisling
in Norway
. This information led Brooman-White to successfully recommend Donaldson's detention under Defence Regulation 18B
. In 1943 he rejoined the Army as a Second Lieutenant
in the Intelligence Corps and later rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.
Brooman-White was head of the Italian section of MI6 in 1943, and was later moved into the field where he served in the Mediterranean and then in North-Western Europe. After fighting the 1945 general election
against James Maxton
in Glasgow Bridgeton
, he worked from 1946 to 1947 as an attaché at the British embassy in Istanbul
, Turkey
.
in the 1950 general election
, Brooman-White narrowly won the same seat in the 1951 election
. He was immediately picked by James Hutchison, the Under-Secretary of State for War
, to be his Parliamentary Private Secretary
. He accompanied Hutchison on some of his ministerial visits. Brooman-White's maiden speech, made in July 1952, concerned the steel industry and he declared that neither Karl Marx
nor Adam Smith
would be helpful in working out a long-term future for the industry. He made a specialism of the steel industry throughout the Parliament.
In 1953, Brooman-White was named as a substitute member of the delegation to the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly, later in the decade being promoted into the main delegation. When James Hutchison resigned in 1954, he transferred to be Parliamentary Private Secretary to Anthony Nutting
, Minister of State at the Foreign Office. He did a great deal of work on Cyprus
, trying to promote unity between the Greek and Turkish residents, and urged more help for refugees from Hungary
following the Soviet invasion of 1956.
, Brooman-White became an unpaid Assistant Whip when Harold Macmillan
became Prime Minister in January 1957; from October he was a paid whip as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
. He was promoted again in June 1960 to be Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
.
In a reshuffle in October 1960, Brooman-White became Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
. He dealt with education and home affairs, and had to deal with a strike by Scottish teachers in 1961 over low pay and proposals to allow non-graduate male teachers. Brooman-White suffered poor health in 1963 and announced his resignation on 9 December, dying a month later.
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...
journalist, intelligence agent and politician for 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...
.
Education
The only son from a military family (his mother was a Texan), Brooman-White was educated at EtonEton 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 Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. He studied economics and foreign languages, obtaining a good degree. On leaving university, he became a journalist, writing on politics and foreign affairs for Scottish newspapers. He was also a broadcaster on BBC radio.
Intelligence work
At the outbreak of the Second World War, Brooman-White was mobilised as a Second Lieutenant in the Dunbartonshire Light Anti-Aircraft unit, Royal ArtilleryRoyal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
. In 1940 he resigned his commission due to ill-health. From 1940 he was a desk officer for the Security Service
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
; in June 1940 he was put in charge of a new section of MI5 which looked at "Celtic movements". His normal work was as head of section B1(g) which dealt with Spanish espionage.
In 1941, Brooman-White met with an informant who told him that Arthur Donaldson
Arthur Donaldson
Arthur Donaldson was a Scottish politician, and leader of the Scottish National Party from 1960 to 1969.-Early years:...
, leader of the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
, intended in the event of a Nazi invasion of Britain, to form a puppet government along the lines of Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. This information led Brooman-White to successfully recommend Donaldson's detention under Defence Regulation 18B
Defence Regulation 18B
Defence Regulation 18B, often referred to as simply 18B, was the most famous of the Defence Regulations used by the British Government during World War II. The complete technical reference name for this rule was: Regulation 18B of the Defence Regulations 1939. It allowed for the internment of...
. In 1943 he rejoined the Army as a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the Intelligence Corps and later rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.
Brooman-White was head of the Italian section of MI6 in 1943, and was later moved into the field where he served in the Mediterranean and then in North-Western Europe. After fighting the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
against James Maxton
James Maxton
James Maxton was a Scottish socialist politician, and leader of the Independent Labour Party. A prominent proponent of Home Rule for Scotland, he is remembered as one of the leading figures of the Red Clydeside era.-Early years:...
in Glasgow Bridgeton
Glasgow Bridgeton (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Bridgeton was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Glasgow. From 1885 to 1974, 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 voting system....
, he worked from 1946 to 1947 as an attaché at the British embassy in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
Parliament
Defeated at RutherglenRutherglen (UK Parliament constituency)
Rutherglen was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 2005...
in the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
, Brooman-White narrowly won the same seat in the 1951 election
United Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
. He was immediately picked by James Hutchison, the 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...
, to be his Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
. He accompanied Hutchison on some of his ministerial visits. Brooman-White's maiden speech, made in July 1952, concerned the steel industry and he declared that neither Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
nor Adam Smith
Adam Smith
Adam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...
would be helpful in working out a long-term future for the industry. He made a specialism of the steel industry throughout the Parliament.
In 1953, Brooman-White was named as a substitute member of the delegation to the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
Parliamentary Assembly, later in the decade being promoted into the main delegation. When James Hutchison resigned in 1954, he transferred to be Parliamentary Private Secretary to Anthony Nutting
Anthony Nutting
Sir Harold Anthony Nutting, 3rd Baronet was a British diplomat and Conservative Party politician.-Early and private life:...
, Minister of State at the Foreign Office. He did a great deal of work on Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, trying to promote unity between the Greek and Turkish residents, and urged more help for refugees from Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
following the Soviet invasion of 1956.
Ministerial office
Loyal to the government over the Suez crisisSuez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
, Brooman-White became an unpaid Assistant Whip when Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
became Prime Minister in January 1957; from October he was a paid whip as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
Lord of the Treasury
In the United Kingdom, there are at least six Lords of the Treasury who serve concurrently. Traditionally, this board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the Treasury, and four or more junior lords .Strictly they are commissioners for exercising the office of Lord...
. He was promoted again in June 1960 to be Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household is usually a junior government whip in the British House of Commons and is an officer of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. He or she is the Deputy to the Lord Chamberlain of the Household. The Vice-Chamberlain's main role is to compile...
.
In a reshuffle in October 1960, Brooman-White became Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
The Under-Secretary of State for Scotland is a junior ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, supporting the Secretary of State for Scotland...
. He dealt with education and home affairs, and had to deal with a strike by Scottish teachers in 1961 over low pay and proposals to allow non-graduate male teachers. Brooman-White suffered poor health in 1963 and announced his resignation on 9 December, dying a month later.