Sir Martin Lindsay, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Martin Alexander Lindsay, 1st Baronet, CBE
, DSO
(22 August 1905 – 5 May 1981) was a British
army
officer and explorer. He came to fame in the 1930s leading a succession of expeditions to Greenland
, and later went into politics; he was elected as a Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
after the Second World War.
noble family and traced his own descent as 22nd in line to Sir William Lindsay who was created Lord Lindsay of Crawford
in 1398. His own father was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles
, who sent his son to Wellington College
.
. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Fusiliers
in 1925, and two years later was seconded to the 4th Battalion, the Nigeria Regiment
. During his time in Nigeria
, Lindsay won the Nigeria Grand National horse race.
then in the Belgian Congo
. In 1930 he was appointed Surveyor to the British Arctic Air-Route Expedition to Greenland, led by Gino Watkins
. Lindsay later wrote up his experiences in a book called "Those Greenland Days" (1932), paying tribute to Watkins' team building. He was awarded the King's Polar Medal
for the success of the expedition. Lindsay enjoyed writing about explorers and in 1933 wrote "The Epic of Captain Scott" about Robert Falcon Scott
.
. The expedition was sponsored by several British government ministries and aimed to explore and map a 350-mile long stretch of Greenland
which had not previously been visited but contained the highest mountains in the Arctic Circle. Andrew Croft
was the photographer for the expedition; Lt. Daniel Godfrey was in charge of survey and navigation.
The expedition crossed Greenland from west to east, and succeeded in fixing the positions of many important features including Gunnbjørns Fjeld. On the return journey the team headed south-west to Amassalik (now Tasiilaq
) and on their journey discovered the extent of the Kronprins Frederik Bjerge mountain range. Lindsay's expedition set a new world record after sledging for 1,050 miles (700 of which were through unexplored territory).
When all three returned safe and well, the expedition was regarded as an unqualified success, with The Times
devoting a leader
to it. The Times observed that "for daring and success [it] will rank high in the long annals of polar exploration". Lindsay had also written his report of the expedition for The Times and in 1935 wrote a book called "Sledge" based on these reports. His fame extended beyond Britain and in April 1935 he was awarded the Alexandre de la Roquette Gold Medal by the French Geographical Society for his leadership.
where he was adopted as Conservative Party
candidate for Brigg
in June 1936. The constituency was held by Labour with a majority of only 203, and Lindsay began to attend social events in the constituency in an attempt to build up his chances of election. He was a Deputy Lieutenant
of Lincolnshire from 1938.
based on his knowledge of the people of Brigg, stating that "so widespread is the determination of the British working man to 'Stop Hitler' that I do not believe there would be any opposition of importance". On the outbreak of the Second World War, Lindsay enlisted again, and served in a staff post in the Norwegian campaign
in 1940 where he was mentioned in despatches.
In July 1944 Lindsay was placed in command of the 1st Battalion The Gordon Highlanders, in the 51st Highland Division
. He commanded sixteen parachute operations between July 1944 and May 1945, being again mentioned in despatches, wounded in action, and receiving the Distinguished Service Order
. He ended the war as a Lieutenant-Colonel. As was already his pattern, he wrote up his experiences in "So Few Got Through: The Diary of an Infantry Officer" in 1946; this was followed by a recap of his Arctic exploits in "Three Got Through: Memoirs of an Arctic Explorer" the following year.
, a newly created constituency which was expected to be safely Conservative. His Labour opponent was the future cabinet minister Roy Jenkins
, but Lindsay beat him by 5,049.
on 7 November 1945 dwelt on the problems of an international arms race between the United States
and Soviet Union
. Lindsay supported giving details of the atomic bomb to the Soviets "if she would agree to cooperate and take part in a mutual system of controls and inspections". Early in his Parliamentary career he concentrated on conditions for servicemen and ex-servicemen; in May 1946 he encouraged discharged officers to take up posts with the Colonial Office and with the Control Commission in occupied enemy countries. A week later he condemned the Germany
Control Commission's publication "The British Zone in Germany" as "a miserable little rag" because it was a pale ghost of the Manchester Guardian
. He was a firm opponent of nationalisation of the steel industry.
Lindsay spoke in October 1946 in support of German prisoners of war being allowed to remain in Britain and being allowed British citizenship, because of the shortage of skilled labour. Although a generally moderate MP, Lindsay could be roused to anger. In April 1949, a criticism of the Conservative Party by Minister of Food John Strachey
prompted Lindsay, recalling Strachey's association with Oswald Mosley
, to ask "Is it in order for an ex-member of the Fascist Party ...", the rest of the sentence being drowned out by angry shouts from Labour MPs. The exchange between the two caused a major row involving many Members of Parliament.
published in the "Britain in Pictures" series in 1947. In 1948, with debates on the House of Lords
starting as a result of the Labour government's Parliament Bill
, he wrote "Shall We Reform 'the Lords'?", which discussed the options which might be taken. He was Chairman of the West Midlands Area of Conservative and Unionist Associations from 1949 to 1952. During the 1950 general election
, Lindsay made a speech at Wellington, Shropshire
in which he prophesied that Aneurin Bevan
would soon take over as Prime Minister after Clement Attlee
retired.
During the close Parliament of 1950-51, Lindsay played his part in harrying the Labour government. In November 1950 he won a spot in the ballot for Private Member's Bill
s and introduced a Bill to give the press a statutory right to report the proceedings of public bodies. Lindsay's Bill ran out of time; he also supported a bill introduced by Labour MP Eirene White
to reform the divorce
laws. Early in 1951 he called on Belgium
not to put General von Falkenhausen
, the former German military governor, on trial for war crimes. Lindsay argued that Belgium had the least oppressive occupation of any nation.
in 1920 to cut public expenditure, criticising "the Government's hitherto total failure to fulfil their election promises" to make a substantial economy. He received the CBE
in 1952.
At the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
, Lindsay served as a Gold Staff Officer. He was a member of the Royal Company of Archers
, the Queen's Body Guard for Scotland. Writing in his constituency association's magazine in June 1954, he stated that Winston Churchill
would retire before that autumn to make way for Anthony Eden
and predicted that Harold Macmillan
would be promoted to be the new Foreign Secretary. In the autumn he became interested in the problems of road congestion and put down a motion urging a much increased road programme to solve it.
proposed the abolition of capital punishment
in 1956, Lindsay put down an amendment to retain it only for the murder of a police officer. Despite the significant employment in the car industry in his constituency, he criticised workers in the industry for "shoddy workmanship", When the workers at British Motor Corporation
were ordered on strike that summer, Lindsay pointed to the fact that 53% of workers had reported for work as usual to observe that it was an unpopular strike.
after the Suez Crisis
. He was critical of the Macmillan government in July 1957 for not doing enough to tackle inflation, and led a group of three MPs who abstained rather than support it. At the end of 1957 he criticised the mediocrity of many Members of Parliament and called for reforms to House of Commons procedures including ending all-night sittings, in a letter which prompted a long debate. At the end of January 1958 the House of Commons set up a Select Committee on the issue, with Lindsay criticising the continued denigration of Parliament by newspapers who were also damaging the Royal family.
When the Parliamentary group on Egypt
and Syria
was formed in June 1960, Lindsay was appointed Chairman. In November he protested that the Government should not sell its shares in Ford Motors
of Dagenham
without allowing MPs to express their views.
In the New Years' Honours list of 1962, Lindsay was awarded a Baronetcy. Following a lecture tour of the United States early that year, in March he tabled a strongly worded motion attacking Lord Beaverbrook
for authorising editorial comments attacking the Royal family. Lindsay circulated to other Members of Parliament examples of coverage in the Daily Express
, which he described as a "sustained vendetta". He supported the Macmillan government's application to join the Common Market
, commenting that it was difficult to find a banker or industrialist who did not think membership was essential.
, Early in 1964 he called for an inquiry into the Public Trust Office, after discovering that it had lost a large sum of money in investments.
250,000 and a luxury Manhattan
flat in the will of American philanthropist Florence Berlowitz Shaw (widow of George Hamlin Shaw and former wife of Bernard Pollak), whom he had escorted at social occasions in New York City
. The will was disputed by Mrs Shaw's three stepchildren, but eventually upheld. A cousin living in North Wales also left him £20,000 the same year. Lindsay indulged his interest in horse racing by becoming a racehorse breeder.
Lady Lindsay divorced her husband in 1967 on grounds of his desertion. Later that year he took the Sunday Express to the Press Council over an article asking, after his two legacies, whether Sir Martin was "after a rich widow". The editor John Junor
defended the story, but the Press Council upheld the complaint and deplored the form of journalism.
On 1 August 1969, Lindsay married Loelia, Duchess of Westminster, a former wife of the 2nd Duke of Westminster
.
Involved in business as Chairman of several companies, Lindsay was Chairman of the Standing Council of the Baronetage
and wrote his final book on "The Baronetage" in 1977.
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...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(22 August 1905 – 5 May 1981) 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...
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 explorer. He came to fame in the 1930s leading a succession of expeditions to Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, and later went into politics; he was elected as a 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...
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,...
after the Second World War.
Family
Lindsay was from a long-established ScottishScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
noble family and traced his own descent as 22nd in line to Sir William Lindsay who was created Lord Lindsay of Crawford
Earl of Crawford
The title Earl of Crawford is one of the most ancient extant titles in Great Britain, having been created in the Peerage of Scotland for Sir David Lindsay in 1398. It is the premier earldom recorded on the Union Roll.The title has a very complex history...
in 1398. His own father was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles
2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles)
The 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army before being transferred to the British Army on India's independence in 1947. The 4th Battalion joined the Indian Army as the 5th Battalion, 8th Gurkha Rifles , where it exists to this day...
, who sent his son 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...
.
Army career
After leaving Wellington, Lindsay went to the Royal Military College, SandhurstRoyal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Fusiliers
Royal Scots Fusiliers
-The Earl of Mar's Regiment of Foot :The regiment was raised in Scotland in 1678 by Stuart loyalist Charles Erskine, de jure 5th Earl of Mar for service against the rebel covenanting forces during the Second Whig Revolt . They were used to keep the peace and put down brigands, mercenaries, and...
in 1925, and two years later was seconded to the 4th Battalion, the Nigeria Regiment
Nigeria Regiment
The Nigeria Regiment, Royal West African Frontier Force, was formed by the amalgamation of the Northern Nigeria Regiment and the Southern Nigeria Regiment on January 1 1914...
. During his time in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, Lindsay won the Nigeria Grand National horse race.
Exploration
At the end of his two years in Nigeria in 1929, Lindsay undertook his first expedition, travelling from West to East Africa through the Ituri RainforestIturi Rainforest
The Ituri Rainforest is a rainforest located in the Ituri region of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo formerly called Zaire. The forest's name derives from the nearby Ituri River which flows through the rainforest, connecting firstly to the Aruwimi River and finally into the Congo.-...
then in the Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
. In 1930 he was appointed Surveyor to the British Arctic Air-Route Expedition to Greenland, led by Gino Watkins
Gino Watkins
Henry George "Gino" Watkins FRGS was a British Arctic explorer.Born in London, he was educated at Lancing College and acquired a love of mountaineering and the outdoors from his father through holidays in the Alps, the Tyrol and the English Lake District...
. Lindsay later wrote up his experiences in a book called "Those Greenland Days" (1932), paying tribute to Watkins' team building. He was awarded the King's Polar Medal
Polar Medal
The Polar Medal is a medal awarded by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It was instituted in 1857 as the Arctic Medal and renamed the Polar Medal in 1904.-History:...
for the success of the expedition. Lindsay enjoyed writing about explorers and in 1933 wrote "The Epic of Captain Scott" about Robert Falcon Scott
Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...
.
British Trans-Greenland Expedition
In 1934 Lindsay was the Leader of the British Trans-Greenland Expedition under the patronage of the Prince of WalesEdward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
. The expedition was sponsored by several British government ministries and aimed to explore and map a 350-mile long stretch of Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
which had not previously been visited but contained the highest mountains in the Arctic Circle. Andrew Croft
Andrew Croft
Colonel Noel Andrew Cotton Croft DSO OBE , was a member of the Special Operations Executive in the Second World War, with operations in Norway and Corsica, as well as Military attaché to Sweden, an explorer, holding the longest self-sustaining journey in the Guinness Book of Records for more than...
was the photographer for the expedition; Lt. Daniel Godfrey was in charge of survey and navigation.
The expedition crossed Greenland from west to east, and succeeded in fixing the positions of many important features including Gunnbjørns Fjeld. On the return journey the team headed south-west to Amassalik (now Tasiilaq
Tasiilaq
Tasiilaq is a town in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland. With 1,930 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the most populous community on the eastern coast, and the seventh-largest town in Greenland...
) and on their journey discovered the extent of the Kronprins Frederik Bjerge mountain range. Lindsay's expedition set a new world record after sledging for 1,050 miles (700 of which were through unexplored territory).
When all three returned safe and well, the expedition was regarded as an unqualified success, with The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
devoting a leader
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
to it. The Times observed that "for daring and success [it] will rank high in the long annals of polar exploration". Lindsay had also written his report of the expedition for The Times and in 1935 wrote a book called "Sledge" based on these reports. His fame extended beyond Britain and in April 1935 he was awarded the Alexandre de la Roquette Gold Medal by the French Geographical Society for his leadership.
Politics
In 1936, Lindsay left the army. He had married a distant cousin, Joyce Lindsay, in 1932 and they had a young family. He moved to LincolnshireLincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
where he was adopted as 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...
candidate for Brigg
Brigg (UK Parliament constituency)
Brigg was a county constituency centred on the town of Brigg in North Lincolnshire. 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....
in June 1936. The constituency was held by Labour with a majority of only 203, and Lindsay began to attend social events in the constituency in an attempt to build up his chances of election. He was a 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....
of Lincolnshire from 1938.
Second World War
Lindsay wrote to The Times in April 1939 to support the introduction of conscriptionConscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
based on his knowledge of the people of Brigg, stating that "so widespread is the determination of the British working man to 'Stop Hitler' that I do not believe there would be any opposition of importance". On the outbreak of the Second World War, Lindsay enlisted again, and served in a staff post in the Norwegian campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
in 1940 where he was mentioned in despatches.
In July 1944 Lindsay was placed in command of the 1st Battalion The Gordon Highlanders, in the 51st Highland Division
British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (World War II)
For the First World War unit, see 51st Division .The 51st Infantry Division was a British Territorial Army division that fought during the Second World War...
. He commanded sixteen parachute operations between July 1944 and May 1945, being again mentioned in despatches, wounded in action, and receiving the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
. He ended the war as a Lieutenant-Colonel. As was already his pattern, he wrote up his experiences in "So Few Got Through: The Diary of an Infantry Officer" in 1946; this was followed by a recap of his Arctic exploits in "Three Got Through: Memoirs of an Arctic Explorer" the following year.
Solihull
Lindsay's political career had been put on hold during the war, and he had resigned his Brigg candidacy. In June 1945, after the war ended, he was adopted as Conservative candidate for SolihullSolihull (UK Parliament constituency)
Solihull is a borough constituency 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.- Boundaries :...
, a newly created constituency which was expected to be safely Conservative. His Labour opponent was the future cabinet minister Roy Jenkins
Roy Jenkins
Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
, but Lindsay beat him by 5,049.
Ex-Servicemen's problems
His maiden speechMaiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
on 7 November 1945 dwelt on the problems of an international arms race between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Lindsay supported giving details of the atomic bomb to the Soviets "if she would agree to cooperate and take part in a mutual system of controls and inspections". Early in his Parliamentary career he concentrated on conditions for servicemen and ex-servicemen; in May 1946 he encouraged discharged officers to take up posts with the Colonial Office and with the Control Commission in occupied enemy countries. A week later he condemned the Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Control Commission's publication "The British Zone in Germany" as "a miserable little rag" because it was a pale ghost of the Manchester Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. He was a firm opponent of nationalisation of the steel industry.
Lindsay spoke in October 1946 in support of German prisoners of war being allowed to remain in Britain and being allowed British citizenship, because of the shortage of skilled labour. Although a generally moderate MP, Lindsay could be roused to anger. In April 1949, a criticism of the Conservative Party by Minister of Food John Strachey
John St Loe Strachey
Evelyn John St Loe Strachey PC was a British Labour politician and writer.-Background and education:Born in Guildford, Surrey, the son of John Strachey, editor of The Spectator, he was educated at Eton College and Magdalen College, Oxford. At Oxford, he was editor, with Robert Boothby, of the...
prompted Lindsay, recalling Strachey's association with 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...
, to ask "Is it in order for an ex-member of the Fascist Party ...", the rest of the sentence being drowned out by angry shouts from Labour MPs. The exchange between the two caused a major row involving many Members of Parliament.
Writing
Outside Parliament, Lindsay also contributed his journalistic skill, writing the text for a book about the House of CommonsBritish 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...
published in the "Britain in Pictures" series in 1947. In 1948, with debates on 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....
starting as a result of the Labour government's Parliament Bill
Parliament Act 1949
The Parliament Act 1949 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.This Act must be construed as one with the Parliament Act 1911...
, he wrote "Shall We Reform 'the Lords'?", which discussed the options which might be taken. He was Chairman of the West Midlands Area of Conservative and Unionist Associations from 1949 to 1952. During 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...
, Lindsay made a speech at Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington is a town in the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England and now forms part of the new town of Telford. The population of the parish of Wellington was recorded as 20,430 in the 2001 census, making it the third largest town in Shropshire if...
in which he prophesied that Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin "Nye" Bevan was a British Labour Party politician who was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1959 until his death in 1960. The son of a coal miner, Bevan was a lifelong champion of social justice and the rights of working people...
would soon take over as Prime Minister after Clement Attlee
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
retired.
During the close Parliament of 1950-51, Lindsay played his part in harrying the Labour government. In November 1950 he won a spot in the ballot for Private Member's Bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
s and introduced a Bill to give the press a statutory right to report the proceedings of public bodies. Lindsay's Bill ran out of time; he also supported a bill introduced by Labour MP Eirene White
Eirene White
Eirene Lloyd White, Baroness White, née Jones was a British Labour politician and journalist....
to reform the divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
laws. Early in 1951 he called on Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
not to put General von Falkenhausen
Alexander von Falkenhausen
Alexander Ernst Alfred Hermann Freiherr von Falkenhausen was a German general. He was the head of the military government of Belgium from 1940–44 during its occupation by Germany in World War II....
, the former German military governor, on trial for war crimes. Lindsay argued that Belgium had the least oppressive occupation of any nation.
Pressure on the Churchill government
Lindsay was not offered any government posts when Churchill returned to office in 1951. He pressed the new government to set up an all-party conference on House of Lords reform, and to abolish identity cards as soon as possible. Lindsay also supported a committee such as that run by Eric Campbell GeddesEric Campbell Geddes
Sir Eric Campbell-Geddes GCB, GBE, PC was a British businessman and Conservative politician. He served as First Lord of the Admiralty between 1917 and 1919 and as the first Minister of Transport between 1919 and 1921....
in 1920 to cut public expenditure, criticising "the Government's hitherto total failure to fulfil their election promises" to make a substantial economy. He received the CBE
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...
in 1952.
At the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, Lindsay served as a Gold Staff Officer. He was a member of the Royal Company of Archers
Royal Company of Archers
The Royal Company of Archers is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's Bodyguard in Scotland, a role it has performed since 1822 and the reign of King George IV, when the company provided a personal bodyguard to the King on his visit to Scotland. It is currently known as the Queen's...
, the Queen's Body Guard for Scotland. Writing in his constituency association's magazine in June 1954, he stated that 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...
would retire before that autumn to make way for Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
and predicted that 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....
would be promoted to be the new Foreign Secretary. In the autumn he became interested in the problems of road congestion and put down a motion urging a much increased road programme to solve it.
Car industry
When Sydney SilvermanSydney Silverman
Samuel Sydney Silverman was a British Labour politician and vocal opponent of capital punishment.-Early life:...
proposed the abolition of capital punishment
Capital punishment in the United Kingdom
Capital punishment in the United Kingdom was used from the creation of the state in 1707 until the practice was abolished in the 20th century. The last executions in the United Kingdom, by hanging, took place in 1964, prior to capital punishment being abolished for murder...
in 1956, Lindsay put down an amendment to retain it only for the murder of a police officer. Despite the significant employment in the car industry in his constituency, he criticised workers in the industry for "shoddy workmanship", When the workers at British Motor Corporation
British Motor Corporation
The British Motor Corporation, or commonly known as BMC was a vehicle manufacturer from United Kingdom, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952...
were ordered on strike that summer, Lindsay pointed to the fact that 53% of workers had reported for work as usual to observe that it was an unpopular strike.
Beaverbrook newspapers
Lindsay was one of the sponsors of a motion critical of the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after the Suez Crisis
Suez 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,...
. He was critical of the Macmillan government in July 1957 for not doing enough to tackle inflation, and led a group of three MPs who abstained rather than support it. At the end of 1957 he criticised the mediocrity of many Members of Parliament and called for reforms to House of Commons procedures including ending all-night sittings, in a letter which prompted a long debate. At the end of January 1958 the House of Commons set up a Select Committee on the issue, with Lindsay criticising the continued denigration of Parliament by newspapers who were also damaging the Royal family.
When the Parliamentary group on Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
was formed in June 1960, Lindsay was appointed Chairman. In November he protested that the Government should not sell its shares in Ford Motors
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
of Dagenham
Dagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
without allowing MPs to express their views.
In the New Years' Honours list of 1962, Lindsay was awarded a Baronetcy. Following a lecture tour of the United States early that year, in March he tabled a strongly worded motion attacking Lord Beaverbrook
Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook
William Maxwell "Max" Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, Bt, PC, was a Canadian-British business tycoon, politician, and writer.-Early career in Canada:...
for authorising editorial comments attacking the Royal family. Lindsay circulated to other Members of Parliament examples of coverage in the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
, which he described as a "sustained vendetta". He supported the Macmillan government's application to join the Common Market
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, commenting that it was difficult to find a banker or industrialist who did not think membership was essential.
Retirement from politics
Lindsay announced in March 1963 that he would leave politics at the next election, stating his intention to take life easier. He abstained rather than support Macmillan on the Profumo AffairProfumo Affair
The Profumo Affair was a 1963 British political scandal named after John Profumo, Secretary of State for War. His affair with Christine Keeler, the reputed mistress of an alleged Russian spy, followed by lying in the House of Commons when he was questioned about it, forced the resignation of...
, Early in 1964 he called for an inquiry into the Public Trust Office, after discovering that it had lost a large sum of money in investments.
Legacies and divorce
In 1964 he was left $United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
250,000 and a luxury Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
flat in the will of American philanthropist Florence Berlowitz Shaw (widow of George Hamlin Shaw and former wife of Bernard Pollak), whom he had escorted at social occasions in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The will was disputed by Mrs Shaw's three stepchildren, but eventually upheld. A cousin living in North Wales also left him £20,000 the same year. Lindsay indulged his interest in horse racing by becoming a racehorse breeder.
Lady Lindsay divorced her husband in 1967 on grounds of his desertion. Later that year he took the Sunday Express to the Press Council over an article asking, after his two legacies, whether Sir Martin was "after a rich widow". The editor John Junor
John Junor
Sir John Donald Brown Junor was a Scottish journalist and editor-in-chief of the Sunday Express, having previously worked as a columnist there. He then moved to the Mail on Sunday....
defended the story, but the Press Council upheld the complaint and deplored the form of journalism.
On 1 August 1969, Lindsay married Loelia, Duchess of Westminster, a former wife of the 2nd Duke of Westminster
Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster
Hugh Richard Arthur Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster GCVO DSO was the son of Victor Alexander Grosvenor, Earl Grosvenor and Lady Sibell Mary Lumley, the daughter of the 9th Earl of Scarborough...
.
Involved in business as Chairman of several companies, Lindsay was Chairman of the Standing Council of the Baronetage
Standing Council of the Baronetage
The Standing Council of the Baronetage is a United Kingdom organisation which deals with the affairs of baronets. It was first established in January 1898 as Honourable Society of the Baronetage...
and wrote his final book on "The Baronetage" in 1977.