Anthony Muirhead
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony John Muirhead MC & Bar
TD
(4 November 1890 – 29 October 1939) was a Conservative Party
politician in the United Kingdom
. He was elected at the 1929 general election
as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Wells
in Somerset
, and held the seat until his death in 1939, aged 48.
Muirhead served in the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars
in the First World War, reaching the rank of Captain
being awarded the Military Cross
in 1917 and a Bar while serving as Brigade Major
of the 119th Infantry Brigade at Armentières
in the closing days of the war in 1918. He was promoted Brevet
Major
in 1919. In 1924 he transferred to the 100th (Worcestershire and Oxfordshire Yeomanry) Field Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
(Territorial Army) and was granted the full rank of Major. In 1933 he was promoted Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1936 he was promoted to full Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the brigade. In 1939, he transferred to the 53rd Anti-Tank Regiment.
In the National Government of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
, he held junior ministerial office as Under-Secretary of State for Air
from 1937 to 1938, and as Parliamentary Under-Secretary for India and Burma
from 1938 to 1939.
Muirhead committed suicide
out of fear that a leg injury would prevent him seeing active service during the Second World War.
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
TD
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
(4 November 1890 – 29 October 1939) was 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...
politician in the United Kingdom
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...
. He was elected at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
as 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) for Wells
Wells (UK Parliament constituency)
Wells is a county constituency centred on the city of Wells in Somerset. It elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first past the post voting system...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, and held the seat until his death in 1939, aged 48.
Muirhead served in the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars
Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars
The Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars was the designated name of a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army between 1888 and 1922. In response a call by the government for troops of volunteers to be formed in the shires, meeting of “Nobility, Gentry, Freeholders and Yeomanry” was called at the Star Inn...
in the First World War, reaching the rank of Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
being awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
in 1917 and a Bar while serving as Brigade Major
Brigade Major
In the British Army, a Brigade Major was the Chief of Staff of a brigade. He held the rank of Major and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section directly and oversaw the two other branches, "A - Administration" and "Q - Quartermaster"...
of the 119th Infantry Brigade at Armentières
Armentières
Armentières is a commune in the Nord department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France. It is part of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole, and lies on the Belgian border, northwest of the city of Lille, on the right bank of the river Lys....
in the closing days of the war in 1918. He was promoted Brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in 1919. In 1924 he transferred to the 100th (Worcestershire and Oxfordshire Yeomanry) Field Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
(Territorial Army) and was granted the full rank of Major. In 1933 he was promoted Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1936 he was promoted to full Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the brigade. In 1939, he transferred to the 53rd Anti-Tank Regiment.
In the National Government of 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...
, he held junior ministerial office as Under-Secretary of State for Air
Under-Secretary of State for Air
The Under-Secretary of State for Air was a junior ministerial post in the United Kingdom Government, supporting the Secretary of State for Air in his role of managing the Royal Air Force....
from 1937 to 1938, and as Parliamentary Under-Secretary for India and Burma
Under-Secretary of State for India
This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1866 and 1948, and for Burma from 1858-1948....
from 1938 to 1939.
Muirhead committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
out of fear that a leg injury would prevent him seeing active service during the Second World War.