Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon
Encyclopedia
Major Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon (12 September 1866 12 August 1941) was a British
Liberal
politician and administrator who served as Governor General of Canada
, the 13th since Canadian Confederation
, and as Viceroy and Governor-General of India
, the country's 22nd.
Freeman-Thomas was born in England
and educated at Eton College
and then the University of Cambridge
before serving for 15 years in the Sussex Artillery. He then entered the diplomatic and political fields, acting as aide-de-camp
to his father-in-law when the latter was Governor of Victoria, and in 1900 was elected to the British House of Commons. He thereafter occupied a variety of government posts, including secretary to the British prime minister
and Lord-in-Waiting
to King George V
. From 1913 on, Freeman-Thomas held viceregal offices throughout the British Empire
, starting with the governorship of Bombay and then the governorship of Madras, before he was in 1926 appointed as Canadian governor general by the King, on the recommendation of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Stanley Baldwin
, to replace the Viscount Byng of Vimy
as viceroy
, and he occupied the post until succeeded by the Earl of Bessborough
in 1931. Freeman-Thomas was immediately thereafter appointed as Governor General and Viceroy of India by the King, on the advice of British prime minister Ramsay MacDonald
, to replace the Lord Irwin
, and he served in the post until succeeded by the Marquess of Linlithgow
in 1936.
After the end of his viceregal tenure, Freeman-Thomas was installed as the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
and was elevated in the peerage as the Marquess of Willingdon. After representing Britain at a number of organisations and celebrations, Freeman-Thomas died in 1941 at his home in London
, and his ashes were interred in Westminster Abbey
.
. By the age of two, Freeman-Thomas' father died and Freeman-Thomas was raised thereafter by his mother, who sent him to Eton College
. There, he acted as President of the Eton Society and was for three years a member of the school's cricket
team, serving as captain of the playing eleven during his final year. He carried this enthusiasm for sport on to the University of Cambridge
, where he was accepted to Trinity College
after leaving Eton, and was drafted into the Cambridge playing eleven, playing for Sussex
and I Zingari
. Upon his general admission from university, Freeman-Thomas then volunteered for fifteen years for the Sussex Artillery, achieving the rank of major.
It was in 1892 that Freeman-Thomas assumed his surname through a royal licence and married Lady Marie Adelaide Brassey
, the daughter of the Lord Brassey
, and a woman whom Freeman-Thomas often cited as a source of support, stating once: "My wife has been a constant inspiration and encouragement." The couple had two sons: Gerard, born 1893, and Inigo, born 1899. Gerard, was killed in World War I
and Inigo eventually succeeded his father as Marquess of Willingdon.
to his father-in-law
, who was then the Governor of Victoria, Australia
. Upon his return to the United Kingdom, Freeman-Thomas joined the Liberal Party
and in 1900 was elected
to the British House of Commons to represent the borough of Hastings
. He then served as a junior lord of the Treasury
in the Liberal Cabinet that sat from 1905 to 1906. Though he lost in the 1906 elections
, Freeman-Thomas returned to the House of Commons by winning the by-election for Bodmin
, and, for some time, served as a secretary to the prime minister
, Herbert Asquith
. For his services in government, Freeman-Thomas was in 1910 elevated to the peerage
as Baron Willingdon
of Ratton in the County of Sussex
, and the following year was appointed as Lord-in-Waiting
to King George V
, becoming a favourite tennis partner of the monarch.
, and to mark this event, Freeman-Thomas was on 12 March 1913 honoured with induction into the Order of the Indian Empire
as a Knight Grand Commander (additional). Within a year, however, the First World War
had erupted, and India, as a part of the British Empire
, was immediately drawn into the conflict. The Lord Willingdon strove to serve the Allied cause, taking responsibility for treating the wounded from the Mesopotamian campaign
. In the midst of those dark times, Mahatma Gandhi returned to Bombay from South Africa
and Freeman-Thomas was one of the first persons to welcome him and invite him to Government House
for a formal meeting. This tête-à-tête was the first meeting Freeman-Thomas had with Gandhi and he later described the Indian spiritual leader as "honest, but a Bolshevik
and for that reason very dangerous."
In 1917, the year before Freeman-Thomas' quitting of the governorship, a severe famine
broke out in the Kheda
region of the Bombay Presidency
, which had far reaching effects on the economy and left farmers in no position to pay their taxes. Still, the government insisted that tax not only be paid but also implemented a 23% increase to the levies to take effect that year. Kheda thus became the setting for Gandhi's first satyagraha in India, and, with support from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
, Narhari Parikh
, Mohanlal Pandya
, and Ravi Shankar Vyas
, organised a Gujarat sabha. The people under Gandhi's influence then rallied together and sent a petition to Freeman-Thomas, asking that he cancel the taxes for that year. However, the Cabinet refused and advised the Governor to begin confiscating property by force, leading Gandhi to thereafter employ non-violent resistance to the government, which eventually succeeded and made Gandhi famous throughout India after Freeman-Thomas' departure from the colony. For his actions there, in relation to governance and the war effort, the Lord Willingdon was on 3 June 1918 appointed by the King as a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
.
of 1918 were formalised by the Government of India Act
, which distributed power in India between the executive and legislative bodies. Thus, in November 1920, Freeman-Thomas dropped the writs of election
for the first election for the Madras Legislative Council
; however, due to their adherence to Gandhi's non-cooperation movement
, the Indian National Congress
party refused to run any candidates and the Justice Party
was subsequently swept into power. Freeman-Thomas appointed A. Subbarayalu Reddiar
as his premier and Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
(a former Governor General of Canada) opened the first meeting of the Legislative Assembly.
The following year, the Governor found himself dealing with a series of communal riots that in August 1921 broke out in the Malabar District
. Following a number of cases of arson, looting, and assaults, Freeman-Thomas declared martial law just before the government of India
sent in a large force to quell the riots. At around the same time, over 10,000 workers in the Buckingham and Carnatic Mills of Madras city
organised for six months a general strike contemporaneous with the non-cooperation movement, which also sparked riots between pro- and anti-strike workers that were again only put down with police intervention.
When he returned once more to the United Kingdom at the end of his tenure as the governor in Madras, Freeman-Thomas was elevated within the peerage to the status of a viscount, becoming on 24 June 1924 the Viscount Willingdon with the courtesy title
Baron Willingdon, used by his eldest son.
It was announced on 5 August 1926 that George V had, by commission under the royal sign-manual
and signet, approved the recommendation of his British prime minister
, Stanley Baldwin
, to appoint Freeman-Thomas as his representative in Canada. The sitting Conservative
British Cabinet
had initially not considered Freeman-Thomas as a candidate for the governor generalcy, as he was seen to have less of the necessary knowledge of affairs and public appeal that other individuals held. However, the King himself put forward Freeman-Thomas' name for inclusion in the list sent to Canada, and it was that name that the then Canadian prime minister
, William Lyon Mackenzie King
, chose as his preference for the nomination to the King. George V readily accepted, and Freeman-Thomas was notified of his appointment while on a diplomatic mission in China
.
This would be the last Canadian viceregal appointment made by the monarch in his or her capacity as sovereign of the United Kingdom
, as it was decided at the Imperial Conference in October 1926
that the Dominion
s of the British Empire
would thereafter be equal with one another, and the monarch would operate for a specific country only under the guidance of that country's ministers. Though this was not formalised until the enactment of the Statute of Westminster
on 11 December 1931, the concept was brought into practice at the start of Freeman-Thomas' tenure as Governor General of Canada.
Freeman-Thomas arrived at Quebec City
in late 1926, and on 2 October was sworn in as governor general in a ceremony in the salon rouge
of the parliament buildings of Quebec
. His following journey to Ottawa
to take up residence in the country's official royal and viceroyal home, Rideau Hall
, was just the first of many trips Freeman-Thomas took around Canada, meeting with a variety of Canadians and bringing with him what was described as "a sense of humour and an air of informality to his duties." He also became the first governor general to travel by air
, flying from Ottawa to Montreal
and back, as well as the first to make official visits abroad; not only did he tour the Caribbean
in 1929, but he further paid a visit to the United States
, going there in 1927 to meet with and receive state honours from President
Calvin Coolidge
. On that visit, the Governor General was welcomed in Washington
by the King's emissary to the US, Vincent Massey
, who would later himself be appointed as Governor General of Canada.
In Canada, Freeman-Thomas hosted members of the Royal Family, including the King's two sons, Prince Edward, Prince of Wales
, and Prince George
, who, along with Baldwin, came to Canada to participate in the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee
of Confederation
. The Princes resided at Rideau Hall and the Prince of Wales, accompanied by Freeman-Thomas, dedicated at the Peace Tower
both the altar
of the Memorial Chamber and the Dominion Carillon, the first playing of which on that day was heard by listeners across the country on the first ever coast-to-coast radio broadcast in Canada. This dedication marked the completion of the Centre Block
of Parliament Hill
, and the following year, Freeman-Thomas moved the annual governor general's New Year
's levée
to that building from the East Block
, where the party had been held since 1870. A few months before the end of his viceregal tenure in Canada, Freeman-Thomas was once more elevated in the peerage, becoming on 23 February 1931 the Earl of Willingdon and Viscount Ratendone.
In their time the viceroyal couple, the Earl and Countess of Willingdon fostered their appreciation of the arts, building on previous governor general the Earl Grey
's Lord Grey Competition for Music and Drama by introducing the Willingdon Arts Competition, which dispensed awards for painting and sculpture. They also left at Rideau Hall a collection of carpets and objets d'art
that they had collected during their travels around India and China
, and many of which were restored in 1993 to the Long Gallery of Rideau Hall. However, Freeman-Thomas' tastes also included sports, particularly fishing, tennis, skating, skiing, curling, cricket, and golf. For the latter, he in 1927 donated to the Royal Canadian Golf Association
the Willingdon Cup
for Canadian interprovincial amateur golf competition, which has been contested annually since that year.
He had not been governor general of Canada for five years before Freeman-Thomas received word that he was to be sent back to India as that country's viceroy and governor general
. After being admitted to the King's British privy council on 20 March 1931, he was sworn in as such on 18 April 1931, merely two weeks after he was replaced in Canada by the Earl of Bessborough
. When Freeman-Thomas arrived again in India, the country was gripped by the Great Depression
and was soon leading Britain's departure from the gold standard
, seeing thousands of tonnes of gold shipped to the United Kingdom through the port of Bombay. Of this, Freeman-Thomas said: "For the first time in history, owing to the economic situation, Indians are disgorging gold. We have sent to London in the past two or three months, £25,000,000 sterling and I hope that the process will continue."
Simultaneously, Freeman-Thomas found himself dealing with the consequences of the nationalistic movements that Gandhi had earlier started when Freeman-Thomas was Governor of Bombay and then Madras. Against the Indian agitators, the Governor-General adopted much stricter measures, as opposed to his predecessors, who had favoured reconciliatory tactics. The Governor-in-Council in 1931 ordered the arrest of Gandhi who was lodged in jail until 1933 and the civil disobedience movement was suppressed, with thousands of congressmen arrested, all of which led to threats on Freeman-Thomas' life. He therefore relied on his military secretary, Hastings Ismay
, for his safety and took precautions after he was threatened by assassins.
It was also by Freeman-Thomas' hand, as Governor-in-Council, that the Lloyd Barrage
was commissioned, seeing £20 million put into the construction of the barrage
across the mouth of the Indus River
, which not only provided labour but also brought millions of hectares of land in the Thar Desert
under irrigation
. Further, Freeman-Thomas established the Willingdon Airfield (now known as Safdarjung Airport) in Delhi
and, after he was denied entry to the Royal Bombay Yacht Club
because he was accompanied by Indian friends, despite his being the viceroy, Freeman-Thomas was motivated to establish the Willingdon Sports Club
in Bombay, with membership open to both Indians and British and which still operates today.
As he had been in Canada, Freeman-Thomas acted for India as chief scout of the Bharat Scouts and Guides
and took this role as more than an ex-officio title. Convinced that Scouting
would contribute greatly to the welfare of India, he promoted the organisation, especially in rural villages, and requested that J. S. Wilson pay special attention to cooperation between Scouting and village development.
, attending, along with numerous other luminaries such as Rudyard Kipling
, parties at Gwynne's East Sussex
estate, Folkington Manor
. He was also honoured by George V, not only by being appointed as the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
one of the higher honours bestowed by the sovereign and normally reserved for members of the Royal Family and former prime ministers but he was also elevated once more in the peerage, being on 26 May 1936 created by Edward VIII as the Marquess of Willingdon, making him the last non-royal to be promoted to such a rank.
Freeman-Thomas did not cease diplomatic life altogether: he undertook a goodwill mission to South America
, representing the Ibero-American Institute, and chaired the British committee on the commissioning of army officers. In 1940, he also represented the United Kingdom at the celebrations for the centennial of the formation of New Zealand
. The next year, however, on 12 August, Freeman-Thomas died at 5 Lygon Place, London, and his ashes were interred in Westminster Abbey
.
Freeman-Thomas' style and title as governor general of Canada was, in full, and in English
: His Excellency the Right Honourable Sir Freeman-Freeman Thomas, Earl of Willingdon, Viscount Willingdon, Baron Willingdon, Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Knight Grand Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of the Militia and Naval and Air Forces of Canada, Major of the militia of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and in French
: Son Excellence le très honorable Sir Freeman Freeman-Thomas, compte de Willingdon, viscompte Willingdon, baron Willingdon, chevallier grand commandeur de le très exalteé ordre de l'Étoile d'Inde, chevalier grand-croix de le très distingué ordre de Saint-Michel et Saint-George, chevallier grand commandeur de le très emineé ordre de l'Empire d'Inde, chevallier grand-croix de l'excellentissime ordre de l'Empire britannique, gouverneur générale et commandant en chef de la milice et les forces navales et aérienne du Canada, major de la milice du Royaume-Uni de Grande-Bretagne et d'Irlande du Norde.
Freeman-Thomas' style and title as viceroy and governor-general of India was, in full: His Excellency the Right Honourable Sir Freeman Freeman-Thomas, Earl of Willingdon, Viscount Willingdon, Baron Willingdon, Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Knight Grand Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, Major of the militia of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Viceroy and Governor-General of India.
Willingdon's post-nominal letters
are, in order according to the Oxford University Calendar Notes on Style: PC, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GBE, BA Cantab
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Appointments 18 July 1911 31 January 1913: Lord-in-Waiting to His Majesty the King
12 March 1913 21 July 1941: Knight Grand Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire
(GCIE) 3 June 1918 21 July 1941: Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India
(GCSI) 20 July 1926 21 July 1941: Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George
(GCMG) 5 August 1926 4 April 1931: Chief Scout for Canada 5 August 1926 4 April 1931: Honorary Member of the Royal Military College of Canada Club
20 March 1931 21 July 1941: Member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council (PC) n/a 21 July 1941: Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
(GBE)
Medals 1902: King Edward VII Coronation Medal
1911: King George V Coronation Medal
1935: King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
1937: King George VI Coronation Medal
5 August 1926 4 April 1931: Colonel of the Regiment of the Governor General's Foot Guards
5 August 1926 4 April 1931: Colonel of the Regiment of the Canadian Grenadier Guards
1936 21 July 1941: Colonel of the 5th battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment
Organizations: Willingdon Club, Mumbai
Geographic locations: Mount Willingdon: Willingdon
: Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby: Willingdon Heights
, Burnaby: Willingdon Airport
, New Delhi
(later renamed Safdarjung Airport): IAF Willingdon, New Delhi
: Willingdon Island
Schools: Willingdon Secondary School
, Burnaby: Willingdon College
, Sangli
: Willingdon Elementary School, Montreal
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
Liberal
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...
politician and administrator who served as Governor General of Canada
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
, the 13th since Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
, and as Viceroy and Governor-General of India
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
, the country's 22nd.
Freeman-Thomas was born in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and educated at Eton College
Eton 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 then the University of 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...
before serving for 15 years in the Sussex Artillery. He then entered the diplomatic and political fields, acting as aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to his father-in-law when the latter was Governor of Victoria, and in 1900 was elected to the British House of Commons. He thereafter occupied a variety of government posts, including secretary to the British prime minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
and Lord-in-Waiting
Lord-in-Waiting
Most Lords in Waiting are Government whips in the House of Lords who are members of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As members of the Royal Household their duties are nominal, though they are occasionally required to meet visiting political and state leaders on visits...
to King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
. From 1913 on, Freeman-Thomas held viceregal offices throughout the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, starting with the governorship of Bombay and then the governorship of Madras, before he was in 1926 appointed as Canadian governor general by the King, on the recommendation of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 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...
, to replace the Viscount Byng of Vimy
Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy
Field Marshal Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy was a British Army officer who served as Governor General of Canada, the 12th since Canadian Confederation....
as viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
, and he occupied the post until succeeded by the Earl of Bessborough
Vere Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough
Captain Vere Brabazon Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough was a British businessman and politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 14th since Canadian Confederation....
in 1931. Freeman-Thomas was immediately thereafter appointed as Governor General and Viceroy of India by the King, on the advice of British 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....
, to replace the Lord Irwin
E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax
Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, , known as The Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and as The Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was one of the most senior British Conservative politicians of the 1930s, during which he held several senior ministerial posts, most notably as...
, and he served in the post until succeeded by the Marquess of Linlithgow
Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow
Victor Alexander John Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow KG, KT, GCSI, GCIE, OBE, PC was a British statesman who served as Governor-General and Viceroy of India from 1936 to 1943.-Early life and family:...
in 1936.
After the end of his viceregal tenure, Freeman-Thomas was installed as the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. The post dates from at least the 12th century but may be older. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports was originally in charge of the Cinque Ports, a group of five port towns on the southeast coast of England...
and was elevated in the peerage as the Marquess of Willingdon. After representing Britain at a number of organisations and celebrations, Freeman-Thomas died in 1941 at his home in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and his ashes were interred in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
.
Early life and education
Freeman-Thomas was born the only son of Frederick Freeman Thomas, an officer in the rifle brigade of Ratton and Yapton, and his wife, Mabel, who was the daughter of the Viscount HampdenHenry Brand, 1st Viscount Hampden
Henry Bouverie William Brand, 1st Viscount Hampden GCB, PC , was a British Liberal politician. He served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1872 to 1884.-Background and education:...
. By the age of two, Freeman-Thomas' father died and Freeman-Thomas was raised thereafter by his mother, who sent him to Eton College
Eton 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"....
. There, he acted as President of the Eton Society and was for three years a member of the school's cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
team, serving as captain of the playing eleven during his final year. He carried this enthusiasm for sport on to the University of 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...
, where he was accepted to 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...
after leaving Eton, and was drafted into the Cambridge playing eleven, playing for Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
and I Zingari
I Zingari
I Zingari are English and Australian amateur cricket clubs.-History:...
. Upon his general admission from university, Freeman-Thomas then volunteered for fifteen years for the Sussex Artillery, achieving the rank of major.
It was in 1892 that Freeman-Thomas assumed his surname through a royal licence and married Lady Marie Adelaide Brassey
Marie Freeman-Thomas, Marchioness of Willingdon
Marie Freeman-Thomas, Marchioness of Willingdon, GBE CI was born as Marie Adelaide Brassey, a daughter of Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey....
, the daughter of the Lord Brassey
Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey
Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey GCB, JP, DL, TD , was a British Liberal Party politician, Governor of Victoria and founder of The Naval Annual.-Background and education:...
, and a woman whom Freeman-Thomas often cited as a source of support, stating once: "My wife has been a constant inspiration and encouragement." The couple had two sons: Gerard, born 1893, and Inigo, born 1899. Gerard, was killed in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and Inigo eventually succeeded his father as Marquess of Willingdon.
Political career
Freeman-Thomas' political career began in 1897 with his appointment as aide-de-campAide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to his father-in-law
Father-in-law
A parent-in-law is a person who has a legal affinity with another by being the parent of the other's spouse. Many cultures and legal systems impose duties and responsibilities on persons connected by this relationship...
, who was then the Governor of Victoria, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Upon his return to the United Kingdom, Freeman-Thomas joined the 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...
and in 1900 was elected
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
to the British House of Commons to represent the borough of Hastings
Hastings (UK Parliament constituency)
Hastings was a parliamentary constituency in Sussex. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until the 1885 general election, when its representation was reduced to one member....
. He then served as a junior lord 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...
in the Liberal Cabinet that sat from 1905 to 1906. Though he lost in the 1906 elections
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, Freeman-Thomas returned to the House of Commons by winning the by-election for Bodmin
Bodmin by-election, 1906
The Bodmin by-election, 1906 was a by-election held on 24 July 1906 for the British House of Commons constituency of Bodmin.The by-election was triggered by the unseating of the town's Liberal Member of Parliament Thomas Agar-Robartes, as a result of an election petition alleging illegal payments...
, and, for some time, served as a secretary to the prime minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, Herbert Asquith
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC, KC served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916...
. For his services in government, Freeman-Thomas was in 1910 elevated to the peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
as Baron Willingdon
Marquess of Willingdon
Marquess of Willingdon was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 26 May 1936 for the Liberal politician and colonial governor Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Earl of Willingdon. He was Governor-General of Canada from 1926 to 1931 and Viceroy of India from 1931 to 1936...
of Ratton in the County of Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, and the following year was appointed as Lord-in-Waiting
Lord-in-Waiting
Most Lords in Waiting are Government whips in the House of Lords who are members of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As members of the Royal Household their duties are nominal, though they are occasionally required to meet visiting political and state leaders on visits...
to King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
, becoming a favourite tennis partner of the monarch.
Governorship of Bombay
Freeman-Thomas was on 17 February 1913 appointed as the Crown Governor of Bombay, replacing the Lord Sydenham of CombeGeorge Clarke, 1st Baron Sydenham of Combe
George Sydenham Clarke, 1st Baron Sydenham of Combe GCSI, GCIE, GCMG, GBE was a British colonial administrator and British Army officer.-Background and education:Clarke was born in Lincolnshire...
, and to mark this event, Freeman-Thomas was on 12 March 1913 honoured with induction into the Order of the Indian Empire
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
as a Knight Grand Commander (additional). Within a year, however, the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
had erupted, and India, as a part of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, was immediately drawn into the conflict. The Lord Willingdon strove to serve the Allied cause, taking responsibility for treating the wounded from the Mesopotamian campaign
Mesopotamian Campaign
The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, mostly troops from the Indian Empire, and the Central Powers, mostly of the Ottoman Empire.- Background :...
. In the midst of those dark times, Mahatma Gandhi returned to Bombay from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Freeman-Thomas was one of the first persons to welcome him and invite him to Government House
Raj Bhavan (Maharashtra)
Raj Bhavan is the official residence of the Governor of Maharashtra. It is located in the capital city of Mumbai, Maharashtra on Malabar Hill. The present governor of Maharashtra is Kateekal Sankaranarayanan.The Raj Bhavan is located in of sylvan surroundings, surrounded on three sides by the sea...
for a formal meeting. This tête-à-tête was the first meeting Freeman-Thomas had with Gandhi and he later described the Indian spiritual leader as "honest, but a Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
and for that reason very dangerous."
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
broke out in the Kheda
Kheda
Kheda is a town and a municipality in Kheda district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Kheda, also known as Kaira, is 35 km from Ahmedabad. The National Highway no. 8 connecting Ahmedabad and Mumbai passes through Kheda...
region of the Bombay Presidency
Bombay Presidency
The Bombay Presidency was a province of British India. It was established in the 17th century as a trading post for the English East India Company, but later grew to encompass much of western and central India, as well as parts of post-partition Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.At its greatest...
, which had far reaching effects on the economy and left farmers in no position to pay their taxes. Still, the government insisted that tax not only be paid but also implemented a 23% increase to the levies to take effect that year. Kheda thus became the setting for Gandhi's first satyagraha in India, and, with support from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel was an Indian barrister and statesman, one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress and one of the founding fathers of India...
, Narhari Parikh
Narhari Parikh
Narhari Parikh was an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer, who was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and the chief architect of the Indian Independence Movement in Gujarat.-See also:*Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel...
, Mohanlal Pandya
Mohanlal Pandya
Mohanlal Pandya was an Indian freedom fighter, social reformer and one of the earliest followers of Mahatma Gandhi. Along with fellow Gandhians like Narhari Parikh and Ravi Shankar Vyas, Pandya was a key organizer of nationalist revolts in Gujarat, and a leading figure in the fight against...
, and Ravi Shankar Vyas
Ravi Shankar Vyas
Ravi Shankar Vyas was an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer, hailing from and working in the state of Gujarat. He was one of the earliest and closest associates of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and along with Narhari Parikh and Mohanlal Pandya, the chief organizer of...
, organised a Gujarat sabha. The people under Gandhi's influence then rallied together and sent a petition to Freeman-Thomas, asking that he cancel the taxes for that year. However, the Cabinet refused and advised the Governor to begin confiscating property by force, leading Gandhi to thereafter employ non-violent resistance to the government, which eventually succeeded and made Gandhi famous throughout India after Freeman-Thomas' departure from the colony. For his actions there, in relation to governance and the war effort, the Lord Willingdon was on 3 June 1918 appointed by the King as a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
.
Governorship of Madras
Freeman-Thomas returned to the United Kingdom from Bombay only briefly before he was appointed on 10 April 1919 as the Governor of Madras. This posting came shortly after the Montagu-Chelmsford ReformsMontagu-Chelmsford Reforms
The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms were reforms introduced by the British Government in India to introduce self-governing institutions gradually to India. The reforms take their name from Edwin Samuel Montagu, the Secretary of State for India during the latter parts of World War I and Lord Chelmsford,...
of 1918 were formalised by the Government of India Act
Government of India Act 1919
-See also:*British India*British Raj*History of Bangladesh*History of India*History of Pakistan*Governor-General of India*Government of India Act*India Office*Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms*Secretary of State for India...
, which distributed power in India between the executive and legislative bodies. Thus, in November 1920, Freeman-Thomas dropped the writs of election
Writ of election
A writ of election is a writ issued by the government ordering the holding of a special election for a political office.In the United Kingdom and in Canada, this is the only way of holding an election for the House of Commons...
for the first election for the Madras Legislative Council
Madras Legislative Council
Tamil Nadu Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initially created as an advisory body in 1861, by the British...
; however, due to their adherence to Gandhi's non-cooperation movement
Non-cooperation movement
The non-cooperation movement was a significant phase of the Indian struggle for freedom from British rule which lasted for years. This movement, which lasted from September 1920 to February 1922 and was led by Mohandas Gandhi, and supported by the Indian National Congress. It aimed to resist...
, the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
party refused to run any candidates and the Justice Party
Justice Party (India)
The Justice Party , officially known as South Indian Liberal Federation, was a political party in the Madras Presidency of British India. The party was established in 1917 by T. M. Nair and Theagaroya Chetty as a result of a series of non-Brahmin conferences and meetings in the presidency...
was subsequently swept into power. Freeman-Thomas appointed A. Subbarayalu Reddiar
A. Subbarayalu Reddiar
Diwan Bahadur Agaram Subbarayalu Reddiar was a landlord, Justice Party leader and Chief Minister or Premier of Madras Presidency from December 17, 1920 to July 11, 1921....
as his premier and Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
(a former Governor General of Canada) opened the first meeting of the Legislative Assembly.
The following year, the Governor found himself dealing with a series of communal riots that in August 1921 broke out in the Malabar District
Malabar District
Malabar District was an administrative district of Madras Presidency in British India and independent India's Madras State. The British district included the present-day districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad , and Chavakad Taluk of Thrissur District in the northern part of...
. Following a number of cases of arson, looting, and assaults, Freeman-Thomas declared martial law just before the government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
sent in a large force to quell the riots. At around the same time, over 10,000 workers in the Buckingham and Carnatic Mills of Madras city
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
organised for six months a general strike contemporaneous with the non-cooperation movement, which also sparked riots between pro- and anti-strike workers that were again only put down with police intervention.
When he returned once more to the United Kingdom at the end of his tenure as the governor in Madras, Freeman-Thomas was elevated within the peerage to the status of a viscount, becoming on 24 June 1924 the Viscount Willingdon with the courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
Baron Willingdon, used by his eldest son.
Governorship general of Canada
Royal sign-manual
The royal sign manual is the formal name given in the Commonwealth realms to the autograph signature of the sovereign, by the affixing of which the monarch expresses his or her pleasure either by order, commission, or warrant. A sign-manual warrant may be either an executive actfor example, an...
and signet, approved the recommendation of his British prime minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, 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...
, to appoint Freeman-Thomas as his representative in Canada. The sitting 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...
British Cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
had initially not considered Freeman-Thomas as a candidate for the governor generalcy, as he was seen to have less of the necessary knowledge of affairs and public appeal that other individuals held. However, the King himself put forward Freeman-Thomas' name for inclusion in the list sent to Canada, and it was that name that the then Canadian prime minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
, William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
, chose as his preference for the nomination to the King. George V readily accepted, and Freeman-Thomas was notified of his appointment while on a diplomatic mission in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
This would be the last Canadian viceregal appointment made by the monarch in his or her capacity as sovereign of the United Kingdom
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
, as it was decided at the Imperial Conference in October 1926
1926 Imperial Conference
The 1926 Imperial Conference was the sixth Imperial Conference held amongst the Prime Ministers of the dominions of the British Empire. It was held in London from 19 October to 22 November 1926...
that the Dominion
Dominion
A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities that were nominally under British sovereignty, constituting the British Empire and British Commonwealth, beginning in the latter part of the 19th century. They have included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland,...
s of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
would thereafter be equal with one another, and the monarch would operate for a specific country only under the guidance of that country's ministers. Though this was not formalised until the enactment of the Statute of Westminster
Statute of Westminster 1931
The Statute of Westminster 1931 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Passed on 11 December 1931, the Act established legislative equality for the self-governing dominions of the British Empire with the United Kingdom...
on 11 December 1931, the concept was brought into practice at the start of Freeman-Thomas' tenure as Governor General of Canada.
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
in late 1926, and on 2 October was sworn in as governor general in a ceremony in the salon rouge
Legislative Council of Quebec
From 1867 until 1968, the Legislative Council of Quebec was the unelected upper house of the bicameral legislature in the Canadian province of Quebec...
of the parliament buildings of Quebec
Parliament Building (Quebec)
The Parliament Building is an eight-floor building and home to the Parliament of Quebec in Quebec City. The building was designed by architect Eugène-Étienne Taché and was built from 1877 to 1886. With the frontal tower, the building stands at 52 metres or 171 feet in height...
. His following journey to Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
to take up residence in the country's official royal and viceroyal home, Rideau Hall
Rideau Hall
Rideau Hall is, since 1867, the official residence in Ottawa of both the Canadian monarch and the Governor General of Canada. It stands in Canada's capital on a 0.36 km2 estate at 1 Sussex Drive, with the main building consisting of 170 rooms across 9,500 m2 , and 24 outbuildings around the...
, was just the first of many trips Freeman-Thomas took around Canada, meeting with a variety of Canadians and bringing with him what was described as "a sense of humour and an air of informality to his duties." He also became the first governor general to travel by air
Air travel
Air travel is a form of travel in vehicles such as airplanes, helicopters, hot air balloons, blimps, gliders, hang gliding, parachuting or anything else that can sustain flight.-Domestic and international flights:...
, flying from Ottawa to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and back, as well as the first to make official visits abroad; not only did he tour the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
in 1929, but he further paid a visit to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, going there in 1927 to meet with and receive state honours from President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
. On that visit, the Governor General was welcomed in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
by the King's emissary to the US, Vincent Massey
Vincent Massey
Charles Vincent Massey was a Canadian lawyer and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 18th since Canadian Confederation....
, who would later himself be appointed as Governor General of Canada.
In Canada, Freeman-Thomas hosted members of the Royal Family, including the King's two sons, Prince Edward, Prince of Wales
Edward 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...
, and Prince George
Prince George, Duke of Kent
Prince George, Duke of Kent was a member of the British Royal Family, the fourth son of George V and Mary of Teck, and younger brother of Edward VIII and George VI...
, who, along with Baldwin, came to Canada to participate in the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
of Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
. The Princes resided at Rideau Hall and the Prince of Wales, accompanied by Freeman-Thomas, dedicated at the Peace Tower
Peace Tower
The Peace Tower is a focal bell and clock tower, sitting on the central axis of the Centre Block of the Canadian parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario. The present incarnation replaced the Victoria Tower after the latter burned down in 1916, along with most of the Centre Block...
both the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
of the Memorial Chamber and the Dominion Carillon, the first playing of which on that day was heard by listeners across the country on the first ever coast-to-coast radio broadcast in Canada. This dedication marked the completion of the Centre Block
Centre Block
The Centre Block is the main building of the Canadian parliamentary complex on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, containing the Commons and Senate chambers, as well as the offices of a number of Members of Parliament and Senators, as well as senior administration for both legislative houses...
of Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...
, and the following year, Freeman-Thomas moved the annual governor general's New Year
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
's levée
Levee (event)
The levée is a New Year's Day social event hosted by the Governor General of Canada, the lieutenant governors, military establishments, municipalities and other institutions.- History :The word levée The levée is a New Year's Day social event hosted by the Governor General of Canada, the lieutenant...
to that building from the East Block
East Block
The East Block is one of the three buildings on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, containing offices for parliamentarians, as well as some preserved pre-Confederation spaces.Built in the Victorian High Gothic style, the East Block is, along with the Library of Parliament, one of only...
, where the party had been held since 1870. A few months before the end of his viceregal tenure in Canada, Freeman-Thomas was once more elevated in the peerage, becoming on 23 February 1931 the Earl of Willingdon and Viscount Ratendone.
In their time the viceroyal couple, the Earl and Countess of Willingdon fostered their appreciation of the arts, building on previous governor general the Earl Grey
Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey
Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey was a British nobleman and politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the ninth since Canadian Confederation....
's Lord Grey Competition for Music and Drama by introducing the Willingdon Arts Competition, which dispensed awards for painting and sculpture. They also left at Rideau Hall a collection of carpets and objets d'art
Work of art
A work of art, artwork, art piece, or art object is an aesthetic item or artistic creation.The term "a work of art" can apply to:*an example of fine art, such as a painting or sculpture*a fine work of architecture or landscape design...
that they had collected during their travels around India and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and many of which were restored in 1993 to the Long Gallery of Rideau Hall. However, Freeman-Thomas' tastes also included sports, particularly fishing, tennis, skating, skiing, curling, cricket, and golf. For the latter, he in 1927 donated to the Royal Canadian Golf Association
Royal Canadian Golf Association
Golf Canada, formerly known as the Royal Canadian Golf Association is the governing body of golf in Canada.-Beginnings:The RCGA was founded on June 6, 1895 as the Canadian Golf Association at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club. The Royal prefix was granted to the CGA in June 1896 by Queen Victoria through...
the Willingdon Cup
Willingdon Cup
The Willingdon Cup is an annual amateur golf team competition among Canada's provinces.-History:The Governor General of Canada, Lord Willingdon, donated the cup to Golf Canada in 1927, for annual rivalry among men's amateur teams from the provinces of Canada...
for Canadian interprovincial amateur golf competition, which has been contested annually since that year.
Viceroyalty of India
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
. After being admitted to the King's British privy council on 20 March 1931, he was sworn in as such on 18 April 1931, merely two weeks after he was replaced in Canada by the Earl of Bessborough
Vere Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough
Captain Vere Brabazon Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough was a British businessman and politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 14th since Canadian Confederation....
. When Freeman-Thomas arrived again in India, the country was gripped by the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and was soon leading Britain's departure from the gold standard
Gold standard
The gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is a fixed mass of gold. There are distinct kinds of gold standard...
, seeing thousands of tonnes of gold shipped to the United Kingdom through the port of Bombay. Of this, Freeman-Thomas said: "For the first time in history, owing to the economic situation, Indians are disgorging gold. We have sent to London in the past two or three months, £25,000,000 sterling and I hope that the process will continue."
Simultaneously, Freeman-Thomas found himself dealing with the consequences of the nationalistic movements that Gandhi had earlier started when Freeman-Thomas was Governor of Bombay and then Madras. Against the Indian agitators, the Governor-General adopted much stricter measures, as opposed to his predecessors, who had favoured reconciliatory tactics. The Governor-in-Council in 1931 ordered the arrest of Gandhi who was lodged in jail until 1933 and the civil disobedience movement was suppressed, with thousands of congressmen arrested, all of which led to threats on Freeman-Thomas' life. He therefore relied on his military secretary, Hastings Ismay
Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay
General Hastings Lionel "Pug" Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay, KG, GCB, CH, DSO, PC was a British Indian Army officer and diplomat, remembered primarily for his role as Winston Churchill's chief military assistant during the Second World War and his service as the first Secretary General of NATO from 1952...
, for his safety and took precautions after he was threatened by assassins.
It was also by Freeman-Thomas' hand, as Governor-in-Council, that the Lloyd Barrage
Sukkur barrage
Sukkur Barrage is a barrage on the River Indus near the city of Sukkur in the Sindh province of Pakistan.Sukkur Barrage is used to control water flow in the River Indus for irrigation and flood control purposes....
was commissioned, seeing £20 million put into the construction of the barrage
Barrage (tidal)
A barrage is an artificial obstruction at the mouth of a tidal watercourse.-Purpose:The common primary functions of a barrage are:* Increase the depth of a river * Maintain a separation between fresh and salt water...
across the mouth of the Indus River
Indus River
The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
, which not only provided labour but also brought millions of hectares of land in the Thar Desert
Thar Desert
The Thar Desert |Punjab]] province. The Cholistan Desert adjoins the Thar desert spreading into Pakistani Punjab province.-Location and description:...
under irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
. Further, Freeman-Thomas established the Willingdon Airfield (now known as Safdarjung Airport) in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and, after he was denied entry to the Royal Bombay Yacht Club
Royal Bombay Yacht Club
- History:The Bombay Yacht Club was founded in 1846 and only 30 years later on the recommendation of Sir Philip Edmond Wodehouse, Queen Victoria graced the Club with the title of Royal, the first to be bestowed such a prefix in Asia....
because he was accompanied by Indian friends, despite his being the viceroy, Freeman-Thomas was motivated to establish the Willingdon Sports Club
Willingdon Sports Club
Royal Willingdon Sports Club is a sports club situated in the heart of Mumbai. It was one of the first clubs to admit indigenous Indians prior to Partition.-History:It was founded in 1918 by Lord Willingdon, the then Governor of Bombay...
in Bombay, with membership open to both Indians and British and which still operates today.
As he had been in Canada, Freeman-Thomas acted for India as chief scout of the Bharat Scouts and Guides
The Bharat Scouts and Guides
The Bharat Scouts and Guides is the national Scouting and Guiding association of India.Scouting was founded in India in 1909 as an overseas branch of the Scout Association and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1938...
and took this role as more than an ex-officio title. Convinced that Scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
would contribute greatly to the welfare of India, he promoted the organisation, especially in rural villages, and requested that J. S. Wilson pay special attention to cooperation between Scouting and village development.
Post-viceregal life
Once back in the United Kingdom, Freeman-Thomas associated with Roland GwynneRoland Gwynne
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Roland Vaughan Gwynne, DSO, DL, JP was Mayor of Eastbourne, Sussex, from 1928 to 1931. He was also a patient and close friend of the suspected serial killer Dr John Bodkin Adams.-Childhood:...
, attending, along with numerous other luminaries such as Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
, parties at Gwynne's East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
estate, Folkington Manor
Folkington Manor
Folkington Manor is a grade II listed country house situated in the hamlet of Folkington two miles west of Polegate, East Sussex, England.-History:...
. He was also honoured by George V, not only by being appointed as the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. The post dates from at least the 12th century but may be older. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports was originally in charge of the Cinque Ports, a group of five port towns on the southeast coast of England...
one of the higher honours bestowed by the sovereign and normally reserved for members of the Royal Family and former prime ministers but he was also elevated once more in the peerage, being on 26 May 1936 created by Edward VIII as the Marquess of Willingdon, making him the last non-royal to be promoted to such a rank.
Freeman-Thomas did not cease diplomatic life altogether: he undertook a goodwill mission to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, representing the Ibero-American Institute, and chaired the British committee on the commissioning of army officers. In 1940, he also represented the United Kingdom at the celebrations for the centennial of the formation of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The next year, however, on 12 August, Freeman-Thomas died at 5 Lygon Place, London, and his ashes were interred in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
.
Titles, styles, and honours
- 12 September 1866 1884: Mister Freeman Thomas
- 1884 1892: Freeman Thomas, Esquire
- 1892 26 October 1901: Freeman Freeman-Thomas, Esquire
- 26 October 1901 5 December 1901: Captain Freeman Freeman-Thomas, Esquire
- 5 December 1901 21 July 1910: Major Freeman Freeman-Thomas, Esquire
- 21 July 1910 17 February 1913: Major the Right Honourable the Lord Willingdon
- 17 February 1913 16 December 1918: Major the Right Honourable the Lord Willingdon, Governor of the Presidency of Bombay
- 16 December 1918 10 April 1919: Major the Right Honourable the Lord Willingdon
- 10 April 1919 12 April 1924: Major the Right Honourable the Lord Willingdon, Governor of the Presidency of Madras
- 12 April 1924 24 June 1924: Major the Right Honourable the Lord Willingdon
- 24 June 1924 5 August 1926: Major the Right Honourable the Viscount Willingdon
- 5 August 1926 23 February 1931: His Excellency Major the Right Honourable the Viscount Willingdon, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of the Militia and Naval and Air Forces of Canada
- 23 February 1931 4 April 1931: His Excellency Major the Right Honourable the Earl of Willingdon, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of the Militia and Naval and Air Forces of Canada
- 4 April 1931 18 April 1931: Major the Right Honourable the Earl of Willingdon
- 18 April 1931 18 April 1936: His Excellency Major the Right Honourable the Earl of Willingdon, Viceroy and Governor-General of India
- 18 April 1936 26 May 1936: Major the Right Honourable the Earl of Willingdon
- 26 May 1936 12 July 1941: Major the Most Honourable the Marquess of Willingdon
Freeman-Thomas' style and title as governor general of Canada was, in full, and in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: His Excellency the Right Honourable Sir Freeman-Freeman Thomas, Earl of Willingdon, Viscount Willingdon, Baron Willingdon, Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Knight Grand Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of the Militia and Naval and Air Forces of Canada, Major of the militia of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Son Excellence le très honorable Sir Freeman Freeman-Thomas, compte de Willingdon, viscompte Willingdon, baron Willingdon, chevallier grand commandeur de le très exalteé ordre de l'Étoile d'Inde, chevalier grand-croix de le très distingué ordre de Saint-Michel et Saint-George, chevallier grand commandeur de le très emineé ordre de l'Empire d'Inde, chevallier grand-croix de l'excellentissime ordre de l'Empire britannique, gouverneur générale et commandant en chef de la milice et les forces navales et aérienne du Canada, major de la milice du Royaume-Uni de Grande-Bretagne et d'Irlande du Norde.
Freeman-Thomas' style and title as viceroy and governor-general of India was, in full: His Excellency the Right Honourable Sir Freeman Freeman-Thomas, Earl of Willingdon, Viscount Willingdon, Baron Willingdon, Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Knight Grand Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, Major of the militia of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Viceroy and Governor-General of India.
Willingdon's post-nominal letters
Post-nominal letters
Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles or designatory letters, are letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office, or honour. An individual may use several different sets of...
are, in order according to the Oxford University Calendar Notes on Style: PC, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GBE, BA Cantab
Honours
| Ribbon bars of the Marquess of Willingdon | |||
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Lord-in-Waiting
Most Lords in Waiting are Government whips in the House of Lords who are members of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As members of the Royal Household their duties are nominal, though they are occasionally required to meet visiting political and state leaders on visits...
12 March 1913 21 July 1941: Knight Grand Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
(GCIE) 3 June 1918 21 July 1941: Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
(GCSI) 20 July 1926 21 July 1941: Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(GCMG) 5 August 1926 4 April 1931: Chief Scout for Canada 5 August 1926 4 April 1931: Honorary Member of the Royal Military College of Canada Club
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
20 March 1931 21 July 1941: Member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council (PC) n/a 21 July 1941: Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
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...
(GBE)
Medals 1902: King Edward VII Coronation Medal
King Edward VII Coronation Medal
The King Edward VII Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal issued in 1902 to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII.-Issue:The medal was only awarded to people who attended the coronation, or participated in the coronation parade...
1911: King George V Coronation Medal
King George V Coronation Medal
The King George V Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made in 1911 to celebrate the coronation of George V.-Issue:This coronation medal was the first to be issued to people who were not in attendance at the coronation...
1935: King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the coronation of King George V.-Issue:...
1937: King George VI Coronation Medal
King George VI Coronation Medal
The King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of King George VI.-Issue:For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of...
Honorary military appointments
5 August 1926 4 April 1931: Colonel of the Regiment of the Governor General's Horse GuardsThe Governor General's Horse Guards
The Governor General's Horse Guards is an armoured reconnaissance regiment in the Primary Reserve of the Canadian Army, part of Land Force Central Area's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. Based in Toronto, it is the most senior reserve regiment in Canada, and the only Household Cavalry regiment of...
5 August 1926 4 April 1931: Colonel of the Regiment of the Governor General's Foot Guards
Governor General's Foot Guards
The Governor General's Foot Guards is one of three Household regiments in the Primary Reserve of the Canadian Army, along with The Governor General's Horse Guards and the Canadian Grenadier Guards. The GGFG is the most senior militia infantry regiment in Canada."Civitas et Princeps Cura Nostra" is...
5 August 1926 4 April 1931: Colonel of the Regiment of the Canadian Grenadier Guards
The Canadian Grenadier Guards
The Canadian Grenadier Guards is the second most senior and oldest infantry regiment in the Reserve Force of the Canadian Forces. Located in Montreal, its primary role is the provision of combat-ready troops in support of Canadian regular infantry...
1936 21 July 1941: Colonel of the 5th battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment
Royal Sussex Regiment
The Royal Sussex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed as part of the Childers reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th Regiment of Foot and the 107th Regiment of Foot...
Honorific eponyms
Awards: Willingdon Arts Competition: Willingdon CupWillingdon Cup
The Willingdon Cup is an annual amateur golf team competition among Canada's provinces.-History:The Governor General of Canada, Lord Willingdon, donated the cup to Golf Canada in 1927, for annual rivalry among men's amateur teams from the provinces of Canada...
Organizations: Willingdon Club, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
Geographic locations: Mount Willingdon: Willingdon
Willingdon, Alberta
Willingdon is a village in central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Two Hills County, 117 km northeast of the city of Edmonton.- Demographics :...
: Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby: Willingdon Heights
Willingdon Heights
Willingdon Heights is a neighbourhood in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. It is named after a major Burnaby thoroughfare Willingdon Avenue connecting North Burnaby with Kingsway and the Metrotown area in the south.-Location:...
, Burnaby: Willingdon Airport
Safdarjung Airport
Safdarjung Airport also is an airport in New Delhi, India, in the neighbourhood of the same name. Established during the British Raj, as Willingdon Airfield, it started operations as an airport in 1929, when was the India's second airport and Delhi’s only airport...
, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
(later renamed Safdarjung Airport): IAF Willingdon, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
: Willingdon Island
Willingdon Island
Willingdon Island is an island, which forms part of the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. Much of the present Willingdon Island was claimed from the Lake of Kochi, filling dredged soil around a previously existed, but tiny natural island...
Schools: Willingdon Secondary School
Willingdon Secondary School
Willingdon Secondary School is a public high school in Burnaby, British Columbia part of School District 41 Burnaby....
, Burnaby: Willingdon College
Willingdon college, Sangli
The Willingdon College, Sangli was started on the morning of June 22, 1919 in the Sangli City. During this period, Centers of higher education and colleges were rare...
, Sangli
Sangli
Sangli is a city in the state of Maharashtra of India. Sangli is known as the Turmeric city for its vast production of Turmeric. Sangli is situated on the banks of river Krishna and is the largest market place for Turmeric in Asia and houses many sugar factories, which it is also noted for...
: Willingdon Elementary School, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...