John Eric Loverseed
Encyclopedia
John Eric Loverseed AFC
(4 December 1910–1962) was a pilot who flew with the Royal Air Force
in 1930s, with Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War
, and with the RAF again the Battle of Britain
, before being elected as a wartime Member of Parliament
MP for the Common Wealth Party
. He was later a co-founder of the pacifist Fellowship Party
.
in Norfolk, the son of Liberal
politician and former MP for Sudbury
, John Frederick Loverseed
(1881–1928), and his wife Catherine Annie (Kitty) (née Thurman).
Loverseed was educated at Sudbury Grammar School
. He joined the RAF on a short service commission in 1929, and was commissioned as a probationary Pilot Officer
, was confirmed in the rank of Pilot Officer in April 1930, and promoted to Flying Officer
in October 1930. He served in the Middle East, and was posted to Heliopolis
in March 1931. His son, Bill, was born in Egypt in 1932. He left the RAF and was transferred to the RAF officer reserve in July 1935.
He served as a pilot in the Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War
from December 1936 to February 1937, having been injured in January 1937. He was removed from the RAF reserve in December 1937.
He married five times, first to Pamela; then to Ethel Maud Hill, having a son and a daughter; then to Gladys Male, having two daughters and a son; then to Georgina June Mary Matthews having one son, John Frederick, born 10-01-1956; and finally, on 9 September 1962, to Joan Buckland.
The following day, he was posted 501 Squadron
, which had been deployed to airfields in France as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF) providing air support for the British Expeditionary Force
. He was injured when his Hawker Hurricane
crash-landed on 31 May, and was evacuated to a hospital in England. By the time he recovered and returned to his unit on 19 July, 501 Squadron had also returned to England following the Battle of France
. He took part in six operational sorties in the Battle of Britain
before being posted back to 1 AACU on 19 August. He had been promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer
by the time he was awarded the Air Force Cross
on 1 January 1943.
candidate for Eddisbury
in Cheshire
in the by-election in April 1943 caused by the death of sitting National Liberal
MP Richard John Russell
. The Common Wealth Party had been founded in July 1942 by the alliance of two left wing groups, the 1941 Committee
and the neo-Christian Forward March movement, standing on a radical "libertarian socialist" platform. It opposed the electoral pact established by the Conservative
, Labour
, and Liberal Parties
in the national wartime coalition government, who agreed that MPs filling casual parliamentary vacancies should be returned unopposed, and was one of several small parties who put up opposing candidates in wartime by-elections.
Russell had won the Eddisbury seat as a Liberal in 1929, and retained it as a National Liberal since 1931. Taking advantage of the fact that the National Liberal candidate, Thomas Peacock, was thought to have Conservative leanings, Loverseed downplayed his party's commitment to common ownership, and emphasised its liberal policies. Peacock campaigned against Loverseed using the slogan "Hitler is watching Eddisbury". Other potential candidates withdrew leaving one other candidate - H Heathcote Williams, an Independent Liberal. Loverseed unexpectedly won the by-election with 8,023 votes, a majority of 486, and was discharged from the RAF at his own request to serve in Parliament. He was the first Common Wealth Party candidate to win an election, and joined its only other MP, Sir Richard Acland
. Two others followed at by-elections in 1944 - Ernest Millington in Skipton
and Hugh Lawson in Chelmsford
. Olaf Stapledon
described Loverseed's victory as offering "a fresh inspiration in political life at a time when it was greatly needed."
Loverseed left the Common Wealth Party in November 1944, becoming an independent, and then joining the Labour Party
in May 1945. He stood in Eddisbury again at the 1945 general election
, this time polling less than half the votes of National Liberal
candidate, Sir John Barlow, 2nd Baronet
, who took the seat with 15,294 votes and a majority of 7,902. He was expelled from the Labour Party in July 1945.
In May 1955
he stood against Herbert Morrison
unsuccessfully for South Lewisham
as an Independent Pacifist.
In June 1955, he was a co-founder of the pacifist Fellowship Party
, which claimed to be the oldest environmentalist party in Britain; it dissolved in 2007.
in their first year, 1965, and also in 1970. He took command of the Red Arrows in 1971 after the previous leader, Dennis Hazell, broke his leg after ejecting due to an engine failure in practice in November 1970. Four Red Arrows pilots were killed in an accident at RAF Kemble
in January 1971, when two planes carrying two men each collided in mid-air. Bill Loverseed was promoted to Squadron Leader in July 1971, but resigned his commission in May 1972. He married four times. He flew a Buffalo
transport plane that crash-landed at the Farnborough Air Show
in 1984, and a Piper Cherokee
aircraft that suffered severe icing and crashed in Newfoundland in 1987. He died in 1998, on a Dash 7 that he was piloting on a test flight over Devon.
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
(4 December 1910–1962) was a pilot who flew with the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in 1930s, with Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, and with the RAF again the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, before being elected as a wartime 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 the Common Wealth Party
Common Wealth Party
The Common Wealth Party was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom in the Second World War. Thereafter, it continued in being, essentially as a pressure group, until 1993.-The war years:...
. He was later a co-founder of the pacifist Fellowship Party
Fellowship Party
The Fellowship Party was the oldest environmentalist political party in England. It opposed nuclear power and all weapons. Its national petition against nuclear weapons tests led to the forming of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament....
.
Early and private life
Loverseed was born in DownhamDownham
Downham is a district located in south-east London, occupying much of the boundary between the London Borough of Lewisham and the London Borough of Bromley; it is the name of an electoral ward covering much of the area on the Lewisham side...
in Norfolk, the son of 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 former MP for Sudbury
Sudbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Sudbury was a parliamentary constituency which was represented in the British House of Commons. A parliamentary borough consisting of the town of Sudbury in Suffolk, it returned two Members of Parliament from 1559 until it was disenfranchised for corruption in 1844...
, John Frederick Loverseed
John Frederick Loverseed
John Frederick Loverseed was a British Liberal politician.-Family and Education:Loverseed was the son of a Nottinghamshire builder and contractor. He was educated at Southwell Grammar School and Gosberton Hall. In 1910 he married Katherine Thurman of Grantham, Lincolnshire. They had one son...
(1881–1928), and his wife Catherine Annie (Kitty) (née Thurman).
Loverseed was educated at Sudbury Grammar School
Sudbury Grammar School
Sudbury Grammar School was a boys' grammar school in Sudbury. The school was founded in 1491. In 1972, the school was amalgamated with other local schools to form Sudbury Upper School.-History:...
. He joined the RAF on a short service commission in 1929, and was commissioned as a probationary Pilot Officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
, was confirmed in the rank of Pilot Officer in April 1930, and promoted to Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
in October 1930. He served in the Middle East, and was posted to Heliopolis
Heliopolis
-Placenames:*Heliopolis , the ancient city in Egypt*Heliopolis , a suburb in modern Cairo, Egypt* Heliopolis of Phoenicia, modern Baalbek, Lebanon...
in March 1931. His son, Bill, was born in Egypt in 1932. He left the RAF and was transferred to the RAF officer reserve in July 1935.
He served as a pilot in the Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
from December 1936 to February 1937, having been injured in January 1937. He was removed from the RAF reserve in December 1937.
He married five times, first to Pamela; then to Ethel Maud Hill, having a son and a daughter; then to Gladys Male, having two daughters and a son; then to Georgina June Mary Matthews having one son, John Frederick, born 10-01-1956; and finally, on 9 September 1962, to Joan Buckland.
Second World War
He rejoined the RAF in November 1939, as a non-commissioned officer. After a refresher flying course, he was posted to No. 1 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit (AACU) on 20 May 1940. The AACU provide aircraft that towed targets for anti-aircraft practice.The following day, he was posted 501 Squadron
No. 501 Squadron RAF
No 501 Squadron was the fourteenth of the twenty-one flying units in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, the volunteer reserve part of the British Royal Air Force. The squadron won seven battle honours, flying Hurricane, Spitfire and Tempest fighter aircraft during World War II, and was one of the most...
, which had been deployed to airfields in France as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF) providing air support for the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
. He was injured when his Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
crash-landed on 31 May, and was evacuated to a hospital in England. By the time he recovered and returned to his unit on 19 July, 501 Squadron had also returned to England following the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
. He took part in six operational sorties in the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
before being posted back to 1 AACU on 19 August. He had been promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
by the time he was awarded the Air Force Cross
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
on 1 January 1943.
Political career
He stood as the Common Wealth PartyCommon Wealth Party
The Common Wealth Party was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom in the Second World War. Thereafter, it continued in being, essentially as a pressure group, until 1993.-The war years:...
candidate for Eddisbury
Eddisbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Eddisbury is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.- Boundaries :...
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
in the by-election in April 1943 caused by the death of sitting National Liberal
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
MP Richard John Russell
Richard John Russell
Richard John Russell was a British dental surgeon and Liberal later Liberal National politician.-Family and education:...
. The Common Wealth Party had been founded in July 1942 by the alliance of two left wing groups, the 1941 Committee
1941 Committee
The 1941 Committee was a group of British politicians, writers and other people of influence who got together in 1940. Its members comprised liberals, and those further left, who were not generally involved with a political party. Its immediate purpose was to press for more efficient production in...
and the neo-Christian Forward March movement, standing on a radical "libertarian socialist" platform. It opposed the electoral pact established by the 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...
, Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, and Liberal Parties
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...
in the national wartime coalition government, who agreed that MPs filling casual parliamentary vacancies should be returned unopposed, and was one of several small parties who put up opposing candidates in wartime by-elections.
Russell had won the Eddisbury seat as a Liberal in 1929, and retained it as a National Liberal since 1931. Taking advantage of the fact that the National Liberal candidate, Thomas Peacock, was thought to have Conservative leanings, Loverseed downplayed his party's commitment to common ownership, and emphasised its liberal policies. Peacock campaigned against Loverseed using the slogan "Hitler is watching Eddisbury". Other potential candidates withdrew leaving one other candidate - H Heathcote Williams, an Independent Liberal. Loverseed unexpectedly won the by-election with 8,023 votes, a majority of 486, and was discharged from the RAF at his own request to serve in Parliament. He was the first Common Wealth Party candidate to win an election, and joined its only other MP, Sir Richard Acland
Richard Acland
Sir Richard Thomas Dyke Acland, 15th Baronet was one of the founding members of the British Common Wealth Party. He had previously been a Liberal Member of Parliament and joined the Labour Party in 1945...
. Two others followed at by-elections in 1944 - Ernest Millington in Skipton
Skipton (UK Parliament constituency)
Skipton was a county constituency centred on the town of Skipton in Yorkshire which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
and Hugh Lawson in Chelmsford
Chelmsford (UK Parliament constituency)
Chelmsford is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From the 2010 general election it has elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
. Olaf Stapledon
Olaf Stapledon
William Olaf Stapledon was a British philosopher and author of several influential works of science fiction.-Life:...
described Loverseed's victory as offering "a fresh inspiration in political life at a time when it was greatly needed."
Loverseed left the Common Wealth Party in November 1944, becoming an independent, and then joining the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
in May 1945. He stood in Eddisbury again at the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
, this time polling less than half the votes of National Liberal
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
candidate, Sir John Barlow, 2nd Baronet
Sir John Barlow, 2nd Baronet
Sir John Denman Barlow, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative Party politician.Barlow was the son of Sir John Barlow, 1st Baronet, and his wife the Hon. Anna Maria...
, who took the seat with 15,294 votes and a majority of 7,902. He was expelled from the Labour Party in July 1945.
In May 1955
United Kingdom general election, 1955
The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...
he stood against Herbert Morrison
Herbert Morrison
Herbert Stanley Morrison, Baron Morrison of Lambeth, CH, PC was a British Labour politician; he held a various number of senior positions in the Cabinet, including Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister.-Early life:Morrison was the son of a police constable and was born in...
unsuccessfully for South Lewisham
Lewisham South (UK Parliament constituency)
Lewisham South was a parliamentary constituency in Lewisham, London which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 until it was abolished for the February 1974 general election.- Boundaries :...
as an Independent Pacifist.
In June 1955, he was a co-founder of the pacifist Fellowship Party
Fellowship Party
The Fellowship Party was the oldest environmentalist political party in England. It opposed nuclear power and all weapons. Its national petition against nuclear weapons tests led to the forming of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament....
, which claimed to be the oldest environmentalist party in Britain; it dissolved in 2007.
Son
His son, Raymond Eric William Loverseed was born on an RAF base in Egypt in 1932. Bill joined the RAF in 1952, and flew with the Red ArrowsRed Arrows
The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Scampton, but due to move to RAF Waddington in 2011...
in their first year, 1965, and also in 1970. He took command of the Red Arrows in 1971 after the previous leader, Dennis Hazell, broke his leg after ejecting due to an engine failure in practice in November 1970. Four Red Arrows pilots were killed in an accident at RAF Kemble
RAF Kemble
RAF Kemble was a Royal Air Force airfield that was linked from 1966 with the Red Arrows, the RAF Aerobatic display team; which operated Gnat and laterly Hawk trainers from there...
in January 1971, when two planes carrying two men each collided in mid-air. Bill Loverseed was promoted to Squadron Leader in July 1971, but resigned his commission in May 1972. He married four times. He flew a Buffalo
De Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo
The de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo is a short takeoff and landing utility transport, a turboprop aircraft developed from the earlier piston-powered DHC-4 Caribou...
transport plane that crash-landed at the Farnborough Air Show
Farnborough Air Show
The Farnborough International Airshow is a seven-day international trade fair for the aerospace industry which is held in even-numbered years in mid-July at Farnborough Airfield in Hampshire, England....
in 1984, and a Piper Cherokee
Piper Cherokee
The Piper PA-28 Cherokee is a family of light aircraft designed for flight training, air taxi, and personal use. It is built by Piper Aircraft....
aircraft that suffered severe icing and crashed in Newfoundland in 1987. He died in 1998, on a Dash 7 that he was piloting on a test flight over Devon.