John Wardlaw-Milne
Encyclopedia
Sir John Sydney Wardlaw-Milne KBE
(1879 – 11 July 1967) was a British
Conservative Party
politician.
He was elected at the 1922 general election
as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Kidderminster
, and held the seat until his defeat at the 1945 general election
.
Wardlaw-Milne was often seen as being on the right wing of the Conservative Party and during the tough economic times of the early 1930s, Wardlaw-Milne recommended that free education should be abolished.
out in a vote of no confidence. The vote followed what Churchill in his war memoirs called "a long succession of misfortunes and defeats" (The Hinge of Fate, p. 392). The Conservative politician Robert Boothby
, appearing in Martin Gilbert's documentary on Churchill's life, said, "It was the only time in the whole of the war that I saw him [Churchill] looking really anxious, because the only thing in the world he feared was Parliament." Wardlaw-Milne proposed the vote of no confidence on Churchill's running of the war. His speech, according to biographer Roy Jenkins, was "a fiasco." (Jenkins, Churchill, p. 695). According to Jenkins, Wardlaw-Milne felt that operation of the war should be turned over to
Gloucester was regarded as "a figure of fun" and "[t]he idea that he could be turned into a dominating warrior prince scuppered both his own and Wardlaw-Milne's reputations" (p. 695). Churchill's own assessment was that "the combination of a Supreme War Commander with almost unlimited powers and his association with a Royal Duke seemed to have some flavour of dictatorship about it" (Churchill, Hinge of Fate, p. 397).
The final vote on the proposal, on July 1, 1942, was 475 to 25 in favor of Churchill's government (Churchill, Hinge of Fate, p. 408). Jenkins gives the vote as 477 to 27, including tellers (Jenkins, Churchill, p. 697).
of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
on the 31 May 1932.
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...
(1879 – 11 July 1967) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician.
He was elected at the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Kidderminster
Kidderminster (UK Parliament constituency)
Kidderminster was a parliamentary constituency in Worcestershire, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-History:...
, and held the seat until his defeat 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...
.
Wardlaw-Milne was often seen as being on the right wing of the Conservative Party and during the tough economic times of the early 1930s, Wardlaw-Milne recommended that free education should be abolished.
Vote of no confidence
During June–July 1942 Sir John was involved in an attempt to force Winston ChurchillWinston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
out in a vote of no confidence. The vote followed what Churchill in his war memoirs called "a long succession of misfortunes and defeats" (The Hinge of Fate, p. 392). The Conservative politician Robert Boothby
Robert Boothby
Robert John Graham Boothby, Baron Boothby, KBE was a controversial British Conservative politician.-Early life:...
, appearing in Martin Gilbert's documentary on Churchill's life, said, "It was the only time in the whole of the war that I saw him [Churchill] looking really anxious, because the only thing in the world he feared was Parliament." Wardlaw-Milne proposed the vote of no confidence on Churchill's running of the war. His speech, according to biographer Roy Jenkins, was "a fiasco." (Jenkins, Churchill, p. 695). According to Jenkins, Wardlaw-Milne felt that operation of the war should be turned over to
a dominating figure to run the war and also a generalissimo to command all the armed forces. It was not clear whether Milne wanted them to be the same person.... However, it did not greatly matter for he turned his whole argument into bathos by nominating the Duke of GloucesterPrince Henry, Duke of GloucesterThe Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was a soldier and member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary....
, the third son of George V, for either or both of these jobs" (Jenkins, Churchill, p. 695).
Gloucester was regarded as "a figure of fun" and "[t]he idea that he could be turned into a dominating warrior prince scuppered both his own and Wardlaw-Milne's reputations" (p. 695). Churchill's own assessment was that "the combination of a Supreme War Commander with almost unlimited powers and his association with a Royal Duke seemed to have some flavour of dictatorship about it" (Churchill, Hinge of Fate, p. 397).
The final vote on the proposal, on July 1, 1942, was 475 to 25 in favor of Churchill's government (Churchill, Hinge of Fate, p. 408). Jenkins gives the vote as 477 to 27, including tellers (Jenkins, Churchill, p. 697).
Honours
For his political and public services, Wardlaw-Milne was made a Knight CommanderKnight Commander
Knight Commander is the second most senior grade of seven British orders of chivalry, three of which are dormant . The rank entails admission into knighthood, allowing the recipient to use the title 'Sir' or 'Dame' before his or her name...
of the Civil Division 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...
on the 31 May 1932.