Victor Cazalet
Encyclopedia
Colonel Victor Alexander Cazalet MC
(27 December 1896 – 4 July 1943) was a British
Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
(MP).
Cazalet was commissioned into the Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry
in 1915 and reached the rank of Captain
, winning the Military Cross
in 1917. He was first elected at the 1924 general election
, serving as MP for the Chippenham constituency
in Wiltshire
until his death. His sister, Thelma Cazalet-Keir
was a noted feminist also and also a Conservative MP.
During the Spanish Civil War
, he was a strong supporter of General Franco and the fascists, serving on the House of Commons
'Friends of National Spain' committee. However before World War II
, he opposed, with Winston Churchill
, the appeasement
of Adolf Hitler
by Neville Chamberlain
's government.
He was killed in 1943 when his plane from Gibraltar
to Britain crashed seconds after take off. The C-87 Liberator Express
[ It was LB-30 / Liberator Mk II AL523 and NOT C-87 Liberator Express flight AL523] was also carrying the Polish General Władysław Sikorski; Sikorski and everyone else on board (but first pilot Eduard Prchal) — 16 in all — died in the crash.
Cazalet was the godfather of the actress Elizabeth Taylor
.
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(27 December 1896 – 4 July 1943) 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...
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).
Cazalet was commissioned into the Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry
Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry
The Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry can trace its origins to 1794 when local volunteer troops were raised to assist the civil powers. Each Troop was about 50 strong with three officers , they were required to provide their own uniforms and mounts while the government would supply their arms and...
in 1915 and reached the rank of Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
, winning the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
in 1917. He was first elected at the 1924 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
, serving as MP for the Chippenham constituency
Chippenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Chippenham is a parliamentary constituency, abolished in 1983 but recreated in 2010, and 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...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
until his death. His sister, Thelma Cazalet-Keir
Thelma Cazalet-Keir
Thelma Cazalet-Keir CBE, née Cazalet, was a British feminist and Conservative Party politician.She was born in London, the third child and only daughter of William Marshall Cazalet , and Maud Lucia née Heron-Maxwell...
was a noted feminist also and also a Conservative MP.
During 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...
, he was a strong supporter of General Franco and the fascists, serving on the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
'Friends of National Spain' committee. However before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he opposed, with Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, the appeasement
Appeasement
The term appeasement is commonly understood to refer to a diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by making concessions to another power. Historian Paul Kennedy defines it as "the policy of settling international quarrels by admitting and satisfying grievances through rational negotiation and...
of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
by Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
's government.
He was killed in 1943 when his plane from Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
to Britain crashed seconds after take off. The C-87 Liberator Express
C-87 Liberator Express
|-References:NotesBibliography* Andrade, John. U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Hinckley, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979. ISBN 0-904597-22-9....
[ It was LB-30 / Liberator Mk II AL523 and NOT C-87 Liberator Express flight AL523] was also carrying the Polish General Władysław Sikorski; Sikorski and everyone else on board (but first pilot Eduard Prchal) — 16 in all — died in the crash.
Cazalet was the godfather of the actress Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
.