Victor Warrender, 1st Baron Bruntisfield
Encyclopedia
Victor Alexander George Anthony Warrender, 1st Baron Bruntisfield MC
(23 June 1899 – 14 January 1993), known as Sir Victor Warrender, Bt, between 1917 and 1942, was a British Conservative
politician. He held minor political office between 1928 and 1945, notably as Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty from 1940 to 1945 in Winston Churchill
's war-time coalition government. In 1942 he was ennobled as Baron Bruntisfield
.
, by Lady Ethel Maud Ashley-Cooper, daughter of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 8th Earl of Shaftesbury
. He was baptised
with Queen Victoria
as one of his godparent
s and was educated at Eton
. His younger brother was the actor Harold Warrender
. He served as a Lieutenant
in the Grenadier Guards
in the First World War and was awarded the Military Cross
.
(MP) for Grantham
in 1923, a seat he held until 1942. He was Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Under-Secretary of State for India
, Lord Winterton
, from 1924 to 1928 and entered the government as an Assistant Government Whip under Stanley Baldwin
in 1928, a post he held until the government fell in 1929. He was appointed a Lord of the Treasury
(government whip
) in 1931 under Ramsay MacDonald
, was promoted to Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
in 1932 and to Comptroller of the Household
in May 1935.
After Baldwin became prime minister for the third time in June 1935, Warrender was made Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty. Already in November 1935 he exchanged this office for that of Financial Secretary to the War Office
. He continued in this post when Neville Chamberlain
became prime minister in 1937. When Chamberlain reshuffled his government in early April 1940, Warrender once again became Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty. He retained this office when Winston Churchill
became prime minister in May 1940, and continued in it until Churchill resigned in July 1945. On 10 March 1942 Warrender was elevated to the peerage as Baron Bruntisfield, of Boroughmuir in the City of Edinburgh.
, on June 1, 1920. They had three children:
Lord and Lady Bruntisfield were divorced in 1945. Lady Bruntisfield was later invested as an Officer, Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (O.St.J.). She died in July 1975. Lord Bruntisfield married secondly, Tania , daughter of Dr Michael Kolin, on 22 June 1948. They had two children:
Lord Bruntisfield died in January 1993, aged 93, and was succeeded by his eldest son, John. Lady Bruntisfield died in June 2007.
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....
(23 June 1899 – 14 January 1993), known as Sir Victor Warrender, Bt, between 1917 and 1942, was a British 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...
politician. He held minor political office between 1928 and 1945, notably as Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty from 1940 to 1945 in 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...
's war-time coalition government. In 1942 he was ennobled as Baron Bruntisfield
Baron Bruntisfield
Baron Bruntisfield, of Boroughmuir in the City of Edinburgh, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1942 for the Scottish Conservative politician and former Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, Sir Victor Warrender, 8th Baronet. The Warrender family descends from George...
.
Background and education
Warrender was the eldest son of Vice-Admiral Sir George Warrender, 7th BaronetSir George Warrender, 7th Baronet
Vice-Admiral Sir George John Scott Warrender of Lochend, 7th Baronet KCB KCVO was a senior officer in the Royal Navy during World War I.-Early career:...
, by Lady Ethel Maud Ashley-Cooper, daughter of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 8th Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 8th Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 8th Earl of Shaftesbury , styled Lord Ashley between 1851 and 1885, was a British peer, the son of the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury....
. He was baptised
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
with Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
as one of his godparent
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
s and was educated at Eton
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"....
. His younger brother was the actor Harold Warrender
Harold Warrender
Harold Warrender was a British film actor.His father was Sir George Warrender, 7th Baronet.-Selected filmography:* Leave It to Blanche * Lady in Danger * Mimi * Lazybones...
. He served as a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
in the First World War and was awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
.
Political career
Warrender was elected Member of ParliamentMember 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 Grantham
Grantham (UK Parliament constituency)
Grantham was a Parliamentary constituency in Lincolnshire, England.The constituency was created in 1468 as a parliamentary borough which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until the union with Scotland, and then to the Parliament of Great Britain...
in 1923, a seat he held until 1942. He was Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to the Under-Secretary of State for India
Under-Secretary of State for India
This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1866 and 1948, and for Burma from 1858-1948....
, Lord Winterton
Edward Turnour, 6th Earl Winterton
Edward Turnour, 6th Earl Winterton PC , known as Viscount Turnour until 1907, was an Irish peer and British politician in the first half of the twentieth century who achieved the rare distinction of serving as both Baby of the House and Father of the House at the opposite ends of his career in the...
, from 1924 to 1928 and entered the government as an Assistant Government Whip under 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...
in 1928, a post he held until the government fell in 1929. He was appointed a 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...
(government whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
) in 1931 under 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....
, was promoted to Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household is usually a junior government whip in the British House of Commons and is an officer of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. He or she is the Deputy to the Lord Chamberlain of the Household. The Vice-Chamberlain's main role is to compile...
in 1932 and to Comptroller of the Household
Comptroller of the Household
The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a cabinet member. He was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local...
in May 1935.
After Baldwin became prime minister for the third time in June 1935, Warrender was made Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty. Already in November 1935 he exchanged this office for that of Financial Secretary to the War Office
Financial Secretary to the War Office
Financial Secretary to the War Office was an office of the British government, the financial secretary of the War Office department.The post was combined with that of Under-Secretary of State for War from 17 April 1947....
. He continued in this post when 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...
became prime minister in 1937. When Chamberlain reshuffled his government in early April 1940, Warrender once again became Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty. He retained this office when 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...
became prime minister in May 1940, and continued in it until Churchill resigned in July 1945. On 10 March 1942 Warrender was elevated to the peerage as Baron Bruntisfield, of Boroughmuir in the City of Edinburgh.
Family
Lord Bruntisfield married Dorothy Rawson (d. 1975), daughter of Lt-Col Richard Hamilton Rawson, MP for ReigateReigate (UK Parliament constituency)
Reigate is a 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:...
, on June 1, 1920. They had three children:
- John Warrender, 2nd Baron BruntisfieldJohn Warrender, 2nd Baron BruntisfieldJohn Robert Warrender, 2nd Baron Bruntisfield MC OBE TD was a Scottish soldier, farmer and Conservative politician....
(7 February 1921-14 July 2007) - Hon. Simon George Warrender (11 August 1922 – 8 May 2011), married Pamela Myer and has issue.
- Hon. Robin Hugh Warrender (24 December 1927 – 8 April 2004), married Gillian ("Gilly") Elizabeth Rossiter, daughter of Leonard and Elsie Rose (née Oppenheimer) Rossiter. They had three children, Carolyn Robin Warrender, Annabel Rose Warrender and Hugh Mark Warrender.
Lord and Lady Bruntisfield were divorced in 1945. Lady Bruntisfield was later invested as an Officer, Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (O.St.J.). She died in July 1975. Lord Bruntisfield married secondly, Tania , daughter of Dr Michael Kolin, on 22 June 1948. They had two children:
- Hon. Anthony Michael Warrender (b. 17 July 1950), married (1) Christine Semenenko, (2) Patricia Connors and had issue.
- Hon. Victoria Isabella Warrender (b. 27 March 1952), married Hugh Mackay, 14th Lord ReayHugh Mackay, 14th Lord ReayHugh William Mackay, 14th Lord Reay, Baron Mackay is British politician and Conservative member of the House of Lords. He is the only Lord of Parliament to sit in the House of Lords.He was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford....
as his second wife on 20 June 1980 and has issue, two daughters.
Lord Bruntisfield died in January 1993, aged 93, and was succeeded by his eldest son, John. Lady Bruntisfield died in June 2007.