Wilfrid Whiteley
Encyclopedia
Wilfrid Whiteley was a British
Labour Party
politician.
, a district in Huddersfield
, Yorkshire
. Whiteley attended Padock Board School in Huddersfield until the age of 12. After leaving school he worked at Willans wool warehouse for 18 and a half years. Whiteley briefly worked part-time at the Advertiser Press when he was aged 18. Whiteley had a strong interest in politics and was involved with the administrative side of politics from 1911 until 1925 as secretary of the Lockwood Independent Labour Party
.
, and was a conscientious objector
. He had the desire to succeed in politics, and was supported by the Independent Labour Party as he stood for election in Colne Valley (UK Parliament constituency)
in the 1918 ‘Khaki’ election, representing the Labour Party. Whiteley was unsuccessful in his attempt, but was commended for his honesty whilst campaigning, as he highlighted to the electorate that he had been a conscientious objector. This was a crucial factor in his failure at the ballot box, as soldiers returning from the battlefields were highly revered, whereas conscientious objectors were often accused of cowardice.
After defeat in the 1918 election Whiteley worked as Publications Manager for the National Labour Press in Manchester
. Whiteley was invited to stand for election again in Colne Valley in the 1921 election, but he eventually declined the offer, as he was unemployed and beset by financial worries. In 1925 Whiteley moved to Birmingham
, where he was Labour Party agent and secretary for Oswald Mosley
in Smethwick (UK Parliament constituency)
, Staffordshire
. In his role as Mosley's secretary Whiteley was responsible for helping to organise Mosley’s meetings and engagements in the wider area. Whiteley was in regular contact with G.T. Sutton, who was the Private Secretary of Oswald Mosley, based in London
.
Neville Chamberlain
, who stood elsewhere. After defeat in 1931 he became Labour Party constituency agent for Birmingham West (UK Parliament constituency)
in 1932-1936. He was also Labour Party agent for the now defunct Elland (UK Parliament constituency)
from 1936 to 1947.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=P30407
All information gathered from the Wilfrid Whiteley Papers at the Borthwick Institute for Archives
, University of York
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...
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...
politician.
Early life
Wilfred Whiteley was born in 1882 in Salendine NookSalendine Nook
Salendine Nook is a district of Huddersfield to the north-west of Huddersfield in the English county of West Yorkshire.Bordered to the north-east by Laund Hill, Weather Hill and Low Hill and to the south-west by the natural scar of Longwood Edge, above the suburb of Longwood...
, a district in Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. Whiteley attended Padock Board School in Huddersfield until the age of 12. After leaving school he worked at Willans wool warehouse for 18 and a half years. Whiteley briefly worked part-time at the Advertiser Press when he was aged 18. Whiteley had a strong interest in politics and was involved with the administrative side of politics from 1911 until 1925 as secretary of the Lockwood Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
.
Politics
From 1914 to 1918 Whiteley, as an anti-militarist and staunch socialist, took a leading part in opposition in Huddersfield to the Great WarWorld 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 was a conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
. He had the desire to succeed in politics, and was supported by the Independent Labour Party as he stood for election in Colne Valley (UK Parliament constituency)
Colne Valley (UK Parliament constituency)
Colne Valley 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. In the post-war period the seat had the distinction of being one of the few Labour/Liberal marginals,...
in the 1918 ‘Khaki’ election, representing the Labour Party. Whiteley was unsuccessful in his attempt, but was commended for his honesty whilst campaigning, as he highlighted to the electorate that he had been a conscientious objector. This was a crucial factor in his failure at the ballot box, as soldiers returning from the battlefields were highly revered, whereas conscientious objectors were often accused of cowardice.
After defeat in the 1918 election Whiteley worked as Publications Manager for the National Labour Press in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Whiteley was invited to stand for election again in Colne Valley in the 1921 election, but he eventually declined the offer, as he was unemployed and beset by financial worries. In 1925 Whiteley moved to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, where he was Labour Party agent and secretary for Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
in Smethwick (UK Parliament constituency)
Smethwick (UK Parliament constituency)
Smethwick was a parliamentary constituency, centred on the town of Smethwick in Staffordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system....
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
. In his role as Mosley's secretary Whiteley was responsible for helping to organise Mosley’s meetings and engagements in the wider area. Whiteley was in regular contact with G.T. Sutton, who was the Private Secretary of Oswald Mosley, based 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...
.
Elected to Parliament
From 1929 to 1931 Whiteley was Labour Member of Parliament for Birmingham Ladywood, replacing the ConservativeConservative 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...
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...
, who stood elsewhere. After defeat in 1931 he became Labour Party constituency agent for Birmingham West (UK Parliament constituency)
Birmingham West (UK Parliament constituency)
Birmingham West was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It returned one Member of Parliament , elected by the first-past-the-post voting system....
in 1932-1936. He was also Labour Party agent for the now defunct Elland (UK Parliament constituency)
Elland (UK Parliament constituency)
Elland was a parliamentary constituency in the West Riding of Yorkshire that existed between 1885 and 1950. It elected one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons, by the first-past-the-post voting system....
from 1936 to 1947.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=P30407
All information gathered from the Wilfrid Whiteley Papers at the Borthwick Institute for Archives
Borthwick Institute for Archives
The Borthwick Institute for Archives is the specialist archive service of the University of York, York, England. It is one of the biggest archive repositories outside London. The Borthwick was founded in 1953 as The Borthwick Institute for Historical Research. It was originally based at St...
, University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...