William J. Field
Encyclopedia
William James Field was a British
politician who found his career ruined by a conviction for "importuning for immoral purposes" in the 1950s. He was Labour
Member of Parliament
for Paddington North
from 1946 to 1953.
where he took an active part in student politics, opposing appeasement
of Germany
. On the outbreak of World War II
, he enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps
and later served in the Intelligence Corps. At the end of the war, Field was demobilized swiftly as he had been selected as Labour Party candidate for Hampstead
; in the Labour landslide election of 1945
, Field reduced a Conservative majority of over 20,000 to 1,638.
. He swiftly became the dominant figure and was made council leader the following year. He was also selected to follow Sir Noel Mason-Macfarlane
as Labour candidate for Paddington North following Mason-Macfarlane's resignation, and retained the seat. He improved his majority against the national trend in the 1950 general election
, and was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Michael Stewart and John Strachey
.
MP John Maude
who was reported to have given his services free. Maude was a spirited advocate for his cause, accusing the policeman involved of having committed perjury
. Unfortunately for Field, Maude could not persuade the Appeal Court and the conviction was upheld. Field then resigned his seat and disappeared from London. He declined to give his new address to Who's Who
.
in Dorset
. He followed his academic interest in Egyptology
; he was a lecturer at the University of the Third Age
until his death.
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...
politician who found his career ruined by a conviction for "importuning for immoral purposes" in the 1950s. He was 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...
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,...
for Paddington North
Paddington North (UK Parliament constituency)
Paddington North was a borough constituency in the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington in London which 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...
from 1946 to 1953.
Early life
Field was the son of a solicitor and grew up in south-west London. He was educated at Richmond County School and went on from there to the University of LondonUniversity of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
where he took an active part in student politics, opposing 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 Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. On the outbreak of 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 enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
and later served in the Intelligence Corps. At the end of the war, Field was demobilized swiftly as he had been selected as Labour Party candidate for Hampstead
Hampstead (UK Parliament constituency)
Hampstead was a borough constituency, centered on the Hampstead area of North London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, who was elected using the first-past-the-post voting system....
; in the Labour landslide election of 1945
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...
, Field reduced a Conservative majority of over 20,000 to 1,638.
Political career
Later that year Field was elected to Hammersmith Borough CouncilMetropolitan Borough of Hammersmith
The Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith was, between 1900 and 1965, a Metropolitan borough of the County of London. It included Hammersmith, Wormwood Scrubs, Old Oak Common and Shepherd's Bush....
. He swiftly became the dominant figure and was made council leader the following year. He was also selected to follow Sir Noel Mason-Macfarlane
Noel Mason-Macfarlane
Lieutenant General Sir Frank Noel Mason-Macfarlane, KCB, DSO, MC was a British soldier, administrator and politician who served as Governor of Gibraltar during World War II.-Military career:...
as Labour candidate for Paddington North following Mason-Macfarlane's resignation, and retained the seat. He improved his majority against the national trend in the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
, and was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Michael Stewart and John Strachey
John St Loe Strachey
Evelyn John St Loe Strachey PC was a British Labour politician and writer.-Background and education:Born in Guildford, Surrey, the son of John Strachey, editor of The Spectator, he was educated at Eton College and Magdalen College, Oxford. At Oxford, he was editor, with Robert Boothby, of the...
.
Disgrace
In opposition after October 1951, Field was highly regarded and thought likely to be appointed as a Minister if a Labour government was formed. However, in 1953 he was spotted by a policeman acting suspiciously in public lavatories in the West End of London. The officer arrested him for "importuning for immoral purposes", an offence which meant seeking out homosexual partners. Field gave his occupation as merely "university graduate" and pleaded guilty, but when the press discovered his real job and reported the case, he changed his plea to not guilty.Court fight
However, Field was convicted on one charge and fined £15. He immediately appealed, with his defence led by 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...
MP John Maude
John Maude
John Cyril Maude KC was a British barrister and Conservative Party politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1945 to 1951, and then became a judge.- Early life :...
who was reported to have given his services free. Maude was a spirited advocate for his cause, accusing the policeman involved of having committed perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
. Unfortunately for Field, Maude could not persuade the Appeal Court and the conviction was upheld. Field then resigned his seat and disappeared from London. He declined to give his new address to Who's Who
Who's Who (UK)
Who's Who is an annual British publication of biographies which vary in length of about 30,000 living notable Britons.-History:...
.
Later life
Field had actually moved to Fontmell MagnaFontmell Magna
Fontmell Magna is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale under Cranborne Chase on the A350 road five miles south of Shaftesbury and eight miles north of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 671...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. He followed his academic interest in Egyptology
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
; he was a lecturer at the University of the Third Age
University of the Third Age
The University of the Third Age is an international organisation whose aims are the education and stimulation of retired members of the community - those in the third 'age' of life. It is commonly referred to as U3A.- France :...
until his death.