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101-421: The book begins by describing his childhood and schooldays, and provides context for the earlier published accounts of events in his early life. He describes his large collection of toy soldiers, his usually unsuccessful experiences in school, and how his family decided his path in life was to join the army as an officer. He describes how he became proficient in writing and speaking English, as he has three terms of

202-587: A JP for the county of Worcestershire . Baldwin married Lucy Ridsdale on 12 September 1892. Following the birth of a still-born son in January 1894, the couple had six surviving children: Baldwin's youngest daughter, Lady Betty, was severely injured by shrapnel in March 1941 as a result of a bombing raid which destroyed the Café de Paris nightclub she was attending. She required facial reconstruction surgery from

303-520: A National Government , most of whose ministers were Conservatives, which won an enormous majority at the 1931 general election . As Lord President of the Council and one of four Conservatives among the small ten-member Cabinet, Baldwin took over many of the Prime Minister's duties when MacDonald's health deteriorated. This government saw an Act delivering increased self-government for India,

404-404: A Disarmament Convention, and then said: when I speak of a Disarmament Convention I do not mean disarmament on the part of this country and not on the part of any other. I mean the limitation of armaments as a real limitation...and if we find ourselves on some lower rating and that some other country has higher figures, that country has to come down and we have to go up until we meet. Germany left

505-412: A Manger founder Julian Metcalfe ) and the big game hunter and artist General Douglas Hamilton , as well as Island Records founder Chris Blackwell . In sports, the school produced the first two Wimbledon champions ( Spencer Gore and Frank Hadow ) as well as FA Cup founder C. W. Alcock and current England rugby international players Billy Vunipola , Maro Itoje and Henry Arundell . Alumni in

606-462: A casualty instead of the victor. He needed to support himself financially and learned he could earn money as a reporter of the scenes of war he witnessed as a soldier, and after he left the army. He wrote books on the major military campaigns, earning money from the sales. His first attempt to stand for election as a member of parliament failed; events in South Africa drew him there, gaining him

707-562: A course under an excellent teacher of English; had he been a more successful student by the standards of schools of his youth, he would have learned Latin and Greek instead. That part of his education proved fruitful when he began to write for newspapers and speak in public, gaining praise for his efforts. He was saddened by the early death of his father, not having the opportunity to have an adult relationship with him. Otherwise, his characteristic optimism carries him through every experience of his life, allowing him to see events that at first seemed

808-477: A dark blue jacket known as a "bluer" with light grey trousers known as "greyers". With these are worn a white shirt, black tie, black shoes and an optional blue jumper. Boys also wear a Harrow hat, a straw hat with a dark blue band similar to a boater , but shallower in crown and broader in brim. The School blue-and-white woollen scarf and dark blue woollen overcoat may be worn in cold weather. Variations include boys who are monitors ( prefects ) who are allowed to wear

909-547: A divisive issue. The election was inconclusive: the Conservatives had 258 MPs, Labour 191 and the reunited Liberals 159. Whilst the Conservatives retained a plurality in the House of Commons, they had been clearly defeated on the central issue: tariffs. Baldwin remained prime minister until the opening of the new Parliament in January 1924, when his administration was defeated in a vote on its legislative programme set out in

1010-579: A further election. Thus Baldwin turned towards a degree of protectionism which would remain a key party message during his lifetime. With the country facing growing unemployment in the wake of free trade imports driving down prices and profits, Baldwin decided to call an early general election in December 1923 to seek a mandate to introduce protectionist tariffs which, he hoped, would drive down unemployment and spur an economic recovery. He expected to unite his party but he divided it, for protectionism proved

1111-496: A humanitarian welfare state which would guarantee a minimum living standard for those unable to work or who took out national insurance . In 1927, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society . In 1929 Labour returned to office as the largest party in the House of Commons (although without an overall majority) despite obtaining fewer votes than the Conservatives. In opposition, Baldwin was almost ousted as party leader by

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1212-420: A jumper of their choice of colour, and members of certain societies who may earn the right to replace the standard school tie with one of a variety of scarves, cravats , neck and bow ties of their society. Sunday dress, which is worn every Sunday up to lunch and on special occasions such as Speech Day and songs, consists of a black tailcoat , a black single-breasted waistcoat and striped trousers, worn with

1313-700: A landslide majority of 223 for the Conservative party, primarily at the expense of an unpopular Liberal Party . Baldwin campaigned on the "impracticability" of socialism, the Campbell Case , the Zinoviev letter (which Baldwin thought was genuine, and the Conservatives leaked to the Daily Mail at a most damaging time to the Labour campaign; the letter is now widely believed to have been a forgery ) and

1414-548: A measure opposed by Churchill and by many rank-and-file Conservatives. The Statute of Westminster 1931 gave Dominion status to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, while taking the first step towards the Commonwealth of Nations . As party leader, Baldwin made many striking innovations, such as clever use of radio and film, that made him highly visible to the public and strengthened Conservative appeal. In 1935, Baldwin replaced MacDonald as prime minister and won

1515-562: A misfortune as changing his path in life to one with a later success. Harrow School prepared him to attend the Royal Military College, Sandhurst , and become an officer in the army, specifically in a cavalry unit. He was an avid polo player in his years as an army officer. Once out of formal schooling, he was eager for experiences, taking every opportunity to be where the action was. He was an observer in Cuba when Spain fought

1616-472: A position inferior to any country within striking distance of our shores. On 29 March 1934 Germany published its defence estimates, which showed a total increase of one-third and an increase of 250% in its air force. A series of by-elections in late 1933 and early 1934 with massive swings against government candidates—most famous was Fulham East with a 26.5% swing— convinced Baldwin that the British public

1717-588: A rearmament programme as early as 1934 but had to do so quietly to avoid antagonising the public, whose pacifism was revealed by the Peace Ballot of 1934–35 and endorsed by both the Labour and the Liberal oppositions. His thorough presentation of the case for rearmament in 1935, his son argued, defeated pacifism and secured a victory that allowed rearmament to move ahead. On 31 July 1934, the Cabinet approved

1818-577: A report that called for expansion of the Royal Air Force to the 1923 standard by creating 40 new squadrons over the next five years. On 26 November 1934, six days after receiving the news that the German air force would be as large as the RAF within one year, the Cabinet decided to speed up air rearmament from four years to two. On 28 November 1934, Churchill moved an amendment to the vote of thanks for

1919-687: A reputation that let him win a seat once he returned to England at age 26. His dramatic escape from being a prisoner of war gained him fame, and his subsequent newspaper accounts of later battles secured his generally favorable reputation. A significant portion of the book covers his experiences in the Second Boer War of 1899–1902, which he had earlier described in London to Ladysmith via Pretoria (1900) and Ian Hamilton's March (1900). It also includes descriptions of other campaigns he had previously written about: The River War (1899), concerning

2020-525: A room to himself. The School has a book of songs, of which the best known is Forty Years On . In the 19th century, most schools had a school song, usually in Latin, which they sang at the beginning and end of term. Harrow had a master, Edward Bowen , who was a poet and a music teacher, and John Farmer , who was a composer. Between 1870 and 1885, these two wrote a number of songs about school life. The inspiring, wistful, amusing and thought-provoking words and

2121-477: A silent revolution had occurred, which totally replaced the ruling class of Britain. The book was published after the Conservative Party lost the 1929 election and consequently Churchill ceased to be a member of the government. He occupied himself, instead, writing a number of books, which together with public speaking was his chief source of income throughout his life. However, most of My Early Life

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2222-476: A slight sense of irony and an intention to entertain. It contains a certain level of self-mockery alongside criticism of others he encountered. Unlike some other of his works, it did not seek to prove any particular point. The 1972 film Young Winston was based on this book. Harrow School Harrow School ( / ˈ h ær oʊ / ) is a public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on

2323-422: A space in a large house to become available (hence the use of the term large house in this article). A twelfth large house, Lyon's, was built in 2010. House Masters, Assistant House Masters and their families live in the boarding Houses and are assisted by House Tutors appointed from the teaching staff. The House Master oversees the welfare of every boy in his care; for parents, he is the main point of contact with

2424-799: A terrible thing, in fact, the beginning of the end". In April 1933 the Cabinet agreed to follow through with the construction of the Singapore military base. On 15 September 1933, the German delegate at the Disarmament Conference refused to return to the Conference, and Germany left altogether in October. Baldwin, in a speech on 6 October to the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, pleaded for

2525-432: A top hat, and carry canes. Harrow School divides its pupils, who are all boarders , into twelve Houses , each of about seventy boys, with a thirteenth house, Gayton, used as an overflow. Each House has its own facilities, customs and traditions, and each competes in sporting events against the others. Until the 1950s there existed what was known as 'small houses' where only 5–10 boys stayed at one time while they waited for

2626-437: A wealthy local farmer. The school's formal name is still 'The Free Grammar School of John Lyon within the town of Harrow-on-the-Hill'. The charter described this as a re-endowment, and there is some evidence of a grammar school at Harrow in the mid-16th century, but its location and connection with Lyon's foundation are unclear. Evidence for earlier schools, possibly connected with the chantry of St Mary (established in 1324),

2727-597: A white shirt and black tie. Boys with sports colours may wear a grey double-breasted waistcoat; members of the Guild (a society for boys who have achieved distinction in art, music or drama) may wear maroon double-breasted waistcoats with maroon bow ties; members of the Philathletic Club (a society for boys with achievements in sport) may wear black bow ties alongside grey double-breasted waistcoats. School monitors (prefects) may wear black double-breasted waistcoats and

2828-562: A year (the fastest rate of growth in the world). One of his legislative reforms was a paradigm shift in his party. This was the Widows', Orphans' and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act 1925 ( 15 & 16 Geo. 5 . c. 70), which provided a pension of 10 shillings a week for widows with extra for children, and 10 shillings a week for insured workers and their wives at 65. This transformed Toryism , away from its historic reliance on community (particularly religious) charities, and towards acceptance of

2929-408: Is evil and should go, the thing will be done; but if they do not feel like that – well, as I say, the future is in their hands. But when the next war comes, and European civilisation is wiped out, as it will be, and by no force more than that force, then do not let them lay blame on the old men. Let them remember that they, principally, or they alone, are responsible for the terrors that have fallen upon

3030-490: Is part of the routine that is the essence of the English Public School system... the wonder of other countries". In 2005, the school was one of fifty of the country's leading independent schools which were found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel , exposed by The Times , which had allowed them to drive up fees for thousands of parents, although the schools said that they had not realised that

3131-423: Is the oldest fixture at Lord's (see: Eton v Harrow ). Eton won the match in 2013, and Harrow in 2014 and 2015. Harrow has its own unique style of football called Harrow Football . Currently, the school offers around 30 sports activities for students such as archery, badminton, hockey and judo. As in most boarding schools, for many years there was a system of 'fagging' whereby younger boys carried out duties for

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3232-655: Is weak. In the original charter six governors were named, including two members of the Gerard family of Flambards, and two members of the Page family of Wembley and Sudbury Court. The founder John Lyon died in 1592, bequeathing his estate to two beneficiaries: the school and the maintenance of two roads, the Harrow Road and the Edgware Road, both going to London, 10 miles (16 km) away. The Road Trust received by far

3333-454: Is well also for the man in the street to realise that there is no power on earth that can protect him from being bombed. Whatever people may tell him, the bomber will always get through , The only defence is in offence, which means that you have to kill more women and children more quickly than the enemy if you want to save yourselves...If the conscience of the young men should ever come to feel, with regard to this one instrument [bombing] that it

3434-591: The 1935 general election with another large majority. During this time, he oversaw the beginning of British rearmament and the abdication of King Edward VIII . Baldwin's third government saw a number of crises in foreign affairs, including the public uproar over the Hoare–Laval Pact , the remilitarisation of the Rhineland , and the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War . Baldwin stepped down in 1937 and

3535-603: The General Strike in 1926 and introduced the Trade Disputes and Trade Unions Act 1927 to curb the powers of trade unions. Baldwin narrowly lost the 1929 general election and his continued leadership of the party was subject to extensive criticism by press barons Lord Rothermere and Lord Beaverbrook . In 1931, with the onset of the Great Depression , Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald formed

3636-588: The House of Lords . Curzon was strong and experienced in international affairs, but his lack of experience in domestic affairs, his personal character quirks and his huge inherited wealth and many directorships at a time when the Conservative Party was seeking to shed its patrician image were all deemed impediments. Much weight at the time was given to the intervention of Arthur Balfour . The King turned to Baldwin to become prime minister. Initially Baldwin

3737-568: The King's Speech . He offered his resignation to George V immediately. Baldwin successfully held on to the party leadership amid some colleagues' calls for his resignation. For the next ten months, an unstable minority Labour government under Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald held office. On 13 March 1924, the Labour government was defeated for the first time in the Commons, although the Conservatives decided to vote with Labour later that day against

3838-534: The League of Nations on 14 October. The Cabinet decided on 23 October that Britain should still attempt to cooperate with other states, including Germany, in international disarmament. However between mid-September 1933 and the beginning of 1934 Baldwin's mind changed from hoping for disarmament to favouring rearmament, including parity in aircraft. In late 1933 and early 1934 he rejected an invitation from Hitler to meet him, believing that visits to foreign capitals were

3939-542: The Liberal David Lloyd George . At a meeting of Conservative MPs at the Carlton Club in October, Baldwin announced that he would no longer support the coalition, and famously condemned Lloyd George for being a "dynamic force" that was bringing destruction across politics. The meeting chose to leave the coalition, against the wishes of most of the party leadership. As a direct result Bonar Law

4040-593: The Luftwaffe was nearing equality with the RAF. Baldwin responded by denying that the Luftwaffe was approaching equality and said it was "not 50 per cent" of the RAF. He added that by the end of 1935 the RAF would still have "a margin of nearly 50 per cent" in Europe. After Baldwin said that the government would ensure the RAF had parity with the future German air force, Churchill withdrew his amendment. In April 1935,

4141-929: The Nobel Prize in Physics in 1904; John Galsworthy , winner of the 1932 Nobel Prize in Literature ; and Winston Churchill , who also received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953. Other alumni include writers Lord Byron , Anthony Trollope , Sir Terence Rattigan , Simon Sebag-Montefiore , and Richard Curtis , the Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster and prominent reformist Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury , military commanders such as Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis and Sir Peter de la Billiere , and business people (including DeBeers chairman Nicky Oppenheimer , Pret

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4242-527: The Royal Albert Hall . The sport squash (originally called 'Squasher') was invented in Harrow out of the game rackets around 1830. It spread to other schools, eventually becoming an international sport. An annual cricket match has taken place between Harrow and Eton College at Lord's Cricket Ground since 1805. It is considered to be the longest-running cricket fixture in the world and

4343-404: The press barons Lords Rothermere and Beaverbrook, whom he accused of enjoying "power without responsibility, the prerogative of the harlot throughout the ages". Ramsden argues that Baldwin made dramatic permanent improvements to the organisation and effectiveness of the Conservative Party. He enlarged the headquarters with professionals, professionalised the party agents, raised ample funds, and

4444-467: The Air Secretary reported that although Britain's strength in the air would be ahead of Germany's for at least three years, air rearmament needed to be increased; so the Cabinet agreed to the creation of an extra 39 squadrons for home defence by 1937. However, on 8 May 1935, the Cabinet heard that it was estimated that the RAF was inferior to the Luftwaffe by 370 aircraft and that to reach parity,

4545-459: The Conservative Party . He called an election in December 1923 on the issue of tariffs and lost the Conservatives' parliamentary majority, after which Ramsay MacDonald formed a minority Labour government. After winning the 1924 general election , Baldwin formed his second government, which saw important tenures of office by Austen Chamberlain (Foreign Secretary), Winston Churchill (at

4646-628: The Exchequer) and Neville Chamberlain (Health). The latter two ministers strengthened Conservative appeal by reforms in areas formerly associated with the Liberal Party. They included industrial conciliation, unemployment insurance, a more extensive old-age pension system, slum clearance , more private housing and expansion of maternal care and childcare. However, continuing sluggish economic growth and declines in mining and heavy industry weakened Baldwin's base of support. His government also saw

4747-752: The Hill , Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon , a local landowner and farmer, under a royal charter of Queen Elizabeth I . The school has an enrolment of about 820 boys, all of whom board full-time, in twelve boarding houses. It was one of the seven public schools selected for reform in the Public Schools Act of 1868 . Harrow's uniform includes morning suits , straw boater hats , top hats and canes . Its list of distinguished alumni includes seven former British prime ministers : Aberdeen , Perceval , Goderich , Peel , Palmerston , Baldwin and Churchill , as well as

4848-470: The King's Speech: "the strength of our national defences, and especially our air defences, is no longer adequate". His motion was known eight days before it was moved, and a special Cabinet meeting decided how to deal with the motion, which dominated two other Cabinet meetings. Churchill said Germany was rearming and requested that the money spent on air armaments be doubled or tripled to deter an attack and that

4949-721: The Liberals. During a debate on the naval estimates the Conservatives opposed Labour but supported them on 18 March in a vote on cutting expenditure on the Singapore military base. Baldwin also cooperated with MacDonald over Irish policy to stop it becoming a party-political issue. The Labour government was negotiating with the Soviet government over intended commercial treaties – 'the Russian Treaties' – to provide most favoured nation privileges and diplomatic status for

5050-405: The Luftwaffe would have 800 bombers, compared to the RAF's 48. In the debate in the Commons on 12 November 1936, Churchill attacked the government on rearmament as being "decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent. So we go on, preparing more months and years – precious, perhaps vital, to the greatness of Britain – for

5151-417: The RAF must have 3,800 aircraft by April 1937, an extra 1,400 above the existing air programme. It was learnt that Germany was easily able to outbuild that revised programme as well. On 21 May 1935, the Cabinet agreed to expanding the home defence force of the RAF to 1,512 aircraft (840 bombers and 420 fighters). On 22 May 1935 Baldwin confessed in the Commons, "I was wrong in my estimate of the future. There I

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5252-549: The Russian Treaties. In a speech during the campaign Baldwin said: It makes my blood boil to read of the way which Mr. Zinoviev is speaking of the Prime Minister today. Though one time there went up a cry, "Hands off Russia", I think it's time somebody said to Russia, "Hands off England". Baldwin's new Cabinet now included many former political associates of Lloyd George: former Coalition Conservatives: Austen Chamberlain (as foreign secretary), Lord Birkenhead (secretary for India) and Arthur Balfour (lord president after 1925), and

5353-456: The School. Each House has a resident matron and sick room. The matrons are supported by the School's Medical Centre where trained nursing staff offer round-the-clock care. The medical centre is under the direct supervision of the school doctor who is available on the Hill every day for consultation. There are no dormitories: a boy shares his room for the first three to six terms and thereafter has

5454-573: The Treasury he served jointly with Hardman Lever , who had been appointed in 1916, but after 1919 Baldwin carried out the duties largely alone. He was appointed to the Privy Council in the 1920 Birthday Honours . In 1921 he was promoted to the Cabinet as President of the Board of Trade . In late 1922 dissatisfaction was steadily growing within the Conservative Party over its coalition with

5555-510: The UK trade delegation; and a treaty that would settle the claims of pre-revolutionary British bondholders and holders of confiscated property, after which the British government would guarantee a loan to the Soviet Union. Baldwin decided to vote against the government over the Russian Treaties, which brought the government down on 8 October. The general election held in October 1924 brought

5656-745: The War Memorial building (1926), designed by Herbert Baker to mark the loss of former pupils in the First World War , are all Grade II* listed buildings . A total of 27 school buildings are Grade II listed, including the Headmaster's House (1843) by Decimus Burton ; the Museum Schools [Butler Museum] (1886) by Basil Champneys ; and the Music Schools (1890) by Edward Prior. Everyday dress for boys at Harrow consists of

5757-474: The arts and media industry include actors Edward Fox , Benedict Cumberbatch and Cary Elwes , photographer Nikolai von Bismarck , singers David Dundas and James Blunt , pianist James Rhodes , horse racing pundit John McCririck , and Mark Thatcher , son of Margaret Thatcher . Fictional characters who have attended Harrow include Brett Sinclair of the TV series The Persuaders! , Withnail and Uncle Monty from

5858-484: The attractive tunes, made the songs very popular. Successors to Bowen and Farmer have added to the collection. The songs are sung in House and School concerts several times a term. Winston Churchill was a great lover of Harrow songs and when he returned for a concert as Prime Minister in 1940, it was the first of many annual visits. Churchill Songs is still celebrated in Speech Room each year, and every five years at

5959-482: The book from his point of view at the time of the events, but it contains different commentaries on the events described in the other books, many of which were originally written as contemporary newspaper columns. From his perspective of writing in 1930, he notes that he has 'drawn a picture of a vanished age'. The book also notes an observation by the French ambassador to Britain between 1900 and 1920, that during his time,

6060-456: The building of 1615, although it was extended and re-designed by Charles Robert Cockerell in 1818. It is a Grade I listed building . The majority of the school's boarding houses were constructed in Victorian times, when the number of boys increased dramatically. The Speech Room by William Burges (1877), the chapel (1855) and Vaughan Library (1863), both by George Gilbert Scott , and

6161-600: The central issue in the election. He said that he would support the League of Nations, modernise Britain's defences and remedy deficiencies, but he also said: "I give you my word that there will be no great armaments". The main issues in the election were housing, unemployment and the special areas of economic depression. The election gave 430 seats to National Government supporters (386 of these Conservative) and 154 seats to Labour. Baldwin's younger son A. Windham Baldwin, writing in 1955, argued that his father, Stanley, had planned

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6262-404: The change to the law (which had happened only a few months earlier) about the sharing of information had subsequently made it an offence. Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totalling £3,000,000 into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared. Harrow

6363-469: The company of school masters, and in relation to them I once had every qualification as a passive resister." Baldwin then went on to the University of Cambridge , where he studied history at Trinity College . His time at university was blighted by the presence, as Master of Trinity , of Henry Montagu Butler , his former headmaster who had punished him at Harrow for writing a piece of schoolboy smut. He

6464-825: The designation 'British Empire'. In 1930, the first British Empire Games sports competition was held successfully among Empire nations in Hamilton, Ontario , Canada. His government then secured with great difficulty the passage of the landmark Government of India Act 1935 , in the teeth of opposition from Winston Churchill, spokesman for the die-hard imperialists who filled the Conservative ranks. Baldwin did not advocate total disarmament, but believed that, as Lord Grey of Falloden had stated in 1925, "great armaments lead inevitably to war". However, he came to believe that, as he put it on 10 November 1932: "the time has now come to an end when Great Britain can proceed with unilateral disarmament". On 10 November 1932 he said: I think it

6565-410: The earth. This speech was often used against Baldwin as allegedly demonstrating the futility of rearmament or disarmament, depending on the critic. With the second part of the Disarmament Conference starting in January 1933, Baldwin attempted to see through his hope of air disarmament. However, he became alarmed at Britain's lack of defence against air raids and German rearmament, saying it "would be

6666-536: The film Withnail & I , Herbert Pocket from Charles Dickens 's novel, Great Expectations , and Geoffrey Charles Poldark from Poldark . Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley , (3 August 1867 – 14 December 1947) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who dominated the government of the United Kingdom between the world wars . He

6767-710: The first Prime Minister of India , Jawaharlal Nehru . Twenty Old Harrovians have been awarded the Victoria Cross and one the George Cross . Five monarchs have attended the school: King Hussein of Jordan ; both Kings of Iraq, Ghazi I and his son Faisal II ; the current Emir of Qatar , Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ; and Ali bin Hamud of Zanzibar . Harrow has educated several Nobel laureates: John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh , who received

6868-400: The former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru ; numerous former and current members of both Houses of the UK Parliament , several members of various royal families , three Nobel Prize winners, twenty Victoria Cross holders, and many prominent figures in the arts and sciences . The school was founded in February 1572 under a royal charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I to John Lyon ,

6969-417: The former Liberal Winston Churchill as chancellor of the exchequer. Baldwin created the Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies , a volunteer body of those opposed to the strike which was intended to complete essential work. A defining feature of Baldwin's Second term was the 1926 General Strike , Baldwin handled the strike by using powers awarded to him in the Emergency Powers Act 1920 . He deployed

7070-401: The government, there were only two candidates to succeed him: Lord Curzon , the foreign secretary , and Baldwin. The choice formally fell to King George V acting on the advice of senior ministers and officials. It is not entirely clear what factors proved most crucial, but some Conservative politicians felt that Curzon was unsuitable for the role of prime minister because he was a member of

7171-410: The greater share, the school's share providing just for the salary of The School Master and some minor provisions. This situation, reasonable at the time because of the need to transport merchandise to market, continued until 1991 when the considerable assets of the Road Trust were reassigned to John Lyon's Charity, a charity to provide educational benefits for the inhabitants of the boroughs through which

7272-600: The increasingly senile MacDonald, until he once again officially became prime minister in 1935. One central and vitally important agreement was the Statute of Westminster 1931 , which conferred full self-government upon the Dominions Canada , South Africa , Australia , the Irish Free State and New Zealand , while preparing the first steps towards the eventual Commonwealth of Nations , and away from

7373-504: The job of Foreign Secretaries. On 8 March 1934, Baldwin defended the creation of four new squadrons for the Royal Air Force against Labour criticisms, and said of international disarmament: If all our efforts for an agreement fail, and if it is not possible to obtain this equality in such matters as I have indicated, then any Government of this country—a National Government more than any, and this Government—will see to it that in air strength and air power this country shall no longer be in

7474-559: The military and volunteers to keep essential services running. The strike ended when it was found to not be protected by the Trade Disputes Act 1906 , leading to the strike being called off on 12 May lasting just 9 days. Baldwin's government was widely credited for such an effective response to the strike. At Baldwin's instigation Lord Weir headed a committee to "review the national problem of electrical energy". It published its report on 14 May 1925 and in it Weir recommended

7575-536: The moment when he was ready to absorb the information and keep it in his memory. He describes the effect of one incident in travelling by ship to his first posting in India that dislocated his shoulder, an injury that affected him the rest of his life, limiting his activity in sports and a few times in battle. One example of this was his reliance on a pistol instead of his cavalry sword in battle, with at least one situation where his injured shoulder would have led to him being

7676-439: The name of its UK subtitle, A Roving Commission. The book includes an observation made upon the death of his nanny . He wrote, "She had been my dearest and most intimate friend during the whole of the twenty years I had lived." This book has been considered by some to be Churchill's best book and one of the outstanding works of the 20th century because it was deliberately written to be much shorter than his typical books, with

7777-603: The number of free scholars declined. In 1825 there were 17 free scholars and 219 foreigners. In 1876 the Lower School of John Lyon was founded under the authority of the Governors of Harrow School to provide a modern education for local boys. It is now known as The John Lyon School and is a prominent independent school; it remains part of the Harrow School Foundation. The Old Schools remains largely

7878-518: The party split on the issue of free trade. In a by-election in 1908 he was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Bewdley , in which role he succeeded his father, who had died earlier that year. During the First World War he became Parliamentary Private Secretary to the party leader Bonar Law . In 1917 he was appointed to the junior ministerial post of Financial Secretary to the Treasury , where he sought to encourage voluntary donations by

7979-549: The pioneering surgeon Archibald MacIndoe . Baldwin proved to be an adept businessman, and acquired a reputation as a modernising industrialist. He inherited £200,000, equivalent to £26,376,221 in 2023, and a directorship of the Great Western Railway on the death of his father in 1908. In the 1906 general election he contested Kidderminster but lost amidst the Conservative landslide defeat after

8080-564: The rebels there and that same itch for experience took him to battles in the North-West Frontier Province of India (an area now in Pakistan), and to the Second Boer War , in South Africa. He describes his program to broaden his education as an officer in India with much spare time on his hands, especially in the heat of midday. His mother shipped books to him, and he read widely in history, philosophy, and ethics, at

8181-654: The reconquest of Sudan , and The Story of the Malakand Field Force (1898) in today's Pakistan . He wrote this autobiography in his mid 50s, after the Great War and before anyone knew there would be a Second World War. His perspective from his experience of war in the 20th century allowed him to see his early life as part of a vanished era in warfare, and in the social structure of life in England. The introduction notes that Churchill endeavoured to write

8282-473: The rich to repay the United Kingdom's war debt, writing letters to The Times under the pseudonym 'FST', many of which were published. He relinquished to the Treasury one fifth of his own fortune (its total estimated at own account as £580,000) held in the form of War Loan stock worth £120,000. Although he entered politics at a relatively late age, his rise to the top leadership was very rapid. In

8383-539: The roads pass. It was only after the death of Lyon's wife in 1608 that the construction of the first school building began. Known as the Old Schools, it was completed in 1615. John Lyon's school was founded to provide free education for 30 (later extended to 40) poor boys of the parish. However, the School Master was permitted to accept "foreigners" (boys from outside the parish) from whom he received fees. It

8484-401: The seniors. At Harrow this was phased out in the 1970s and completely banned by 1990. In his detailed history of the school, Christopher Tyerman recorded that in 1796 fagging was compulsory for boys up to the fourth form, and that 50 out of 139 boys were then fags. In 1928, Harrow Master C. H. P. Mayo said of fagging: "Those who hope to rule must first learn to obey... to learn to obey as a fag

8585-509: The setting up of a Central Electricity Board , a state monopoly half-financed by the Government and half by local undertakings. Baldwin accepted Weir's recommendations and they became law by the end of 1926. The Board was a success. By 1939 electrical output was up fourfold and generating costs had fallen. Consumers of electricity rose from three-quarters of a million in 1920 to nine million in 1938, with annual growth of 700,000 to 800,000

8686-476: The upper half of British prime ministers. Baldwin was born at Lower Park House (Lower Park, Bewdley ) in Worcestershire , England, to Alfred and Louisa (MacDonald) Baldwin , and through his mother was a first cousin of, and had a lifelong friendship with, the writer and poet Rudyard Kipling . A summer spent with Kipling and his sister with the freedom of farm and forest at Loughton , Essex, in 1877

8787-641: Was Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1917–1921) and President of the Board of Trade (1921–1922) in the coalition ministry of David Lloyd George and then rose rapidly. In 1922, Baldwin was one of the prime movers in the withdrawal of Conservative support from Lloyd George; he subsequently became Chancellor of the Exchequer in Bonar Law 's Conservative ministry. Upon Law's resignation for health reasons in May 1923, Baldwin became prime minister and leader of

8888-499: Was prime minister on three occasions, from May 1923 to January 1924, from November 1924 to June 1929, and from June 1935 to May 1937. Born to a prosperous family in Bewdley , Worcestershire, Baldwin was educated at Hawtreys , Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge . He joined the family iron- and steel-making business, and entered the House of Commons in 1908 as the member for Bewdley , succeeding his father Alfred . He

8989-473: Was also Chancellor of the Exchequer whilst he sought to recruit the former Liberal Chancellor Reginald McKenna to join the government. When this failed he appointed Neville Chamberlain to that position. The Conservatives now had a clear majority in the House of Commons and could govern for five years before holding a general election, but Baldwin felt bound by Bonar Law's pledge at the previous election that there would be no introduction of tariffs without

9090-521: Was among several high-profile British public figures who instituted the policy of appeasement towards Adolf Hitler and failed to rearm sufficiently to prepare for the Second World War . However, some have praised Baldwin for his role in forcing and expediting the abdication of Edward VIII , as rumours circulated about Edward's Nazi sympathies and potential compromises to British national security. Today, modern scholars generally rank him in

9191-512: Was an innovative user of the new mass media of radio and film. By 1931, as the economy headed towards crisis, both in Britain and around the world, with the onset of the Great Depression , Baldwin and the Conservatives entered into a coalition with Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald. This decision led to MacDonald's expulsion from his own party, and Baldwin, as Lord President of the Council , became de facto prime minister, deputising for

9292-638: Was asked to resign from the Magpie & Stump (the Trinity College debating society) for never speaking, and, after receiving a third-class degree in history, he went into the family business of iron manufacturing. His father sent him to Mason College for one session of technical training in metallurgy as preparation. As a young man he served briefly as a second lieutenant in the Artillery Volunteers at Malvern , and in 1897 became

9393-573: Was completely wrong." On 25 February 1936, the Cabinet approved a report calling for expansion of the Royal Navy and the re-equipment of the British Army (though not its expansion), along with the creation of "shadow factories" built by public money and managed by industrial companies. The factories came into operation in 1937. In February 1937, the Chiefs of Staff reported that by May 1937,

9494-440: Was featured in a Sky 1 documentary series entitled Harrow: A Very British School in 2013. In February 2016, the actor Laurence Fox claimed Harrow threatened legal action to prevent him discussing the racism, homophobia and bullying he said he encountered as a pupil at the school. Harrow alumni are known as Old Harrovians, among seven British prime ministers were Winston Churchill , Stanley Baldwin and Robert Peel , and

9595-501: Was forced to search for new ministers for a Cabinet which he would lead, and so promoted Baldwin to the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer . In the November 1922 general election the Conservatives were returned with a majority in their own right. In May 1923 Bonar Law was diagnosed with terminal cancer and retired immediately; he died five months later. With many of the party's senior leading figures standing aloof and outside of

9696-423: Was now prime minister, MacDonald Lord President of the council. In October that year, Baldwin called a general election . Neville Chamberlain advised Baldwin to make rearmament the leading issue in the election campaign against Labour and said that if a rearmament programme was not announced until after the election, his government would be seen as having deceived the people. However, Baldwin did not make rearmament

9797-540: Was profoundly pacifist. Baldwin also rejected the "belligerent" views of those like Churchill and Robert Vansittart because he believed that the Nazis were rational men who would appreciate the logic of mutual and equal deterrence. He also believed war to be "the most fearful terror and prostitution of man's knowledge that ever was known". With MacDonald's health in decline, he and Baldwin changed places in June 1935: Baldwin

9898-505: Was seminal to the development of both boys. The family was prosperous, and owned the eponymous iron- and steel-making business that in later years became part of Richard Thomas and Baldwins . Baldwin's schools were St Michael's School , at the time located in Slough , Buckinghamshire (now Berkshire ), followed by Harrow School . He later wrote that " all the king's horses and all the king's men would have failed to have drawn me into

9999-451: Was succeeded by Neville Chamberlain. Historical retrospection and analysis of Baldwin's political career have been complex. During his tenure, Baldwin was regarded as a popular and successful prime minister, but for the final decade of his life and for many years afterwards he was vilified for having presided over high unemployment and a struggling economy in the 1930s. Baldwin has been criticized both contemporaneously and more recently as he

10100-423: Was the need for foreigners to find accommodation that led to the concept of boarding. As in all schools of the time, education was based on the languages and culture of the ancient civilisations of Rome and Greece. As the reputation of the school grew through the 19th century, the number of foreigners increased, but the local families became increasingly reluctant to impose on their children a classical education and

10201-466: Was written during the parliamentary recess in the summer of 1928. He wrote to Stanley Baldwin , "I have had a delightful month - building a cottage and dictating a book: 200 bricks and 2000 words per day." The first English edition published by Thornton Butterworth in October 1930 sold 11,200 copies, and the American edition published by Charles Scribner's Sons sold 6,600. Scribner's titled the book by

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