Misplaced Pages

#462537

153-473: The foundation stone for the homes was laid on 31 August 1896, by Arthur Balfour , who was then MP for East Manchester. The architect was James Barritt Broadbent of Manchester, who had also worked on schools and workhouses in the Manchester area. Styal Cottage Homes were designed in the form of a model village with 12 homes, each with 20 beds, and four smaller homes with 10 beds each, along with schools and

306-548: A British Army officer in the 78th Highlanders , who had been an aide-de-camp to the former governor of Ceylon, Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton , and was serving as a staff officer at Kandy . Sophia's father Alfred Lambe was a wine merchant and Purveyor of Mineral Water to the King. She was brought up New Bond Street in Mayfair, London. Fisher commented, "My mother was a most magnificent and handsome, extremely young woman....My father

459-468: A hospital, erected between 1898 and 1903 at a cost of £60,500. Additional buildings were added in 1905 and in 1928. In 1948 long stay accommodation for 438 children was provided. The children were required to wear uniforms. The establishment was 22 housemothers, 12 assistant housemothers and 18 relief housemothers. Pay for a housemother was £4/2/- for a 48-hour week. £1/3/- was deducted for board and lodging. Twenty children ran away in one month. There

612-483: A Crimean War Victoria Cross holder. Donegal was a Conqueror -class ship of the line , with auxiliary screw propulsion. She plied between Portsmouth and Hong Kong, taking out relief crews and bringing home the crews they replaced. During this time he completed his torpedoes treatise. In May 1870, Fisher transferred, again as second in command, to HMS  Ocean , flagship of the China Station. It

765-413: A convenient cover for his disinclination to marry; the matter cannot be conclusively proven. In later years mediums claimed to pass on messages from her – see the " Cross-Correspondences ". Balfour remained a lifelong bachelor. Margot Tennant (later Margot Asquith) wished to marry him, but Balfour said: "No, that is not so. I rather think of having a career of my own." His household

918-471: A disagreeable irrelevance. Balfour developed a manner known to friends as the Balfourian manner . Harold Begbie , a journalist, attacked him for what Begbie considered Balfour's self-obsession: This Balfourian manner...an attitude of mind—an attitude of convinced superiority which insists in the first place on complete detachment from the enthusiasms of the human race, and in the second place on keeping

1071-405: A following of officers concerned with the poor offensive capabilities of the fleet, including John Jellicoe and Percy Scott . For the next 15 months he had no naval command and still suffered the effects of his illness. He took to visiting Marienbad , which was famous amongst notable society for its restoring climate, and went there regularly in later years. During June–July 1885, Fisher served

1224-585: A gold cup for the ship which performed best at gunnery, and insisted upon shooting at greater range and from battle formations. He found that he too was learning some of the complications and difficulties of controlling a large fleet in complex situations, and immensely enjoyed it. Notes from his lectures indicate that, at the start of his time in the Mediterranean, useful working ranges for heavy guns without telescopic sights were considered to be only 2000 yards, or 3000–4000 yards with such sights, whereas by

1377-558: A gunnery instructor, where he remained until 1869. Towards the end of his posting he became interested in torpedoes , which were invented in the 1860s, and championed their cause as a relatively simple weapon capable of sinking a battleship. His expertise with torpedoes led to his being invited to Germany in June 1869 for the founding ceremony of a new naval base at Wilhelmshaven , where he met King William I of Prussia (soon to become German emperor), Bismarck and Moltke . Perhaps inspired by

1530-468: A hero. Shore duty had the unfortunate effect that Fisher became seriously ill with dysentery and malaria. He refused to take sick leave, but eventually was ordered home by Lord Northbrook, who commented, 'the Admiralty could build another Inflexible , but not another Fisher'. During this time he became a close friend of the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra . He was appointed a Companion of

1683-567: A joke, Fisher arranged for anything that could go wrong with the lamps to do so, sending Colomb away disheartened over his invention (although Fisher officially reported favourably about the lamps). On another occasion, the naval hospital at Halifax requested some flags to fly for the Queen's birthday. Fisher obliged, but sent only yellow and black flags signifying plague and quarantine. On the other hand, he worked hard at improving his ship. As reported by his second in command, Commander Wilmot Fawkes ,

SECTION 10

#1732791415463

1836-530: A knack for negotiation, a taste for intrigue, and care to avoid factionalism. Most importantly, he deepened his close ties with his uncle Lord Salisbury. He also maintained cordial relationships with Disraeli, Gladstone and other national leaders. Released from his duties as private secretary by the 1880 general election , he began to take more part in parliamentary affairs. He was for a time politically associated with Lord Randolph Churchill , Sir Henry Drummond Wolff and John Gorst . This quartet became known as

1989-543: A leader of the WSPU . Balfour argued that he was "not convinced the majority of women actually wanted the vote", in 1907. A rebuttal which meant extending the activist campaign for women's rights. He was reminded by Lytton of a speech he made in 1892, namely that this question "will arise again, menacing and ripe for resolution", she asked him to meet WSPU leader, Christabel Pankhurst, after a series of hunger strikes and suffering by imprisoned suffragettes in 1907. Balfour refused on

2142-445: A much greater firing rate and greater overall weight of broadside . The potentially much greater ranges of large guns was not an issue, because no one knew how to aim them effectively at such ranges. He argued that "the design of fighting ships must follow the mode of fighting instead of fighting being subsidiary to and dependent on the design of ships." As regards how officers needed to behave, he commented, " Think and act for yourself

2295-415: A much more likely enemy. The correspondence revealed that Fisher remained uncertain how his views were being received at the Admiralty and an uncertainty on his part whether he would receive further promotions. He had already received approaches to become a director of Armstrong Whitworth , of Elswick (then Britain's largest armaments firm), at a considerably larger salary than that of an admiral and with

2448-615: A political lightweight. In Parliament he resisted overtures to the Irish Parliamentary Party on Home Rule , which he saw as an expression of superficial or false Irish nationalism . Allied with Joseph Chamberlain 's Liberal Unionists , he encouraged Unionist activism in Ireland. Balfour also helped the poor by creating the Congested Districts Board for Ireland in 1890. Balfour downplayed

2601-519: A posting in England. In 1872, he returned to England to the gunnery school Excellent , this time as head of torpedo and mine training, during which time he split the Torpedo Branch off from Excellent , forming a separate establishment for it called HMS  Vernon . His duties included lecturing, and negotiating the purchase of the navy's first Whitehead torpedo . In order to promote

2754-577: A programme for European Jews to settle in Palestine. However, in 1905 he supported the Aliens Act 1905 , one of whose main objectives was to control and restrict Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe. The budget was certain to show a surplus and taxation could be remitted. Yet as events proved, it was the budget that would sow dissension, override other legislative concerns and signal a new political movement. Charles Thomson Ritchie 's remission of

2907-547: A proponent of the new compass being designed by Sir William Thomson which incorporated corrections for the deviation caused by the metal in iron ships. From 9 January to 24 July 1879 Fisher commanded HMS  Pallas serving in the Mediterranean Command under Geoffrey Phipps Hornby . Pallas was in poor condition, having a chain passed around the ship to hold the armour plates in place. The tour included an official visit to Istanbul where Fisher dined with

3060-668: A public funeral was declined, and he was buried on 22 March beside members of his family at Whittingehame in a Church of Scotland service although he also belonged to the Church of England . By special remainder , his title passed to his brother Gerald. His obituaries in The Times , The Guardian and the Daily Herald did not mention the declaration for which he is most famous outside Britain. Early in Balfour's career he

3213-743: A referendum on food taxes), the Unionist peers split to allow the Parliament Act to pass the House of Lords, to prevent mass creation of Liberal peers by the new King, George V. The exhausted Balfour resigned as party leader after the crisis, and was succeeded in late 1911 by Bonar Law . Balfour remained important in the party, however, and when the Unionists joined Asquith 's coalition government in May 1915, Balfour succeeded Churchill as First Lord of

SECTION 20

#1732791415463

3366-698: A regular tennis player. Four years previously he had been the first president of the International Lawn Tennis Club of Great Britain. At the end of 1928, most of his teeth were removed and he suffered the unremitting circulatory trouble which ended his life. Before that, he had suffered occasional phlebitis and, by late 1929, he was immobilised by it. Following a visit from Chaim Weizmann, Balfour died at his brother Gerald's home, Fishers Hill House in Hook Heath, Woking , where he had lived since January 1929, on 19 March 1930. At his request

3519-456: A reputation as a philosopher. Balfour divided his time between politics and academic pursuits. Biographer Sydney Zebel suggested that Balfour continued to appear an amateur or dabbler in public affairs, devoid of ambition and indifferent to policy issues. However, in fact he actually made a dramatic transition to a deeply involved politician. His assets, according to Zebel, included a strong ambition that he kept hidden, shrewd political judgment,

3672-681: A short posting to HMS  Minotaur in the Baltic under Admiral Hornby, following the Panjdeh Incident , which led to fear of war with Russia. From November 1886 to 1890, he was Director of Naval Ordnance , responsible for weapons and munitions. He was responsible for the development of quick-firing guns to be used against the growing threat from torpedo boats, and particularly claimed responsibility for removing wooden boarding pikes from navy ships. The Navy did not have responsibility for manufacture and supply of weapons and ammunition, which

3825-498: A strong government. This was dashed when Campbell-Bannerman faced down an attempt (" The Relugas Compact ") to "kick him upstairs" to the House of Lords. The Conservatives were defeated by the Liberals at the general election the following January (in terms of MPs, a Liberal landslide), with Balfour losing his seat at Manchester East to Thomas Gardner Horridge , a solicitor and King's Counsel . Only 157 Conservatives were returned to

3978-568: A strong navy deterred other nations from engaging it in battle, thus decreasing the likelihood of war: "On the British fleet rests the British Empire." Fisher also believed that the risk of catastrophe in a sea battle was far greater than on land: a war could be lost or won in a day at sea, with no hope of replacing lost ships, but an army could be rebuilt quickly. When an arms race broke out between Germany and Britain to build larger navies,

4131-473: A success and more were ordered, but Fisher immediately ran into trouble by insisting that all shipbuilders, not just Yarrow's, should be invited to build boats to Yarrow's design. A similar (though opposite) difficulty with vested interests arose over the introduction of water tube boilers into navy ships, which held out the promise of improved fuel efficiency and greater speed. The first examples were used by Thornycroft and Yarrow in 1892, and then were trialled in

4284-485: A thing is impossible, that there are insuperable objections, then is the time to fight like the devil . His next appointment was Third Naval Lord and Controller of the Navy , the naval officer with overall responsibility for provision of ships and equipment. He presided over the development of torpedo boat destroyers armed with quick-firing small-calibre guns (called destroyers at Fisher's suggestion). A suggestion for

4437-526: A tortuous layout that crew became lost. The sails were never used for propulsion, but because a ship's performance was partly judged on the speed with which a ship could set sails, Fisher was obliged to drill the crew in their use. In spring 1882 Inflexible was part of the Mediterranean Fleet and was assigned to protection of Queen Victoria during a visit to Menton on the Riviera . This

4590-582: Is a great revising Chamber, the safeguard of liberty in the country." The issue was forced by the Liberals with Lloyd George's People's Budget , provoking the constitutional crisis that led to the Parliament Act 1911 , which limited the Lords to delaying bills for up to two years. After the Unionists lost the general elections of 1910 (despite softening the tariff reform policy with Balfour's promise of

4743-423: Is beautiful and distinguished––music, literature, philosophy, religious feeling and moral disinterestedness, aloof from all the greed and crying of common human nature. But a strange paradox as Prime Minister of a great empire! I doubt whether even foreign affairs interest him. For all economic and social questions I gather he has an utter loathing, while the machinery of government and administration would seem to him

Styal Cottage Homes - Misplaced Pages Continue

4896-412: Is the motto for the future, not Let us wait for orders ." Lord Hankey , then a marine officer serving under Fisher, later commented, "It is difficult for anyone who had not lived under the previous regime to realize what a change Fisher brought about in the Mediterranean fleet. ... Before his arrival, the topics and arguments of the officers messes ... were mainly confined to such matters as

5049-708: The Admiralty in 1910 on his 69th birthday, but became First Sea Lord again in November 1914. He resigned seven months later in frustration over Churchill 's Gallipoli campaign , and then served as chairman of the Government's Board of Invention and Research until the end of the war. Fisher was five feet seven inches tall and stocky with a round face. In later years, some suggested that Fisher, born in Ceylon of British parents, had Asian ancestry due to his features and

5202-556: The Chief Secretary for Ireland , resigned because of illness and Salisbury appointed his nephew in his place. The selection was much criticised. It was received with contemptuous ridicule by the Irish Nationalists , for none suspected Balfour's immense strength of will, his debating power, his ability in attack and his still greater capacity to disregard criticism. Balfour surprised critics by ruthless enforcement of

5355-709: The Committee of Imperial Defence , which provided better long-term coordinated planning between the Army and Navy. Austen Chamberlain said Britain would have been unprepared for the First World War without his Committee of Imperial Defence. He wrote, "It is impossible to overrate the services thus rendered by Balfour to the Country and Empire....[Without the CID] victory would have been impossible." Historians also praised

5508-626: The Crimes Act . The Mitchelstown Massacre occurred on 9 September 1887, when Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) members fired at a crowd protesting against the conviction under the Act of MP William O'Brien and another man. Three were killed by the RIC's gunfire. When Balfour defended the RIC in the Commons, O'Brien dubbed him "Bloody Balfour". His steady administration did much to dispel his reputation as

5661-636: The Entente Cordiale with France, an agreement that paved the way for improved relations between the two states and their predecessors. He cautiously embraced imperial preference as championed by Joseph Chamberlain , but resignations from the Cabinet over the abandonment of free trade left his party divided. He also suffered from public anger at the later stages of the Boer War (counter-insurgency warfare characterised as "methods of barbarism") and

5814-496: The First Hague Peace Convention in 1899. The peace conference had been called by Russia to agree to limits on armaments, but the British position was to reject any proposal which might restrict use of the navy. Fisher's style was to say little in formal meetings, but to lobby determinedly at all informal gatherings. He impressed many by his affability and style, combined with a serious determination to press

5967-687: The Gulf of Finland during the Crimean War , entitling Fisher to the Baltic Medal , before returning to Britain a few months later. The crew was paid off on 1 March 1856. On 2 March 1856, Fisher was posted to HMS  Agamemnon , and was sent to Constantinople (now Istanbul ) to join her. He arrived on 19 May, just as the war was ending. After a tour around the Dardanelles picking up troops and baggage, Agamemnon returned to England, where

6120-576: The Land Law (Ireland) Act 1881 and this was expanded by the Conservatives in the land purchase scheme of 1885 . However the depression in agriculture kept prices low. Balfour's solution was to keep selling land and in 1887 lowering rents to match the lower prices, and protected more tenants against eviction by their landlords. Balfour greatly expanded the land sales. They culminated in the final Unionist land purchase programme of 1903, when Balfour

6273-504: The North America and West Indies Station , Astley Cooper Key , from 2 March 1877 to 4 June 1878. Bellerophon had been in the dockyard for repairs, so the new crew was less than perfect in carrying out their duties. Fisher told them I intend to give you hell for three months, and if you have not come up to my standard in that time you'll have hell for another three months. Midshipman (later Admiral) Gordon Moore recalled, Fisher

Styal Cottage Homes - Misplaced Pages Continue

6426-903: The University of Cambridge , where he read moral sciences at Trinity College (1866–1869), graduating with a second-class honours degree. His younger brother was the Cambridge embryologist Francis Maitland Balfour (1851–1882). Balfour met his cousin May Lyttelton in 1870 when she was 19. After her two previous serious suitors had died, Balfour is said to have declared his love for her in December 1874. She died of typhus on Palm Sunday , 21 March 1875; Balfour arranged for an emerald ring to be buried in her coffin. Lavinia Talbot, May's older sister, believed that an engagement had been imminent, but her recollections of Balfour's distress (he

6579-585: The county of Haddington . In October 1922 he, with most of the Conservative leadership, resigned with Lloyd George's government following the Carlton Club meeting , a Conservative back-bench revolt against continuance of the coalition. Bonar Law became prime minister. Like many Coalition leaders, he did not hold office in the Conservative governments of 1922–1924 , but as an elder statesman, he

6732-653: The sultan of the Ottoman Empire from gold cups and plates. He then returned to the UK for two months leave at half pay, visiting Bruges with his family. His next posting, starting 25 September 1879, was to HMS  Northampton as Flag Captain to Sir Leopold McClintock , commanding the North American squadron. Northampton was a new ship with a number of innovations, including twin screws, searchlights and telephones, as well as being armed with torpedoes. It

6885-574: The " Fourth Party " and gained notoriety for leader Lord Randolph Churchill's free criticism of Sir Stafford Northcote , Lord Cross and other prominent members of the Conservative "old gang". In 1885, Lord Salisbury appointed Balfour President of the Local Government Board ; the following year he became Secretary for Scotland with a seat in the cabinet. These offices, while offering few opportunities for distinction, were an apprenticeship. In early 1887, Sir Michael Hicks Beach ,

7038-496: The "infamous" Alfred Dreyfus to France to foment trouble within the French army. It was Fisher's policy to conduct all manoeuvres at full speed while training the fleet, and to expect the best from his crews. He would socialise with junior officers so that they were not afraid to approach him with ideas, or disagree with him when the occasion demanded. Fisher was chosen by Prime Minister Lord Salisbury as British naval delegate to

7191-414: The 1920s, and died in 1930, aged 81, having spent a vast inherited fortune. He never married. Balfour trained as a philosopher – he originated an argument against believing that human reason could determine truth – and was seen as having a detached attitude to life, epitomised by a remark attributed to him: "Nothing matters very much and few things matter at all." Arthur Balfour

7344-531: The Admiralty . When Asquith's government collapsed in December 1916, Balfour, who seemed a potential successor to the premiership, became foreign secretary in Lloyd George's new administration, but not in the small War Cabinet, and was frequently left out of inner workings of government. Balfour's service as foreign secretary was notable for the Balfour Mission , a crucial alliance-building visit to

7497-402: The Admiralty to obtain additional ships and supplies for the Mediterranean squadron. Beresford, who had established a career in politics alongside his naval one, continued a public campaign for greater funding of the fleet, which caused him to come into conflict with the Admiralty. While Fisher agreed with him as to the need for greater funding and instant readiness for war, he chose to stay out of

7650-545: The Anglo-French Convention (1904), which formed the basis of the Entente Cordiale with France that proved decisive in 1914. Balfour may have been personally sympathetic to extending suffrage, with his brother Gerald , Conservative MP for Leeds Central married to women's suffrage activist Constance Lytton 's sister Betty , but he accepted the strength of the political opposition to women's suffrage, as shown in correspondence with Christabel Pankhurst ,

7803-645: The Anglo-Irish landowners. The Education Act 1902 had a major long-term impact in modernising the school system in England and Wales and provided financial support for schools operated by the Church of England and by the Catholic Church. Nonconformists were outraged and mobilised their voters, but were unable to reverse it. In foreign and defence policy, he oversaw reform of British defence policy and supported Jackie Fisher 's naval innovations. He secured

SECTION 50

#1732791415463

7956-613: The Bath (CB) in 1882. From January to April 1883, Fisher was on half pay recovering from his illness. In January, he was invited to visit Osborne House for a fortnight by Queen Victoria, concerned about the charming Captain Fisher. Fisher, having entered the navy penniless and unknown, was delighted. In April 1883, Fisher had recovered sufficiently to return to duty and was appointed commander of HMS  Excellent . He remained with Excellent for two years until June 1885, where he gained

8109-401: The British case with everyone he met. The conference ended successfully with limitations only upon dumdum bullets, poison gas and bombings from balloons, and Fisher was rewarded with appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet , 'the tip-top appointment of the fleet' . The German delegation summarised Britain's position: English world position depended upon the navy, the navy

8262-424: The British fleet, and the numerous French torpedo boats. Fisher's innovations were not universally approved, with some senior officers resenting the attention he paid to their juniors, or the pressure he placed on all to improve efficiency. A programme of realistic exercises was adopted including simulated French raids, defensive manoeuvres, night attacks and blockades, all carried out at maximum speed. He introduced

8415-552: The British treasury and used them for local improvements. Balfour's introduction of Chinese coolie labour in South Africa enabled the Liberals to counterattack, charging that his measures amounted to "Chinese slavery". Likerwise Liberals energised the Nonconformists when they attacked Balfour's Licensing Act 1904 which paid pub owners to close down. In the long run it did reduce the great oversupply of pubs, while in

8568-550: The Commons, at least two-thirds followers of Chamberlain, who chaired the Conservative MPs until Balfour won a by-election for a safe seat in the City of London . According to historian Robert Ensor , Balfour can be credited with achievement in five major areas: The Education Act lasted four decades and eventually was highly praised. Eugene Rasor states, "Balfour was credited and much praised from many perspectives with

8721-614: The Council . In 1921–22 he represented the British Empire at the Washington Naval Conference and during summer 1922 stood in for the foreign secretary, Lord Curzon , who was ill. He put forward a proposal for the international settlement of war debts and reparations (the Balfour Note ), but it was not accepted. On 5 May 1922, Balfour was created Earl of Balfour and Viscount Traprain, of Whittingehame , in

8874-606: The German Kaiser commented, 'I admire Fisher, I say nothing against him. If I were in his place I should do all that he has done and I should do all that I know he has in mind to do'. John Arbuthnot Fisher was born on 25 January 1841 on the Wavendon Estate at Ramboda in Ceylon . He was the eldest of eleven children, of whom only seven survived infancy, born to Sophia Fisher and Captain William Fisher,

9027-623: The Home Rule crisis, the formation of the Ulster Volunteers and Irish Volunteers, and a period of growing nationalist and unionist radicalisation that culminated in the Easter rebellion of 1916 and the subsequent War of Independence. In 1886–1892 he became one of the most effective public speakers of the age. Impressive in matter rather than delivery, his speeches were logical and convincing, and delighted an ever-wider audience. On

9180-656: The House and First Lord of the Treasury. His management of the abortive education proposals of 1896 showed a disinclination for the drudgery of parliamentary management, yet he saw the passage of a bill providing Ireland with improved local government under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 and joined in debates on foreign and domestic questions between 1895 and 1900. During the illness of Lord Salisbury in 1898, and again in Salisbury's absence abroad, Balfour

9333-427: The House of Commons after his stroke in July 1906, but he was unable to make much headway against the huge Liberal majority in the Commons. An early attempt to score a debating triumph over the government, made in Balfour's usual abstruse, theoretical style, saw Campbell-Bannerman respond with: "Enough of this foolery," to the delight of his supporters. Balfour made the controversial decision, with Lord Lansdowne , to use

SECTION 60

#1732791415463

9486-413: The Liberal Unionist leader of the 1880s) left Balfour's Cabinet weak. By 1905 few Unionist MPs were still free traders ( Winston Churchill crossed to the Liberals in 1904 when threatened with deselection at Oldham ), but Balfour's act had drained his authority within the government. Balfour resigned as prime minister in December 1905, hoping the Liberal leader Campbell-Bannerman would be unable to form

9639-501: The Member of Parliament for Manchester East . In spring 1878, he became private secretary to his uncle Lord Salisbury . He accompanied Salisbury (then Foreign Secretary) to the Congress of Berlin and gained his first experience in international politics in connection with the settlement of the Russo-Turkish conflict . At the same time he became known in the world of letters; the academic subtlety and literary achievement of his Defence of Philosophic Doubt (1879) suggested he might make

9792-428: The Prime Minister, H.H. Asquith in a 1911 delegation of the women's movements representing the Conservative and Unionist Women's Franchise Association but it was not until 1918 that (some) women were given the right to vote in elections in the United Kingdom, despite a forty-year campaign. After the general election of 1906 Balfour remained party leader, his position strengthened by Joseph Chamberlain's absence from

9945-464: The Royal Society in 1861) and he taught Fisher much about navigation, with spectacular later results. When Shadwell was replaced as captain following an injury in action, he gave Fisher a pair of studs engraved with his family motto 'Loyal au Mort', which Fisher was to use for the rest of his life. Fisher passed the seamanship examination for the rank of lieutenant, and was given the acting rank of mate , on his nineteenth birthday, 25 January 1860. He

10098-455: The US in April 1917, and the Balfour Declaration of 1917, a letter to Lord Rothschild affirming the government's support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine , then part of the Ottoman Empire . Balfour resigned as foreign secretary following the Versailles Conference in 1919, but continued in the government (and the Cabinet after normal peacetime political arrangements resumed) as Lord President of

10251-439: The United Kingdom or becoming independent. From 1891 he led the Conservative Party in the House of Commons, serving under his uncle, Lord Salisbury , whose government won large majorities in 1895 and 1900 . An esteemed debater, he was bored by the mundane tasks of party management. In July 1902, he succeeded his uncle as prime minister. In domestic policy he passed the Land Purchase (Ireland) Act 1903 , which bought out most of

10404-415: The bill in the end but not for its progress to the Grand Committee, preventing it becoming law, and extending the activist campaigns as a result again. The following year Lytton and Annie Kenney in person after another reading of the Bill, but again it was not prioritised as government business. His sister-in-law Lady Betty Balfour spoke to Churchill that her brother was to speak for this policy, and also met

10557-447: The boats was brought to the Admiralty in 1892 by Alfred Yarrow of shipbuilders Thornycroft and Yarrow, who reported that he had obtained plans of new torpedo boats being built by the French, and he could build a faster boat to defend against them. Torpedo boats had become a major threat, as they were cheap but potentially able to sink the largest battleships, and France had built large numbers of them . The first destroyers were considered

10710-400: The cleaning of paint and brasswork. ... These were forgotten and replaced by incessant controversies on tactics, strategy, gunnery, torpedo warfare, blockade, etc. It was a veritable renaissance and affected every officer in the navy." Lord Charles Beresford , later to become a severe critic of Fisher, gave up a plan to return to Britain and enter parliament, because he had "learnt more in

10863-404: The contrary: Balfour's air of detachment was a pose. He was sincere in his conservatism, mistrusting radical political and social change and believing deeply in the Union with Ireland, the Empire and the superiority of the British race....Those who dismissed him as a languid dilettante were wide of the mark. As Chief Secretary for Ireland from 1887 to 1891 he manifested an unflinching commitment to

11016-502: The countryside dramatically declined as some 200,000 peasant proprietors owned about half the land in Ireland. However, the Irish Parliamentary Party recovered after its bitter post-Parnell split was healed and became the dominant political force in Ireland once again, eventually using its position as Westminster kingmaker to secure the passage of a Home Rule Act when the Liberals returned to power. This led in turn to

11169-584: The crew was paid off. Promotion to midshipman came on 12 July 1856 and Fisher joined a 21-gun steam corvette , HMS  Highflyer , part of the China Station . He was to spend the next five years in Chinese waters, seeing action in the Second Opium War , 1856–1860. The Highflyer's captain, Charles Shadwell , was an expert on naval astronomy (subsequently being appointed a Fellow of

11322-500: The death of W. H. Smith in 1891, Balfour became First Lord of the Treasury  – the last in British history not to have been concurrently prime minister as well – and Leader of the House of Commons . After the fall of the government in 1892 he spent three years in opposition. When the Conservatives returned to power, in coalition with the Liberal Unionists, in 1895, Balfour again became Leader of

11475-682: The dominions and the colonies, and produce a positive programme that would facilitate reelection. He was vehemently opposed by Conservative free traders who denounced the proposal as economically fallacious, and open to the charge of raising food prices in Britain. Balfour tried to forestall disruption by removing key ministers on each side, and offering a much narrower tariff programme. It was ingenious, but both sides rejected any compromise, and his party's chances for reelection were ruined. Historians generally praised Balfour's achievements in military and foreign policy. Cannon & Crowcroft 2015 stress

11628-445: The end of his time discussion centred on how to shoot effectively at 5000 yards. This was driven by the increasing range of the torpedo, which had now risen to 3000–4000 yards, necessitating ships fighting effectively at greater ranges. At this time he advocated relatively small main armaments on capital ships (some had 15 inch or greater), because the improved technical design of the relatively small (10 inch) modern guns allowed

11781-500: The end of the tour, Jones was impressed by Fisher. At the end of November 1861, Fisher sat his final lieutenant's examination in navigation at the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth, passing with flying colours. He had already received top grades in seamanship and gunnery, and achieved the highest score then attained under the recently introduced five-yearly scheme, with 963 out of 1,000 marks in navigation. For this, he

11934-496: The factor of Irish nationalism, arguing that the real issues were economic. Regarding ownership and control of the land, he believed that once violence was suppressed and land was sold to the tenants, Irish nationalism would no longer threaten the unity of the United Kingdom. The slogan "to kill home rule with kindness" characterised Balfour's new policy toward Ireland. The Liberals had begun land sales to Irish tenants with

12087-497: The failed Hungarian Revolution of 1956 . The site was acquired by the Prison Commission (England and Wales) in 1960 and the site re-opened as a women's prison, HM Prison Styal , on 24 October 1962. Arthur Balfour Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour , ( / ˈ b æ l f ər , - f ɔːr / , 25 July 1848 – 19 March 1930), was a British statesman and Conservative Party politician who

12240-501: The first all-big-gun battleship, but he also believed that submarines would become increasingly important and urged their development. He became involved with the introduction of turbine engines to replace reciprocating engines , and with the introduction of oil fuelling to replace coal . He introduced daily baked bread on board ships, whereas when he entered the service it was customary to eat hard biscuits , frequently infested by biscuit beetles . He first officially retired from

12393-520: The first all-iron seagoing armoured battleship and the most powerful ship in the fleet. Built in 1859, she marked the beginning of the end of the Age of Sail and, coincidentally, was armed with both Armstrong guns (breech-loading) and Whitworth rifles (muzzle-loading). Fisher noted he was popular amongst his brother officers because he frequently stayed on board when others went ashore and could take duty for them. Fisher returned to Excellent in 1864 as

12546-493: The grounds of her militancy. Christabel pleaded direct to meet Balfour as Conservative party leader, on their policy manifesto for the General Election of 1909, but he refused again as women's suffrage was "not a party question and his colleagues were divided on the matter". She tried and failed again to get his open support in parliament for women's cause in the 1910 private member's Conciliation Bill . He voted for

12699-459: The gunboat Sharpshooter . However, an attempt to specify similar boilers for new cruisers in 1894 led to questions in the House of Commons, and opposition from shipbuilders who did not want to invest in the new technology. The matter continued for several years after Fisher moved on to a new posting, with a parliamentary enquiry rejecting the new boilers. Eventually the new design was adopted, but only after another eighteen ships had been built using

12852-464: The heavily Unionist House of Lords as a check on the political programme and legislation of the Liberal party in the Commons. Legislation was vetoed or altered by amendments between 1906 and 1909, leading David Lloyd George to remark that the Lords was "the right hon. Gentleman's poodle. It fetches and carries for him. It barks for him. It bites anybody that he sets it on to. And we are told that this

13005-419: The homes progressed the school, farm and bakery closed. 82 children ran away in May. The City Council developed a programme for building family group homes as an alternative. The last child left in 1956. By that time Manchester had opened 22 family group homes, housing 116 children. Between December 1956 and September 1959, Styal Cottage Homes were used to house 1100 refugees who had fled Hungary following

13158-566: The hope of glory he still possesses the means of Grace ." Balfour was not initially included in Baldwin's second government in 1924, but in 1925, he returned to the Cabinet, in place of the late Lord Curzon as Lord President of the Council , until the government ended in 1929. With 28 years of government service, Balfour had one of the longest ministerial careers in modern British politics, second only to Winston Churchill. Lord Balfour had generally good health until 1928 and remained until then

13311-580: The hulk of the 26-gun steam frigate Ariadne provided accommodation. HMS  Vesuvius , a torpedo boat of 245 tons, was Vernon's experimental tender for the conduct of torpedo trials. They were moored in Portsmouth Harbour . In 1876, Fisher served on the Board of Admiralty 's torpedo committee. Fisher was appointed to command HMS  Bellerophon as flag captain to the Admiral of

13464-577: The importance of the Anglo-French Entente of 1904, and the establishment of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Rasor points to twelve historians who have examined his key role in naval and military reforms. However, there was little political payback at the time. The local Conservative campaigns in 1906 focused mostly on a few domestic issues. Balfour gave strong support for Jackie Fisher 's naval reforms. Balfour created and chaired

13617-501: The importation of Chinese labour to South Africa ("Chinese slavery"). He resigned as prime minister in December 1905 and the following month the Conservatives suffered a landslide defeat at the 1906 election , in which he lost his own seat. He soon re-entered Parliament and continued to serve as Leader of the Opposition throughout the crisis over Lloyd George's 1909 budget , the narrow loss of two further General Elections in 1910, and

13770-467: The last week than in the last forty years." Fisher implemented a program of banquets and balls for important dignitaries to improve diplomatic relations. The fleet visited Constantinople, where he had three meetings with the sultan and was awarded the Grand Cordon, Order of Osmanieh in November 1900, and the following year he was promoted to full Admiral on 5 November 1901. He lobbied hard with

13923-465: The line . She was built of wood, in 1831, with 84 smooth-bore muzzle-loading guns arranged on two gun decks, and relied entirely on sail for propulsion. She had a crew of 700, and discipline was strictly enforced by the "hard-bitten Captain Robert Stopford". Fisher fainted when he witnessed eight men being flogged on his first day. Calcutta participated in the blockade of Russian ports in

14076-561: The maintenance of British authority in the face of popular protest. He combined a strong emphasis on law and order with measures aimed at reforming the landowning system and developing Ireland's backward rural economy. Churchill compared Balfour to H. H. Asquith : "The difference between Balfour and Asquith is that Arthur is wicked and moral, while Asquith is good and immoral." Balfour said of himself, "I am more or less happy when being praised, not very comfortable when being abused, but I have moments of uneasiness when being explained." Balfour

14229-403: The navy rather than as a seagoing admiral involved in major battles, although in his career he experienced all these things. When appointed First Sea Lord in 1904 he removed 150 ships then on active service which were no longer useful and set about constructing modern replacements, developing a modern fleet prepared to meet Germany during the First World War . Fisher saw the need to improve

14382-651: The navy, via his godmother Lady Horton , widow of the governor of Ceylon to whom William Fisher had been Aide-de-camp . She prevailed upon a neighbour, Admiral Sir William Parker (the last of Nelson 's captains), to nominate John as a naval cadet. The entry examination consisted of writing out the Lord's Prayer and jumping naked over a chair. He formally entered the Royal Navy on 13 July 1854, aged 13, on board Nelson's former flagship, Victory , at Portsmouth. On 29 July he joined HMS  Calcutta , an old ship of

14535-503: The new ironclad battleship HMS  Inflexible . Admiral McClintock commented, Everyone regrets the departure of Captain Fisher, but I fancy we shall not fully realize our loss until he is gone....Since his nomination to the Inflexible , his spirits have returned and daily increased, and now he almost requires wiring down. The ship was still building, so Fisher was temporarily appointed to HMS  Duke of Wellington , flagship of

14688-645: The older design, with consequent poorer performance than necessary. Fisher was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1894 as a Knight Commander of the Bath , promoted to vice-admiral in 1896, and put in charge of the North America and West Indies Station in 1897. In 1898 the Fashoda Crisis brought the threat of war with France, to which Fisher responded with plans to raid the French West Indies including Devil's Island prison, and return

14841-797: The paddle- sloop HMS  Furious where he saw sufficient action to add the Taku Forts and Canton clasps to his China War Medal . Furious left Hong Kong and the China Station in March 1861 and, after a leisurely voyage home, paid off her crew in Portsmouth on 30 August. Captain Oliver Jones of the Furious was entirely different from Shadwell: Fisher wrote there was a mutiny on board within his first fortnight, that Jones terrorized his crew and disobeyed orders given to him. For his part, by

14994-645: The passage of the Parliament Act 1911 . He resigned as party leader in 1911. Balfour returned as First Lord of the Admiralty in Asquith's Coalition Government (1915–1916). In December 1916, he became foreign secretary in David Lloyd George 's coalition. He was frequently left out of the inner workings of foreign policy, although the Balfour Declaration on a Jewish homeland bore his name. He continued to serve in senior positions throughout

15147-430: The performance of the "revolutionary" Armstrong breech-loading guns against the conventional Whitworth muzzle-loading type. During free afternoons Fisher would walk the downs, shouting to practice his command voice. He spent 15 of the next 25 years in four tours of duty at Portsmouth concerned with development of gunnery and torpedoes . In March 1863, Fisher was appointed Gunnery Lieutenant to HMS  Warrior ,

15300-456: The point he was seeking to make, and on one occasion, the King asked him to stop shaking his fist in his face. He was considered a "man who demanded to be heard, and one who didn't suffer fools lightly". Throughout his life he was a religious man and attended church regularly when ashore. He had a passion for sermons and might attend two or three services in a day to hear them, which he would 'discuss afterwards with great animation'. However, he

15453-539: The port admiral at Portsmouth between 30 January and 4 July 1881. Fisher was considered sufficiently able, with recommendations following all of his postings, to be appointed captain of the newly completed battleship HMS  Inflexible . Inflexible had the largest guns and thickest armour of any ship in the navy, but still carried masts and sails and had slow, muzzle-loading guns. She had been seven years under construction and had many innovations built into her, including electric lighting and torpedo tubes, but with such

15606-470: The port of Alexandria as part of Admiral Seymour 's fleet. Fisher was placed in charge of a landing party which was quartered in the Khedive's palace. Lacking means of reconnaissance, he devised a plan to armour a train with iron plates, machine gun and cannon. This became celebrated and widely reported by correspondents, so that its inventor, Fisher, came to the attention of the public for the first time as

15759-486: The possibility of building privately new designs of ship which he believed would be needed to maintain the strength of the fleet. In early June 1902 Fisher handed over the command of the Mediterranean Squadron to Admiral Sir Compton Domvile , and returned to the UK to take up the appointment as Second Naval Lord in charge of personnel. He was read in at the Admiralty on 9 June, and took up his duties

15912-518: The practice of junior officers dancing on deck when the band was playing for senior officers' wardroom dinners. This practice spread through the fleet. He broke with the then ball tradition of dancing with a different partner for each dance, instead adopting the scandalous habit of choosing one good dancer as his partner for the evening. His ability to charm all comers of all social classes made up for his sometimes blunt or tactless comments. He suffered from seasickness throughout his life. Fisher's aim

16065-451: The public debate. However, he maintained a steady confidential correspondence with the journalist Arnold White , providing him with information and advice for a newspaper campaign promoting the needs of the navy. During the course of the correspondence in 1902, Fisher noted that although France was Britain's historical enemy, Britain had considerable common interest with France as a possible ally, whereas growing German activity abroad made her

16218-405: The range, accuracy and rate-of-fire of naval gunnery , and became an early proponent of the use of the torpedo , which he believed would supersede big guns for use against ships. As Controller, he introduced torpedo-boat destroyers as a class of ship intended for defence against attack from torpedo boats or from submarines. As First Sea Lord he drove the construction of HMS  Dreadnought ,

16371-423: The rift grew in the Unionist ranks. Tariff reform was popular with Unionist supporters, but the threat of higher prices for food imports made the policy an electoral albatross. Hoping to split the difference between the free traders and tariff reformers in his cabinet and party, Balfour favoured retaliatory tariffs to punish others who had tariffs against the British, in the hope of encouraging global free trade. This

16524-416: The school, he invited politicians and journalists to attend lectures and organised demonstrations. This produced mixed reactions amongst some officers, who did not approve of his showmanship. He was promoted to captain on 30 October 1874, aged thirty-three, in time to be Vernon ' s first commander. Vernon consisted of the hulk of HMS  Vernon , William Symonds ' 1832 50-gun sailing frigate, and

16677-467: The shilling import-duty on corn led to Joseph Chamberlain 's crusade in favour of tariff reform. These were taxes on imported goods with trade preference given to the Empire, to protect British industry from competition, strengthen the Empire in the face of growing German and American economic power, and provide revenue, other than raising taxes, for the social welfare legislation. As the session proceeded,

16830-488: The ship carried out 150 runs with torpedoes in a fortnight, whereas the whole rest of the navy performed only 200 in a year. Fisher's brother Philip was serving on the training ship Atalanta , which disappeared somewhere between the West Indies and England, believed lost in a storm. Northampton was one of the ships sent to search for her, but without result. In January 1881 Fisher received news of his appointment to

16983-478: The short run Balfour's party was hurt. Balfour failed to solve his greatest political challenge – the debate over tariffs that ripped his party apart. Chamberlain proposed to turn the Empire into a closed trade bloc protected by high tariffs against imports from Germany and the United States. He argued that tariff reform would revive a flagging British economy, strengthen imperial ties with

17136-509: The side of votes was obvious and deterrent....Public money was thus made available for the first time to ensure properly paid teachers and a standardised level of efficiency for all children alike [including the Anglican and Catholic schools]. For most of the 19th century, the very powerful political and economic position of the Church of Ireland (Anglican) landowners opposed the political aspirations of Irish nationalists. Balfour's solution

17289-480: The speed of operations. Royal Sovereign was built in two years rather than three, while changing a barbette gun on a ship was reduced from a two-day operation to two hours. His example obliged all shipyards, both navy and private, to reduce the time they took to complete a ship, making savings in cost and allowing new designs to enter service more rapidly. He used all the tricks he could devise: an official who refused to step outside his office to personally supervise

17442-421: The standards he demanded. He gave lectures on naval strategy to which all officers were invited and once again encouraged his officers to bring ideas to him. He offered prizes for essays on tactics and maintained a large tabletop map room with models of all ships in the fleet, where all officers could come to develop tactics. A particular concern was the threat of torpedoes, which Germany had boasted would dispose of

17595-487: The success [of the 1902 education act]. His commitment to education was fundamental and strong." At the time it hurt Balfour because the Liberal party used it to rally their Noncomformist supporters. Ensor said the Act ranked: among the two or three greatest constructive measures of the twentieth century....[He did not write it] but no statesman less dominated than Balfour was by the concept of national efficiency would have taken it up and carried it through, since its cost on

17748-484: The suppression of obstruction, yet there was a slight revival of the criticisms of 1896. With Lord Salisbury's resignation on 11 July 1902, Balfour succeeded him as prime minister, with the approval of all the Unionist party. The new prime minister came into power practically at the same moment as the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra and the end of the South African War . The Liberal party

17901-567: The top of the tree." They remained married until her death in July 1918. They had a son, Cecil Vavasseur , 2nd Baron Fisher (1868–1955), and three daughters, Beatrix Alice (1867–1930), Dorothy Sybil (1873–1962), and Pamela Mary (1876–1949), all of whom married naval officers who went on to become admirals. Beatrix Alice married Reginald Rundell Neeld in 1896, Pamela Mary married Henry Blackett in 1906, and in 1908 Dorothy Sybil married Eric Fullerton . Fisher's father ultimately aided his entry into

18054-483: The very thought of it and really, I don't want to see her. I don't see why I should as I haven't the slightest recollection of her." Fisher married Frances Katharine Josepha Broughton, known as 'Kitty', the daughter of the Rev. Thomas Delves Broughton and Frances Corkran, on 4 April 1866 while stationed at Portsmouth . Kitty's two brothers were both naval officers. According to a cousin, she believed that Jack would rise "to

18207-453: The visit, he started preparing a paper on the design, construction and management of electrical torpedoes, the cutting-edge technology of the time. On 2 August 1869 Fisher was promoted to the rank of commander , "at the early age of twenty-eight" according to biographer Ruddock Mackay. On 8 November, he was posted as second-in-command of HMS  Donegal , serving under Captain Hewett ,

18360-431: The vulgar world at arm's length....To Mr. Arthur Balfour this studied attitude of aloofness has been fatal, both to his character and to his career. He has said nothing, written nothing, done nothing, which lives in the heart of his countrymen....the charming, gracious, and cultured Mr. Balfour is the most egotistical of men, and a man who would make almost any sacrifice to remain in office. However, Graham Goodlad argued to

18513-436: The work was offered a promotion to the tropics; he would find out the name of one or two men amongst a work crew and then make a point of complimenting them on their work and using their names, giving the impression he knew everyone personally; he took a chair and table into the yard where some operation was to be carried out and declared his intention to stay there until the operation was completed. He observed, When you are told

18666-429: The yellow cast of his skin. However, his colour resulted from dysentery and malaria in middle life, which nearly caused his death. He had a fixed and compelling gaze when addressing someone, which gave little clue to his feelings. Fisher was energetic, ambitious, enthusiastic and clever. A shipmate described him as "easily the most interesting midshipman I ever met". When addressing someone he could become carried away with

18819-718: Was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As foreign secretary in the Lloyd George ministry , he issued the Balfour Declaration of 1917 on behalf of the cabinet, which supported a "home for the Jewish people" in Palestine . Entering Parliament in 1874 , Balfour achieved prominence as Chief Secretary for Ireland , in which position he suppressed agrarian unrest whilst taking measures against absentee landlords . He opposed Irish Home Rule , saying there could be no half-way house between Ireland remaining within

18972-562: Was "staggered") were not written down until thirty years later. Historian R. J. Q. Adams points out that May's letters discuss her love life in detail, but contain no evidence that she was in love with Balfour, nor that he had spoken to her of marriage. He visited her only once during her serious three-month illness, and was soon accepting social invitations again within a month of her death. Adams suggests that, although he may simply have been too shy to express his feelings fully, Balfour may also have encouraged tales of his youthful tragedy as

19125-516: Was 'efficiency of the fleet and its instant readiness for war', which won him support amongst a certain kind of navy officer. He believed in advancing the most able, rather than the longest serving. This upset those he passed over. Thus, he divided the navy into those who approved of his innovations and those who did not. As he became older and more senior he also became more autocratic and commented, 'Anyone who opposes me, I crush'. He believed that nations fought wars for material gain, and that maintaining

19278-404: Was 6 feet 2 inches..., also especially handsome. Why I am ugly is one of those puzzles of physiology which are beyond finding out". William Fisher sold his commission the year John was born, and became a coffee planter and later chief superintendent of police. He incurred such debt on his two coffee plantations that he could barely support his growing family. At the age of six John (who

19431-457: Was a British Admiral of the Fleet . With more than sixty years in the Royal Navy , his efforts to reform the service helped to usher in an era of modernisation which saw the supersession of wooden sailing ships armed with muzzle-loading cannon by steel-hulled battlecruisers , submarines and the first aircraft carriers . Fisher has a reputation as an innovator, strategist and developer of

19584-470: Was a farm training school. A 16-horsepower Austin vehicle was provided by the City Council in 1948 to enable sports teams to get to away fixtures. There was a military band, but it was closed in 1948 at the same time that corporal punishment was abolished. However this was not always the case as it was not unusual for children to be punished if caught talking at night once the lights were off. A slipper

19737-498: Was a sister of the 3rd Marquess , the future prime minister. Arthur's godfather was the Duke of Wellington , after whom he was named. He was the eldest son, third of eight children, and had four brothers and three sisters. Arthur Balfour was educated at Grange Preparatory School at Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire (1859–1861), and Eton College (1861–1866), where he studied with the influential master, William Johnson Cory . He then went up to

19890-695: Was a very exacting master and I had at times long and arduous duties, long hours at the engine room telegraphs in cold fog, etc., and the least inattention was punished. It was, I think, his way of proving us, for he always rewarded us in some way when an extra hard bit of work was over. Cooper Key was transferred to a special squadron operating in the Channel formed to combat fears of war with Russia. Fisher went with him as flag captain of HMS Hercules from 7 June to 21 August 1878. From 22 August to 12 September he transferred still as flag captain under Cooper Key to HMS  Valorous . At this time Fisher first became

20043-590: Was always known within the family as "Jack" ) was sent to England to live with his maternal grandfather, Alfred Lambe, in London. His grandfather had also lost money and the family survived by renting out rooms in their home. John's younger brother, Frederic William Fisher , joined the Royal Navy and reached the rank of admiral, and his youngest surviving sibling Philip became a navy lieutenant on HMS  Atalanta before drowning in an 1880 storm. William Fisher

20196-479: Was awarded the Beaufort Testimonial, an annual prize of books and instruments; but in the meantime he had to wait around, unpaid, until his appointment came through officially. From January 1862 to March 1863, Fisher returned to the payroll at the navy's principal gunnery school aboard HMS  Excellent , a three-decker moored in Portsmouth harbour. During this time, Excellent was evaluating

20349-480: Was born at Whittingehame House , East Lothian, Scotland, the eldest son of James Maitland Balfour and Lady Blanche Gascoyne-Cecil. His father was a Scottish MP, as was his grandfather James ; his mother, a member of the Cecil family descended from Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury , was the daughter of the 2nd Marquess of Salisbury and his first wife, Mary Frances Gascoyne (born 1802; m. 1821; died 1839), and she

20502-607: Was concerned with the route north–south to its colonies in Northern Africa. Fisher retained his flagship from the North American Squadron, HMS  Renown , rather than choosing a more powerful but slower traditional battleship, despite criticism from other officers. His strategy emphasised the importance of striking the first blow, but with an awareness that sunk ships could not easily be replaced, and would replace any officer who could not keep up with

20655-646: Was consulted by the King in the choice of Stanley Baldwin as Bonar Law's successor as Conservative leader in May 1923. His advice was strongly in favour of Baldwin, ostensibly due to Baldwin's being an MP but in reality motivated by his personal dislike of Curzon. Later that evening, he met a mutual friend who asked 'Will dear George be chosen?' to which he replied with "feline Balfourian satisfaction," "No, dear George will not." His hostess replied, "Oh, I am so sorry to hear that. He will be terribly disappointed." Balfour retorted, "Oh, I don't know. After all, even if he has lost

20808-454: Was discreet in expressing his religious views because he feared public attention might hinder his professional career. He was not keen on sport, but he was a highly proficient dancer. Fisher employed his dancing skill later in life to charm a number of important ladies. He became interested in dancing in 1877 and insisted that the officers of his ship learn to dance. Fisher cancelled the leave of midshipmen who would not take part. He introduced

20961-507: Was fitted with an experimental Thomson-designed compass, which the inventor was on hand to adjust. Three days were spent attempting and failing to adjust the compass, with Thomson becoming increasingly bad tempered, until it was noticed that by accident the degree card had been marked with only 359 instead of 360 degrees. The ship was fitted with a new design of lamp created by Captain Philip Colomb , who came on board to inspect them. As

21114-433: Was homosexual, or, in view of a time during the Boer War when he was seen as he replied to a message while drying himself after his bath, Lord Beaverbrook 's claim that he was "a hermaphrodite " whom no-one saw naked. Balfour was a leading member of the social and intellectual group The Souls . In 1874 Balfour was elected Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Hertford until 1885. From 1885 to 1906 he served as

21267-665: Was in charge of the Foreign Office , and he conducted negotiations with Russia on the question of railways in North China. As a member of the cabinet responsible for the Transvaal negotiations in 1899, he bore his share of controversy and, when the Second Boer War began disastrously, he was first to realise the need to use the country's full military strength. His leadership of the House was marked by firmness in

21420-534: Was in the hands of the War Office . Fisher began a long campaign to return this responsibility to the Admiralty, but did not finally succeed until he later became First Sea Lord. He was appointed Aide-de-Camp to the Queen in 1887, and promoted Rear-Admiral in August 1890. From May 1891 to February 1892, Fisher was Admiral Superintendent of the dockyard at Portsmouth , where he concerned himself with improving

21573-487: Was intended as a reminder of British naval prowess to the French, but allowed Fisher to meet Victoria and her grandson, Prince Henry of Prussia , who later became admiral of the German navy. Victoria was impressed by Fisher, as she had been by his brother Philip who had served on royal yachts and for whom she had arranged the ill-fated posting to Atalanta . Inflexible took part in the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War , bombarding

21726-578: Was interested in the study of dialects and donated money to Joseph Wright 's work on The English Dialect Dictionary . Wright wrote in the preface to the first volume that the project would have been "in vain" had he not received the donation from Balfour. John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher Admiral of the Fleet John Arbuthnot Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher , GCB , OM , GCVO (25 January 1841 – 10 July 1920), commonly known as Jacky or Jackie Fisher ,

21879-495: Was killed in a riding accident on 5 May 1866 when John was 25. John's relationship with his mother Sophia suffered from their separation. However, he continued to send her an allowance until her death. In 1870, when Sophia suggested a visit, Fisher dissuaded her as strongly as he could. Fisher wrote to his wife: "I heard from my mother... She contemplates coming to see me... I am in a horrid fright of my mother turning up some day unexpectedly; I am sure we couldn't live together. I hate

22032-550: Was maintained by his also unmarried sister, Alice. In middle age, Balfour had a 40-year friendship with Mary Charteris (née Wyndham), Lady Elcho , later Countess of Wemyss and March . Although one biographer writes that "it is difficult to say how far the relationship went", her letters suggest they may have become lovers in 1887 and may have engaged in sado-masochism , a claim echoed by A. N. Wilson . Another biographer believes they had "no direct physical relationship", although he dismisses as "unlikely" suggestions that Balfour

22185-466: Was not sufficient for either the free traders or the extreme tariff reformers in government. With Balfour's agreement, Chamberlain resigned from the Cabinet in late 1903 to campaign for tariff reform. At the same time, Balfour tried to balance the two factions by accepting the resignation of three free-trading ministers, including Chancellor Ritchie, but the almost simultaneous resignation of the free-trader Duke of Devonshire (who as Lord Hartington had been

22338-464: Was prime minister and George Wyndham was the Irish secretary. It encouraged landlords to sell by means of a 12% cash bonus. Tenants were encouraged to buy with a low interest rate, and payments drawn out over 68 years. In 1909, Liberal legislation required compulsory sales in certain cases. As the landlords sold out, they relocated to Great Britain , giving up their political power in Ireland. Tensions in

22491-836: Was still disorganised over the Boers. In foreign affairs, Balfour and his foreign secretary, Lord Lansdowne , improved relations with France, culminating in the Entente Cordiale of 1904. The period also saw the Russo-Japanese War , when Britain, an ally of the Japanese, came close to war with Russia after the Dogger Bank incident . On the whole, Balfour left the conduct of foreign policy to Lansdowne, being busy himself with domestic problems. Balfour, who had known Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann since 1906, opposed Russian mistreatment of Jews and increasingly supported Zionism as

22644-610: Was sufficiently powerful to overcome any combination of states, and England reserved the right to employ that fleet any way it chose. Unlike the North America and West Indies station, the Mediterranean Fleet was a vital British command operating from Alexandria and Gibraltar . The important shipping route between India and Britain passed through the Suez Canal , and was considered threatened by France. France

22797-409: Was thought to be merely amusing himself with politics, and it was regarded as doubtful whether his health could withstand the severity of English winters. He was considered a dilettante by his colleagues; regardless, Lord Salisbury gave increasingly powerful posts in his government to his nephew. Beatrice Webb wrote in her diary: A man of extraordinary grace of mind and body, delighting in all that

22950-453: Was to buy them out, not by compulsion, but by offering the owners a full immediate payment and a 12% bonus on the sales price. The British government purchased 13 million acres (53,000 km2) by 1920, and sold farms to the tenants at low payments spread over seven decades. It would cost money, but all sides proved amenable. Starting in 1923 the Irish government bought out most of the remaining landowners, and in 1933 diverted payments being made to

23103-464: Was transferred three months later from the steam frigate Chesapeake to the screw corvette Pearl as an acting lieutenant . Shortly afterwards, Fisher had his first brief command: taking the yacht of the China Squadron's admiral—the paddle- gunboat HMS  Coromandel —from Hong Kong to Canton (presently Guangzhou ), a voyage of four days. He was transferred, on 12 June 1860, to

23256-400: Was used for this. If children wet their bed they would have to take their sheets to the laundry and wash them by hand, and therefore not attend school. In 1951 it was agreed that the number of children accommodated would be reduced and that cottages should have both boys and girls. Children were to attend outside schools and they were allowed bicycles. In 1952, as the process of running down

23409-442: Was whilst he was on Ocean that he wrote an eight-page memoir: "Naval Tactics", which Captain J. G. Goodenough had printed for private circulation. He installed a system of electrical firing so that all guns could be fired simultaneously, making Ocean the first vessel to be so equipped. Fisher noted in his letters that he greatly missed his wife, but also missed his work on torpedoes and the access to important people possible with

#462537