Aled Owen Roberts (17 July 1889 – 25 August 1949) was a Welsh

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

, later Liberal National and finally

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

politician, soldier and businessman.

Family and education

Roberts was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

the eldest son of Robert Roberts, of that city. He was educated at

Liverpool College Liverpool College is a school in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, England. It was one of the thirteen founding members of the Headmasters' Conference (HMC). History Liverpool College was the first of many public schools founded in the Victorian E ...

. He married Ione Ruth Irwin from

Stone, Staffordshire Stone is a canal town and civil parish in Staffordshire, England, north of Stafford, south of Stoke-on-Trent and north of Rugeley. It was an urban district council and a rural district council before becoming part of the Stafford (borough), ...

. They had two sons. Mrs Roberts died in 1940.

Soldier

During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Roberts served in the army. He achieved the rank of captain in the

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated ...

in 1915 and served abroad from 1916 to 1919. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Roberts served as a lieutenant-colonel in the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting wi ...

after 1941.Who was Who, OUP 2007

Business

Roberts was a prominent figure in the business life of Liverpool.The Times, 27.8.49 His main interests were in insurance. He was an insurance broker in his own firm, Aled O Roberts & Co. and an

underwriter Underwriting (UW) services are provided by some large financial institutions, such as banks, insurance companies and investment houses, whereby they guarantee payment in case of damage or financial loss and accept the financial risk for liabilit ...

. He was a director in the firms of Morris & Jones Ltd, Provincial Insurance Co. Ltd, Monument Insurance Co Ltd and the Clarence

Building Society A building society is a financial institution owned by its members as a mutual organization. Building societies offer banking and related financial services, especially savings and mortgage lending. Building societies exist in the United Kingdo ...

Politics

In politics, Roberts started life as a Liberal. He unsuccessfully contested Liverpool East Toxteth at a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

in 1929 and was also the candidate in that seat at the 1929 general election. He did enter Parliament for

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

at the 1931 general election as a Liberal in support of the National Government of

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months in 1924 ...

and with the agreement of the local Conservatives. He later left the government side to go into opposition with the Liberal group led by

Sir Herbert Samuel Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel, (6 November 1870 – 5 February 1963) was a British Liberal politician who was the party leader from 1931 to 1935. He was the first nominally-practising Jew to serve as a Cabinet minister and to beco ...

but his position in Wrexham depended on Tory support and his local party tried to steer him in the direction of the Liberal Nationals. Although he had no Tory opponent at the 1935 general election the Chairman of the local Conservative Association apparently urged his supporters to abstain rather than vote for Roberts, who stood as a Liberal rather than Liberal National and the seat went

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

by a majority of over 5,000 votes. He was elected to Liverpool City Council in 1936 and served until the time of his death. He was also a member of the Merseyside and North Wales Electricity Board, Chairman of the Licensing Committee and a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

Liberal National and Conservative

Although he had failed to join the Liberal Nationals when it might have helped him hold his Wrexham seat before 1935, he did join later and in 1943 tried to secure the nomination to be the Liberal National candidate for the by-election at Eddisbury in 1943. In 1945, while he was still deputy leader of the Liberal group on Liverpool City Council he joined the Conservatives. He was selected to stand as Tory candidate for Liverpool, Kirkdale at the 1945 general election but lost to Labour.

Welsh heritage

Although he was born in Liverpool, Roberts always regarded himself as Welsh, as his army and political connections demonstrated. He managed Fire, Pensions and other insurance for the

Presbyterian Church of Wales The Presbyterian Church of Wales ( cy, Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Cymru), also known as Calvinistic Methodist Church (), is a denomination of Protestant Christianity in Wales. History The church was born out of the Welsh Methodist revival and the ...

, was a keen supporter of the

Eisteddfod In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, a ...

and a member of the Council of the Liverpool Welsh National Society.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Aled Owen Liberal Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies UK MPs 1931–1935 Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates 1889 births 1949 deaths Politics of Wrexham British Army personnel of World War I Royal Welch Fusiliers officers People educated at Liverpool College