Denis Ewart Bernard Kingston Shipwright AE

FRSA The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

(20 May 1898 – 13 September 1984) was a British soldier and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

officer who served throughout both world wars. In his youth he became a motor racing driver; after a brief political career, he found it difficult to find work but eventually went into the film industry. His later life was spent working as a civil servant but he kept up his hobbies and developed an interest in

Unidentified Flying Object An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

Early life and wartime service

Shipwright was born in London,Michael Stenton and Stephen Lees, "The Who's Who of British members of parliament" vol 3, Harvester Press, Sussex, 1979, p. 326. the second son of Thomas Johnson Shipwright;"Register of admissions to the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, from the fifteenth century to the year 1944", Vol 3, Butterworth, 1949, p. 858. his mother was the classical pianist and composer

Adelina de Lara Adelina de Lara OBE (23 January 1872 – 25 November 1961) was a British classical pianist and composer. Early life She was born Lottie Adelina Preston in Carlisle, Cumberland on 23 January 1872 to parents George Matthew Tilbury (aka Prest ...

."Forthcoming Marriages", ''The Times'', 7 March 1918, p. 9. At the age of 16 in 1914 he enlisted in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

as a

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

. He initially fought in 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 ...

as a Despatch Rider with the 2/1st Kent Cyclist Battalion (attached to the

Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army based in the county of Kent in existence from 1881 to 1961. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, originally as the Quee ...

), and then became a Pilot for the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

."Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1923", p. 127.

Pilot

Shipwright as a pilot was noted for his sense of humour and was said to have a "devil-may-care attitude".Bill Smith, "Armstrong Siddeley Motors: The Cars, the Company and the People in Definitive Detail", Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2005, p. 105-6. He was wounded and crashed while flying a mission around the Somme.Election supplement, ''The Times'', 17 November 1922, p. 24. He was promoted from the ranks, becoming a temporary second lieutenant in the RFC on 5 July 1917,"The London Gazette", ''The Times'', 27 July 1917, p. 13. and a captain in the

in 1918. He was also a lieutenant in the 96th Devon Yeomanry Brigade, and after the end of the war became an acting captain in the

Royal 1st Devon Yeomanry The Royal 1st Devon Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army. First raised in 1794, it participated in the Second Boer War and the First World War before being amalgamated with the Royal North Devon Yeomanry in 1920 to form the Royal ...

in 1920. He was appointed to the administrative branch of the

, relinquishing his appointment in March 1921 on appointment to the Territorial forces but retaining the rank of captain. His father died young; in 1918 Shipwright became engaged to Kate Hain, daughter of Sir

Edward Hain Sir Edward Hain, (26 December 1851 – 20 September 1917) was an English shipping magnate and politician from Cornwall, England. He represented St Ives as a Liberal Unionist from 1900 to 1904, and as a Liberal from 1904 to 1906. His shipping ...

(former Liberal Member of Parliament for St Ives). and they married on 20 March of that year. He also continued his education at

Lille University The original public university in the Lille region of France was the University of Douai established in 1559 in Douai and that was moved to Lille in 1887 and 1896 as University of Lille (french: Université de Lille). Between 1970 and 2017 the Un ...

and

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

."Who's Who in the New Parliament", ed. T.W. Walding, Phillip Gee, 1922, p. 146-7. In 1920 he was admitted to the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...

although still only an Oxford undergraduate.

Motor racing

In August 1920 Shipwright bought a 30 hp racing car from

Armstrong Siddeley Armstrong Siddeley was a British engineering group that operated during the first half of the 20th century. It was formed in 1919 and is best known for the production of luxury vehicles and aircraft engines. The company was created following ...

which over the winter he tuned up and modified to improve its performance; he also fitted an

airspeed indicator The airspeed indicator (ASI) or airspeed gauge is a flight instrument indicating the airspeed of an aircraft in kilometers per hour (km/h), knots (kn), miles per hour (MPH) and/or meters per second (m/s). The recommendation by ICAO is to use km/h, ...

and

altimeter An altimeter or an altitude meter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. The measurement of altitude is called altimetry, which is related to the term bathymetry, the measurement of depth under water. The m ...

. In 1921 he won the 24th running of the "100 mph Long Handicap" at

Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...

having been given a favourable handicap. Shipwright also wrote to ''

The Autocar ''Autocar'' (originally ''The Autocar'') is a weekly British automobile magazine published by the Haymarket Media Group. It was first published in 1895 and refers to itself as "the world's oldest car magazine". There are now several internationa ...

'' explaining how he had driven his car from

Hyde Park Corner Hyde Park Corner is between Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Mayfair in London, England. It primarily refers to its major road junction at the southeastern corner of Hyde Park, that was designed by Decimus Burton. Six streets converge at the junc ...

in London to St Ives in Cornwall and made a good average speed without the car breaking down. The letter prompted a reply from

Lord Curzon George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), styled Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and then Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman ...

who objected that publicising his activities would encourage the police to set more speed traps for motorists. Shipwright kept up his interest in motor racing and in April 1930 bought another Armstrong Siddeley car.Bill Smith, "Armstrong Siddeley Motors: The Cars, the Company and the People in Definitive Detail", Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2005, p. 207. He competed in other speed trials and hill climbs.

Politics

On 17 December 1921 Shipwright was adopted as a

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 ...

candidate for Penryn and Falmouth, succeeding the retiring Conservative MP Sir

Edward Nicholl Commander Sir Edward Nicholl (17 June 1862 – 30 March 1939) was a British officer of the Royal Naval Reserve who subsequently became a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP). Nicholl was born at Ada Terrace, Pool, Cornwall . When he was 'no m ...

. Shipwright was only 23 years old but his record of serving throughout the war was noted.''The Times'', 19 December 1921, p. 7. He had begun a business career as a Director of Porthia China Clays Ltd. During his election campaign Shipwright's election address pledged him to a strong

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

, and a foreign policy which aimed at securing an honourable peace with a just settlement of reparations and war debts. In domestic policy he sought economy without decreasing safety and efficiency. The Liberal Party's national split was mirrored in Penryn and Falmouth with Sir

Courtenay Mansel Sir Courtenay Cecil Mansel, 13th Baronet (25 February 1880 – 4 January 1933) was a Welsh landowner and farmer, barrister and Liberal Party politician who later joined the Conservatives. Family Courtenay Cecil Mansel was the son of Sir Richard ...

fighting as the official candidate but opposed by

George Hay Morgan George Hay Morgan (1866 – 24 January 1931) was a British Liberal Party politician. Background He was born in the town of Hay-on-Wye, Breconshire, in 1866. This is where his middle name came from. He was the son of Walter and Ann Morgan, of W ...

who was a former MP for

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...

; there was also a Labour Party candidate. Shipwright won the election with 11,566 votes and a majority of 2,687 over Mansel. To celebrate his election, the ex-servicemen of Falmouth ceremoniously dragged his motor car uphill to the station when he caught the train to London to take his seat.See picture, ''The Times'', 21 November 1922, p. 16.

Parliament

Shipwright made his

maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...

in a debate on unemployment on 8 March 1923. He attributed part of the blame for the state of unemployment to the miners' strike of 1921 and pointed out that every tin mine in Cornwall had closed down after that strike and had not reopened. He gave praise to the Conservative government for reducing the number of unemployed people and appealed for more faith, goodwill, and confidence. His speech was received with cheers."Parliament", ''The Times'', 9 March 1923, p. 7. This proved to be his only speech before the short 1922 Parliament was dissolved and Shipwright was forced to face re-election. Unlike the previous election, the Liberal reunification meant he faced a straight fight with Sir Courtenay Mansel. Government proposals for the

China clay Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral ...

industry, where mines in the constituency had been going through tough economic times, were thought to be a major issue."Rival Liberals in Cornwall", ''The Times'', 29 November 1923, p. 14. Shipwright lost his seat, polling 10,429 votes to Mansel's 17,015."The Liberal Year Book 1925", Liberal Publication Department, 1925, p. 220.

Employment troubles

Initially, Shipwright went back to the armed services where he was promoted to the 26th Anti-Aircraft Battalion of the Territorial

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

in 1924."London Gazette", ''The Times'', 10 September 1924, p. 20. Shipwright's first marriage ended in divorce in 1926. He found it difficult to find work after his Parliamentary career ended, and in September 1927 had to resort to advertising in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'':''The Times'', 23 September 1927, p. 1. He did find work in the film industry, being assistant director on ''

Love's Option ''Love's Option'' is a 1928 British silent adventure film directed by George Pearson and starring Dorothy Boyd, Patrick Aherne and James Carew. It was made at Cricklewood Studios based on the novel ''The Riddle'' by Douglas Newton. The film w ...

'' (1928) and production manager on ''

Auld Lang Syne "Auld Lang Syne" (: note "s" rather than "z") is a popular song, particularly in the English-speaking world. Traditionally, it is sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. By extension, it is also often ...

'' in 1929 for Welsh-Pearson-Elder.Rachael Low, "History of British Film" Vol 4, Routledge, 2004, pp. 332, 404. He worked as a Director of Cinephonic Music Co. Ltd and later in production and administration for the

Gaumont British The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation produced and distributed films and operated a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It was established as an offshoot of the Gaumont Film Company of France. Film production Gaumont-British was founded in 18 ...

Picture Corporation and for its sister company

Gainsborough Pictures Gainsborough Pictures was a British film studio based on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch, north London. Gainsborough Studios was active between 1924 and 1951. The com ...

. As such in 1935 he became a representative of the Film Producers Group on the

Federation of British Industries The Federation of British Industries (FBI) was an employers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by the Midlands industrialist Dudley Docker in 1916 as the United British Industries' Association, but renamed later that same year, it was ini ...

, a member of the Kinematograph Advisory Committee, and an adviser to the British Films Advancement Council.'SHIPWRIGHT, Sqdn Ldr Denis E. B. K.', Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, December 2007, accessed 2 January 2010.

Return to RAF

On 16 May 1939, Shipwright was granted a commission as a

Pilot Officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...

(on probation) in the Royal Air Force,"London Gazette", ''The Times'', 24 May 1939, p. 23. and resigned his commission in the Reserve of Officers for the Royal Engineers."London Gazette", ''The Times'', 27 May 1939, p. 17. Shortly after the outbreak of 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 ...

, on 9 September 1939, Shipwright was confirmed in his appointment and promoted to Flying Officer."London Gazette", ''The Times'', 4 October 1939, p. 10. Passing out of RAF Training College in 1940, Shipwright served in France in 1940, being

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. In 1941, while serving in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Shipwright was made bankrupt on a petition by his creditors, but this move did not interrupt his career. He undertook a special mission to Gibraltar. visiting R.D.F (Radar) stations in June 1942, and was promoted to temporary

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...

on 1 September 1942. In 1944 he was awarded the

Air Efficiency Award The Air Efficiency Award, post-nominal letters AE for officers, was instituted in 1942. It could be awarded after ten years of meritorious service to officers, airmen and airwomen in the Auxiliary and Volunteer Air Forces of the United Kingdom ...

and remained serving with the RAF until 1945. In 1954 he relinquished his commission in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, retaining his rank of Squadron Leader.

Civilian life

After the end of the war, Shipwrights went to work for the

General Post Office The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Before the Acts of Union 1707, it was the postal system of the Kingdom of England, established by Charles II in 1660. ...

. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts in 1946."Journal of the Royal Society of Arts", Vol 95, p. 590. In 1950 Shipwright joined the Surrey Special Constabulary, and in 1953 he was made a major in the 11th (HG) Battalion of the

Queen's Royal Regiment The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was a line infantry regiment of the English and later the British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British Ar ...

. When discharged from the RAF in 1954 he became a civil servant as an officer with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food in Guildford. Maintaining his interest in motoring, Shipwright became a member of the Civil Service Motoring Association, and of the Brooklands Society; he was also a member of the Company of Veteran Motorists and the Order of Knights of the Road. His aviation interests were pursued through membership in the De Havilland Moth Club and of Fairoaks Flight Centre. Despite being in his 80s Shipwright obtained a flight certificate from Europa Airships Operations in 1982. He also became interested in

Unidentified flying object An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

s, becoming a member of the

British UFO Research Association The British UFO Research Association or BUFORA is a UK organisation formerly registered as "BUFORA Ltd"; dedicated to investigating UFO phenomena in the British Isles. In 1997 the organisation was reported to have around 1,000 members. History ...

and chairman of the North East Surrey Group of the Contact UFO Research Investigation Association. He was additionally a member of the British Society for the Turin Shroud. Shipwright also became interested in Scottish culture and was a member of the Sir

Harry Lauder Sir Henry Lauder (; 4 August 1870 – 26 February 1950)Russell, Dave"Lauder, Sir Henry (1870–1950)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, January 2011, accessed 27 April 2014 was a S ...

Society of Portobello from 1979, and also of the Edinburgh International Festival Society and Guild. His entry in ''

Who's Who ''Who's Who'' (or ''Who is Who'') is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biography, biographical information on the prominent people of a country. The title has been adopted as an expression meaning a gr ...

'' notes that he was a voluntary driver for Surrey County Council Hospitals Car and Ambulance Service and a Governor of the Royal Hospital and Home for Incurables; it records that he was made a Knight of the Order of St John of Jerusalem.

References

External links

*
Pathé News report
(1932) {{DEFAULTSORT:Shipwright, Denis 1898 births 1984 deaths Military personnel from London British Army personnel of World War I Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment soldiers Alumni of University College, Oxford British civil servants British film producers Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Penryn and Falmouth Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal 1st Devon Yeomanry officers Royal Devon Yeomanry officers Royal Flying Corps officers UK MPs 1922–1923 Members of the Middle Temple 20th-century British businesspeople