Alfred Ernest Mander (13 December 1894 – 26 February 1985) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

psychology writer and political activist who became prominent in New Zealand and Australia. Born in

Great Malvern Great Malvern is an area of the spa town of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, on the eastern flanks of the Worcestershire Beacon and North Hill, and is ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

, Mander was educated at

Queen's College, Taunton Queen's College is a co-educational independent school located in Taunton, the county town of Somerset, England. It is a day/boarding school for children aged 0–18. The school incorporates nursery, pre-prep, Prep, and senior schools. The curre ...

, and became a journalist before studying law at the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

. During

World War I 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 ...

, Mander served in France with the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...

, then from 1917 worked for the Ministries of Munitions and Labour. He became active in the socialist movement, serving on the first committee of

Hands Off Russia The Hands Off Russia campaign was an international political initiative first launched by British Socialists in 1919 to organise opposition to the British intervention on the side of the White armies against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War ...

. He became the general secretary of the National Union of Ex-Service Men, and sold his house in order to help finance it. However, the group dissolved late in 1920, and Mander emigrated to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, where he lectured at the

Victoria University College Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

.''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.IX, p.106 Mander's political views had moved to the right, and in 1929 he became the dominion secretary of the Reform Party. The party was at a low ebb, having suffered a serious defeat in the

1928 New Zealand general election The 1928 New Zealand general election was held on 13 and 14 November in the Māori and European electorates, respectively, to elect 80 MPs to the 23rd session of the New Zealand Parliament. 1928 was the year postal voting was introduced for ce ...

, and Mander moved on to become general secretary of the New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation. In 1935, Mander began writing popular works on psychology, ''Psychology for Everyman (and Woman)'' being followed in 1936 by ''Clearer Thinking (Logic for Everyman)''. The titles were frequently revised and in print until at least 1970, selling around 600,000 copies. In 1936, he also wrote ''To Alarm New Zealand'', which argued that white British immigrants to the country should be encouraged. Around the end of 1937, Mander emigrated to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and became secretary of the New South Wales Employment Council. In 1938, he wrote ''Alarming Australia'', following the themes of ''To Alarm New Zealand''. Mander served in the

Australian Intelligence Corps The Australian Intelligence Corps (AUSTINT) is a corps within the Australian Army. It was formed on 6 December 1907 and provides intelligence personnel in every formation headquarters in the Army.Dennis (et al) 2008, p. 65. , the corps consisted ...

in the early years of

World War II 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 ...

, then the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial ...

from 1941. Although he was temporarily promoted to major, he was placed in reserve in 1942, and found time to write ''Our Sham Democracy'', which argued that voters lacked the knowledge to make decisions based on the latest knowledge. He worked for the New South Wales Public Service, continued to write, and also lectured part-time for the

Workers' Educational Association The Workers' Educational Association (WEA), founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult education and one of Britain's biggest charities. The WEA is a democratic and voluntary adult education movement. It delivers lea ...

. On occasion, he appeared on television, on the "Nation's Forum of the Air".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mander, Ernest 1894 births 1985 deaths Alumni of the University of Birmingham English emigrants to Australia English emigrants to New Zealand British Army personnel of World War I Australian Army personnel of World War II People educated at Queen's College, Taunton People from Malvern, Worcestershire Psychology writers Royal Field Artillery soldiers Australian Army officers English centenarians Men centenarians