Ernest Thurtle (11 November 188422 August 1954) was an American-born British Labour politician.

Biography

Thurtle worked as an accountant and salesman. He saw service in the army in

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 ...

and was badly wounded at the Battle of Cambrai. In 1912 he married Dorothy Lansbury, the daughter of

George Lansbury George Lansbury (22 February 1859 – 7 May 1940) was a British politician and social reformer who led the Labour Party from 1932 to 1935. Apart from a brief period of ministerial office during the Labour government of 1929–31, he spe ...

, leader of the Labour Party in the 1930s. Thurtle contested South West Bethnal Green and Shoreditch without success and was

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) for Shoreditch,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

from 1923 to 1931 and from 1935 to 50, then Shoreditch and Finsbury from 1950 until his death. Thurtle's greatest achievement in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

was to bring about the abolition of the death penalty for cowardice or desertion in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. With over 300 British soldiers shot by

firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are ...

after brief trials during

, Thurtle first introduced the measure for abolition in 1924, which became Labour Party policy in 1925 and eventually approved by the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

by the Labour government in 1930. Supporters of the measure included

T. E. Lawrence Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...

, also known as Lawrence of Arabia, but the abolition was first rejected by the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

, which was encouraged in their resistance by various retired generals, including Lord Allenby. The House of Commons insisted, and the measure was enacted. The argument that it would reduce the determination of the soldiers was countered by the fact that Australia had always made it clear when it joined the war effort that none of its men would be executed for these crimes. No Australians were shot for cowardice or desertion, but it was clear that their troops had been as effective as any others in the war. Thurtle continued to be involved in ex-servicemen's associations. At the Labour Party conference in 1923, Thurtle supported two

republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

motions. The first stated "that the Royal Family is no longer a necessary party of the British constitution" and the second was "that the hereditary principle in the British Constitution be abolished".

Kingsley Martin Basil Kingsley Martin (28 July 1897 – 16 February 1969) usually known as Kingsley Martin, was a British journalist who edited the left-leaning political magazine the ''New Statesman'' from 1930 to 1960. Early life He was the son of (Dav ...

,''The Crown and the Establishment''. London, Hutchinson. 1962 (p.53–54) Thurtle was a Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of Pensions in 1924, a Labour whip from 1930 to 1931 and a junior minister at the Ministry of Information from 1941 to 1945. He was also a journalist and author. Thurtle was General Secretary of the

Rationalist Press Association The Rationalist Association, originally the Rationalist Press Association, is an organization in the United Kingdom, founded in 1885 by a group of freethinkers who were unhappy with the increasingly political and decreasingly intellectual tenor ...

1932-40 and, in 1941, its Chairman.Whyte, Adam Gowans (1949). ''The Story of the R.P.A. 1899-1949''. London: Watts & Co. p. 93

References

External links

*
Shot at Dawn
* E Thurtle: ''Times winged chariot'' Chaterson, London, 1945 {{DEFAULTSORT:Thurtle, Ernest 1884 births 1954 deaths American emigrants to England English republicans English socialists Hackney Members of Parliament Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Ministers in the Churchill wartime government, 1940–1945 People from Port Jervis, New York People from New York (state) UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1935–1945 UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955