John William Banfield (29 August 1875 – 25 May 1945)
was a British
trade unionist and
Labour Party politician, who served as
Member of Parliament (MP) for
Wednesbury from 1932 until his death in 1945.
Early life
Banfield was born in Burton-upon-Trent on 29 August 1875, the son of Frederick Charles Banfield (b. 4 May 1853, d. 16 Jan 1898), a blacksmith, brewer's labourer and upholsterer's assistant, and Mary Ann Simnett. He worked as a confectioner and baker, and was General Secretary of the
Amalgamated Union of Operative Bakers, Confectioners and Allied Workers from 1915 until he retired in 1940.
[''Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume III, 1919-1945.'' (Stenton, M. & Lees, S., 1979, p18)]
Political career
Banfield unsuccessfully contested the
1918 general election in
Birmingham Aston. When the Labour Party unexpectedly gained control of Fulham Borough Council in 1919 they added Banfield to the Aldermanic bench to add political and trade union expertise.
Banfield was a government delegate representing the work people at Geneva from 1924 to 1925. He was unsuccessful in
Fulham West at a
by-election in 1930 and at the
1931 general election.
In 1932, the
Conservative MP for
Wednesbury,
Viscount Ednam succeeded to the peerage as
Earl of Dudley, triggering a
by-election in July 1932. Banfield was selected as Labour's candidate, hoping to regain a seat which had been held by Labour from 1918 to 1931.
After a campaign focusing on the
means test
A means test is a determination of whether an individual or family is eligible for government assistance or welfare, based upon whether the individual or family possesses the means to do without that help.
Canada
In Canada, means tests are use ...
for unemployment benefit (in a constituency with 12,000 unemployed), Banfield won the
Wednesbury 1932 by-election, defeating Conservative
Rex Davis
Captain Reginald Graham Davis (7 November 1890 – 1 December 1951), known as Rex Davis, was a British soldier, silent film actor and sportsman.
Biography
Davis was born in Keymer, Sussex, in 1890. According to one source, he got his start ...
. He was re-elected at the
1935 general election.
In December 1936, he delivered an address, 'Sunday: An M.P.'s Convictions' at the Alliance Birthday Celebrations of the Imperial Alliance for the Defence of Sunday, arguing that Sunday should be a day of rest and worship. In June 1937, he made a speech in Parliament, proposing the addition of a clause to the Factories Bill: Prohibition of night work in bakehouses.
His campaigning led to him being known as "The Bakers' MP".
Banfield died aged 69, in
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
...
, London of a heart attack shortly before the
1945 general election
The following elections occurred in the year 1945.
Africa
* 1945 South-West African legislative election
Asia
* 1945 Indian general election
Australia
* 1945 Fremantle by-election
Europe
* 1945 Albanian parliamentary election
* 1945 Bulgaria ...
.
Personal life and legacy
On 5 September 1897, he married Annie Elizabeth Newman, daughter of baker John Newman, in
Birmingham.
A block of council flats, William Banfield House in Munster Road, Fulham was named after him.
His son,
Frank Banfield
Frank Walter Banfield (14 August 1905 – 31 March 1970) was a British politician, who served on the London County Council and Greater London Council.
The youngest son of William Banfield, Frank followed him into the Labour Party and loca ...
, also became a prominent politician in Hammersmith and Fulham.
References
External links
*
*Hansard 1803-2005
Prohibition of night work in bakehouses
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balfield, John William
1875 births
1945 deaths
Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
UK MPs 1931–1935
UK MPs 1935–1945
British trade union leaders
People from Burton upon Trent
People from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham