Sir (Joseph Percival) William Mallalieu (18 June 1908 – 13 March 1980) was a British Labour Party politician, journalist and author.

Life

He was of Huguenot origin, a son of

Frederick Mallalieu Frederick William Mallalieu (1860 – 10 May 1932) was a Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom. Son of woollen manufacturer and ironworks company chairman Henry Mallalieu (1831-1902), J.P., of Delph Lodge, Delph, Saddleworth, near Ol ...

, a Member of Parliament. Mallalieu's ancestors had settled at

Saddleworth Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the west side of the Pennine hills. Areas include Austerlands, Del ...

in the early 1600s, where they lived in humble circumstances working as weavers. Frederick Mallalieu's father, Henry (1831–1902), was a self-made businessman, at the age of twelve a

hand-loom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape o ...

weaver. He became a woollen manufacturer, chairman of ironworks companies, and magistrate. Mallalieu was educated at the

Dragon School ("Reach for the Sun") , established = 1877 , closed = , type = Preparatory day and boarding school and Pre-Prep school , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Emma Goldsm ...

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 ...

Cheltenham College ("Work Conquers All") , established = , closed = , type = Public school Independent School Day and Boarding School , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Nicola Hugget ...

Trinity College, Oxford (That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody) , named_for = The Holy Trinity , established = , sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge , president = Dame Hilary Boulding , location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH , coordinates ...

, and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

. He was President of the

Oxford Union The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest ...

in 1930 and a

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

. He served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

1942–45, joining as an ordinary seaman and later being commissioned and promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. His novel, ''Very Ordinary Seaman'', is based on his experiences in the navy. From 1945 to 1950, Mallalieu 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 ...

for

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

; and then, after boundary changes, for

Huddersfield East Huddersfield East was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 until 1983. Boundaries 1950–1955: The County Borough of Huddersfield wards of Almondbury, Dalton, Deighton, Fartown, Newsome, No ...

from 1950 to 1979. He had various ministerial positions under Harold Wilson, including

Minister of Defence for the Royal Navy The Minister of Defence for the Royal Navy was a senior ministerial appointment of the British Government established in April 1964. The office holder was the ministerial head of the Navy Department of the Ministry of Defence, and reported to the ...

(1966–1967), the Board of Trade (1967–1968) and Technology (1968–1969). Mallalieu is the author of ''Rats!'' ( Left Book Club, 1941) under the pseudonym 'The Pied Piper'. A collection of his writing on various sports, mostly written for ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'', was published as ''Sporting Days'' (The Sportsmans Book Club, 1957). He was given the Freedom of

Kirklees Kirklees is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Kirklees Council with the status of a metropolitan borough. The largest town and administrative centre of Kirklees is Huddersfield, and the district also includes ...

in West Yorkshire on 27 January 1980.

Family

In 1945, Mallalieu married Harriet Rita Riddle Tinn, daughter of

Jack Tinn John William Tinn (20 January 1878 - 13 March 1971) was an English football manager. He managed South Shields in the early 1920s and Portsmouth from 1927 until 1947. Career Tinn became manager of South Shields in 1919, the year they were elec ...

, manager of Portsmouth F.C. from 1927 to 1947. Their daughter,

Ann Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

, is a Labour peer. Mallalieu's brother

Lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier (lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike s ...

was also a Member of Parliament. His uncle, Albert Henry Mallalieu, was head of that family of Tan-y-Marian, Llandudno.On Larkhill, J. P. W. Mallalieu, Allison & Busby, 1983, p. 21

Arms

References

External links

* 1908 births 1980 deaths Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Presidents of the Oxford Union Knights Bachelor People educated at The Dragon School People educated at Cheltenham College Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford University of Chicago alumni UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 UK MPs 1959–1964 UK MPs 1964–1966 UK MPs 1966–1970 UK MPs 1970–1974 UK MPs 1974 UK MPs 1974–1979 Royal Navy sailors Royal Navy officers of World War II Ministers in the Wilson governments, 1964–1970 {{England-Labour-UK-MP-stub