Evelyn Nigel Chetwode Birch, Baron Rhyl (18 November 1906 – 8 March 1981) was a British
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 in ...
politician.
The son of General Sir
Noel Birch
General Sir James Frederick Noel Birch (29 December 1865 – 3 February 1939) was a British Royal Artillery officer during the Second Boer War and World War I and subsequently Master-General of the Ordnance. The Birch gun was named after him. ...
and his wife Florence Chetwode, Nigel Birch was educated at
Eton. He was a partner in Cohen Laming Hoare until May 1939 when he retired to study politics. He served in
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 opposing ...
in the
King's Royal Rifle Corps and on General Staff, being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in 1944. He was appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1945.
He was Conservative Member of Parliament for
Flintshire
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from 1945 to 1950 and for
West Flintshire from 1950 to 1970. He served in government as Parliamentary
Under-Secretary of State for Air
The Under-Secretary of State for Air was a junior ministerial post in the United Kingdom Government, supporting the Secretary of State for Air in his role of managing the Royal Air Force. It was established on 10 January 1919, replacing the previou ...
from 1951 to 1952,
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence from 1952 to 1954,
Minister of Works from October 1954 to December 1955,
Secretary of State for Air from December 1955 to January 1957 and
Economic Secretary to the Treasury
The Economic Secretary to the Treasury is the sixth-most senior ministerial post in His Majesty's Treasury, after the First Lord of the Treasury, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Paymaster-General and the ...
from 1957 to 1958.
His resignation in 1958, along with that of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer Peter Thorneycroft
George Edward Peter Thorneycroft, Baron Thorneycroft, (26 July 1909 – 4 June 1994) was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1957 and 1958.
Early life
Born in Dunston, Staffordshire, Thorn ...
and fellow Treasury Minister
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, (16 June 1912 – 8 February 1998) was a British politician, classical scholar, author, linguist, soldier, philologist, and poet. He served as a Conservative Member of Parliament (1950–1974) and was Minister of Health (1 ...
, was described by
Harold Macmillan as "little local difficulties". He exacted his revenge when, in the wake of the
Profumo scandal
The Profumo affair was a major scandal in twentieth-century British politics. John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's Conservative government, had an extramarital affair with 19-year-old model Christine Keeler b ...
, he attacked the Macmillan government and quoted in his memorable speech the devastating words of
Robert Browning on
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication '' Lyrical Ballads'' (1798).
Wordsworth's ' ...
: "Never glad confident morning again".
His speech showed Macmillan as weak and out of touch, and it sealed Birch's reputation of being as deadly as
Leo Amery
Leopold Charles Maurice Stennett Amery, (22 November 1873 – 16 September 1955), also known as L. S. Amery, was a British Conservative Party politician and journalist. During his career, he was known for his interest in military preparedness, ...
.
In 1950 he married Esmé Glyn, the daughter of the
4th Baron Wolverton.
In 1955, he was appointed a
Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...
, and on 7 July 1970, he was created a
life peer as Baron Rhyl, of Holywell in the parish of
Swanmore in the County of
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
.
References
Sources
*''
Who Was Who
''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It is a book, and also a CD-ROM and a website, giving information on influential people from around the world. Published annually as a book since 1849, it lists people who influence British life, according to i ...
''
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birch, Nigel
1906 births
1981 deaths
British Army personnel of World War II
King's Royal Rifle Corps officers
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies
Rhyl
Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the historic boundaries of Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at the mouth of the River Clwyd ( Welsh: ''Afon Clwyd'').
To the we ...
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Rhyl
Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the historic boundaries of Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at the mouth of the River Clwyd ( Welsh: ''Afon Clwyd'').
To the we ...
People educated at Eton College
Secretaries of State for Air (UK)
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 who were granted peerages
Ministers in the third Churchill government, 1951–1955
Ministers in the Eden government, 1955–1957
Ministers in the Macmillan and Douglas-Home governments, 1957–1964
Life peers created by Elizabeth II