Borras Noel Hamilton Whiteside (12 December 1903 – 13 June 1948) was a British company director and politician, who served a single term as a

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 i ...

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 of ...

(MP). He was noted for his interest in aviation, being a private pilot and frequently raising the issue of air defence in Parliament. During the Second World War he was a senior civil servant; at the end he fought again for a seat in Parliament but was unsuccessful.

Family and early life

Whiteside's father, Capt. R. Borras Whiteside RASC, died on active service in France during the

First World War 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 ...

, when he was 11."Roll of Honour", ''The Times'', 23 April 1915, p. 6. His mother, Leonore, was a daughter of 9th Lord Belhaven and Stenton. Whiteside was sent to

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin *Wellington College, Wellington, New Z ...

, and went on to

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. After leaving university he went into the insurance business and in 1925 was made West End Local Director of the London and Scottish Assurance Company.Michael Stenton and Stephen Lees, "Who's Who of British Members of Parliament", Volume III (Harvester Press, 1979), p. 375. Whiteside also became a civilian pilot, holding an A licence."The Times House of Commons, 1931", p. 43.

1931 election

After spending several years public speaking in support of

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

causes, Whiteside was adopted as the Conservative candidate for

Leeds South Leeds South was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1904. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the Coun ...

, a seat held for the Labour Party by Henry Charleton who was a

Whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

for his party. When the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

was called in October 1931, the Conservatives hoped that Whiteside and Charleton would have a straight fight. However at the last moment Captain Frederick Boult came forward as a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

candidate, having withdrawn from fighting at

Buckrose Buckrose was a wapentake of the historic East Riding of Yorkshire, England consisting of the north-west part of the county; its territory is now partly in the modern East Riding and partly in North Yorkshire. Established in medieval times, it ...

. This shift was thought to make the election more difficult for Whiteside, and Charleton was expected to win the election."Unionist Hopes In Leeds", ''The Times'', 17 October 1931, p. 8. However, on polling day Leeds South was part of the landslide result, with Whiteside winning a majority of 725 over Charleton and Boult coming a poor third.

Parliament

Whiteside made his maiden speech in March 1932 on the Air Estimates. He opposed a Labour suggestion that civil aviation be transferred to the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

and called for lower costs for compulsory government inspection of aircraft and for local authorities to build airfields closer to centres of population.
Hansard
', HC 5ser vol 262 cols 2040-7. After the

Ottawa Conference The British Empire Economic Conference (also known as the Imperial Economic Conference or Ottawa Conference) was a 1932 conference of British colonies and dominions held to discuss the Great Depression. It was held between 21 July and 20 August ...

concluded in 1932, Whiteside made a speech supporting its outcome and attacking the idea of a meat quota during which he described quotas as "Socialism run mad"."Parliament", ''The Times'', 19 October 1932, p. 8. With the rise to prominence of the

British Union of Fascists The British Union of Fascists (BUF) was a British fascist political party formed in 1932 by Oswald Mosley. Mosley changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists in 1936 and, in 1937, to the British Union. In 1939, fo ...

and its 'Blackshirts', Whiteside urged in January 1934 that no political body be allowed to wear a uniform because doing so would be liable to lead to breaches of the peace.
Hansard
', HC 5ser vol 285 col 361. He also urged adoption of the 24-hour clock."Parliament", ''The Times'', 7 March 1934, p. 7. Whiteside was a supporter of the International League Against the Export of Horses, and spoke at a May 1934 meeting in support of the Export of Horses Bill which made illegal the trade in live horses for meat."Exportation Of Horses", ''The Times'', 8 May 1934, p. 13.

Air Force

Increasingly Whiteside took up issues concerning the strength of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

. In 1933 he argued that it was so inadequate to Britain's defence that it was inviting attack."Parliament", ''The Times'', 30 November 1933, p. 8. During the debate on the 1934 Air Estimates, Whiteside spoke of

Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, (3 August 186714 December 1947) was a British Conservative Party politician who dominated the government of the United Kingdom between the world wars, serving as prime minister on three occasions, ...

's remark the previous year that "the bomber will always get through" and rhetorically asked what was the point of such a large expenditure on the RAF if it could not defend Britain."Parliament", ''The Times'', 20 March 1934, p. 8. He implicitly disagreed with Baldwin, calling attention to the RAF's success in preventing the

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...

bombers breaking through after May 1918.
Hansard
', HC 5ser vol 287 cols 916-7. In April 1934 he took up the matter with Prime Minister

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months in 1924 ...

, pressing for the RAF to be built up to parity with other countries."Parliament", ''The Times'', 24 April 1934, p. 7. He also suggested that six

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

s would be sufficient to protect 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 F ...

against air attack throughout the world."Parliament", ''The Times'', 8 November 1934, p. 8.

1935 election

On 6 June 1935, Whiteside married Dorothy Farrington at

Speldhurst Speldhurst is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The parish is to the west of Tunbridge Wells: the village is west of the town. Speldhurst has a primary school, a parish church, a general store with p ...

in Kent."Court Circular", ''The Times'', 6 June 1935, p. 19. That November, a new

required him to defend his seat against Henry Charleton, who attempted to regain it for the Labour Party. Whiteside having been an unexpected winner in what was regarded as a safe Labour seat, he was thought to be vulnerable."West Yorkshire", ''The Times'', 9 November 1935, p. 18. There was again a three-cornered contest with the third candidate coming from the

Social Credit Party of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The Social Credit Party of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was a political party in the United Kingdom. It grew out of the Kibbo Kift, which was established in 1920 as a more craft-based alternative for youth to the Boy Scouts.Peter Barberis, J ...

, one of only three candidates in the election. After a keen contest, Charleton regained his seat with a majority of 1,016."The Times House of Commons, 1935", p. 62-3.

Wartime

Whiteside remained involved in politics, and was a member of the

Carlton Club The Carlton Club is a private members' club in St James's, London. It was the original home of the Conservative Party before the creation of Conservative Central Office. Membership of the club is by nomination and election only. History The ...

and the United Club. He also became director of an aircraft company."The Times House of Commons, 1945", p. 69. During World War II, he became a civil servant, working as Assistant Divisional Food Officer for London from 1939. Two years later he was promoted to be a Principal at the

Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...

. From 1942 he was Deputy Director of Salvage and Recovery for the

Ministry of Supply The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. A separate ministry, however, was responsible for aircr ...

. At the end of the war, Whiteside was adopted as Conservative candidate for the newly created division of Wembley South. Whiteside's campaign asked "Are you going to sack

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

? That is the issue.""Contests Round London", ''The Times'', 4 July 1945, p. 8. However the Labour candidate won the seat with a majority of 3,431.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whiteside, Noel 1903 births 1948 deaths British businesspeople in insurance Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire UK MPs 1931–1935