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Sir Robert Birley
KCMG KCMG may refer to * KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China * Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour * KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA * KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...
(14 July 1903 – 22 July 1982) was an English
educationalist Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...
who was head master of
Charterhouse School (God having given, I gave) , established = , closed = , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , president ...
, then
Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
, and an anti-apartheid campaigner. He acquired the nickname "Red Robert", as even his moderate liberal politics caused concern for the conservative members of the Eton school of governors. His predecessor,
Claude Aurelius Elliott Sir Claude Aurelius Elliott OBE (27 July 1888 – 21 November 1973) was an English schoolmaster who became head master of Eton College at Windsor in Berkshire, and was later provost at the same school. An element of this later appointment is s ...
was appointed provost and in his capacity as chair of the board of governors, living next door to Birley, he was able to keep an eye on Robert.


Biography

Birley was educated at
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 ...
and
Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...
. He began his career as a history master at Eton in 1926 and in 1935 was appointed as headmaster of Charterhouse. During this time, he was the principal author of the
Fleming Report Fleming may refer to: Places Australia * Fleming, Northern Territory, a town and a locality Canada * Fleming, Saskatchewan * Fleming Island (Saskatchewan) Egypt * Fleming (neighborhood), a neighborhood in Alexandria Greenland * Fleming Fjord ...
of 1944 on the relationship between the public schools and mainstream education. In 1947, after the
Second World War 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 opposin ...
, Birley became Educational Advisor to the
Control Commission {{Unreferenced, date=November 2019 A control commission is an independent regulatory body. Control commissions are most often found in regulated industries and political organisations. They typically have full authority to operate within the regu ...
in the British Zone in Germany, responsible for educational reconstruction, and played an important role in the rewriting of Nazi history textbooks, removing their racist bent. From 1947 to 1949 he gave important support to
Lilo Milchsack Lisalotte Milchsack (née Duden; 27 May 1905 – 7 August 1992) was a German promoter of post-war German-British relations. Lilo founded an association which created an annual conference of British and German decision makers. She is said to be one ...
who formed the Anglo-German Association to improve post-war relations. Birley returned to support these efforts after he left Germany in 1949. In 1949, Birley was appointed Head Master of Eton, where he remained until 1963. Also in 1949, he was invited by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
to deliver the annual
Reith Lectures The Reith Lectures is a series of annual BBC radio lectures given by leading figures of the day. They are commissioned by the BBC and broadcast on Radio 4 and the World Service. The lectures were inaugurated in 1948 to mark the historic contribu ...
. The radio broadcasts were titled ''Britain in Europe: Reflections on the Development of a European Society''. Birley considered the history and future impact of Britain's increasing involvement with Europe. In 1952 Birley was guest of honour at
Monkton Combe School (Thy Word is Truth) , established = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , founder = The Revd Francis Pocock , head_label = Head Master , head ...
when he opened the school's new Memorial Building. The speech he made was described as "one of the most outstanding in the history of the School" in which he deplored pessimism about the future of public schools. He subsequently became a visiting Professor of education at
Witwatersrand University The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...
, South Africa from 1964 to 1967. In 1967 he was appointed Professor and Head of Department of Social Science and Humanities at City University a post he held until 1971. In the 1970s he regularly visited
Atlantic College Atlantic College (formally the United World College of the Atlantic; alternatively styled UWC Atlantic College, UWCAC, or UWCA) is an independent boarding school in the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales. Founded in 1962, it was the first of t ...
in Wales, and taught weeklong classes on history, exploring the subject as inherently contested. He wrote and lectured extensively on education,
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
and human rights issues, and the Robert Birley memorial lectures are a tribute to his contributions. From 1968 to 1982, Birley was professor of
rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...
at
Gresham College Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in Central London, England. It does not enroll students or award degrees. It was founded in 1596 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham, and hosts ove ...
, London. He was President of the
Bibliographical Society Founded in 1892, The Bibliographical Society is the senior learned society dealing with the study of the book and its history in the United Kingdom. Largely owing to the efforts of Walter Arthur Copinger, who was supported by Richard Copley ...
from 1979 to 1980. Birley's biography, ''Red Robert: a life of Robert Birley'', by Arthur Hearnden, appeared in 1984. A collection of his writings, ''History and Idealism: Essays, Lectures, Sermons and Letters of Robert Birley'', appeared in 1990, edited by his son-in-law, Brian Rees.


Birley family

His grandfather, Arthur Birley (1834–1912), was the brother of
Hugh Birley Hugh Birley (21 October 1817 – 7 September 1883) was a British businessman and Conservative politician. Life Birley was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, the third son of Joseph Birley of Ford Bank, Manchester. Following education at Winchester ...
, who served as Member of Parliament for
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
from 1868 to 1883. – features references to primary sources


See also

*
Gresham Professor of Rhetoric The Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College, London, gives free educational lectures to the general public. The college was founded for this purpose in 1597, when it appointed seven professors; this has since increased to nine and in addition the ...


References


External links


Page on Birley family genealogyRobert Birleys papers regarding anti-apartheid campaign can be found at Borthwick Institute, University of York
* 1903 births 1982 deaths People educated at Rugby School Head Masters of Eton College Headmasters of Charterhouse School Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Academics of City, University of London Professors of Gresham College
Robert Birley Sir Robert Birley KCMG (14 July 1903 – 22 July 1982) was an English educationalist who was head master of Charterhouse School, then Eton College, and an anti-apartheid campaigner. He acquired the nickname "Red Robert", as even his moderate lib ...
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