William Armstrong, Baron Armstrong of Sanderstead (3 March 1915 – 12 July 1980) was a British civil servant and banker.
Early life
The son of William Armstrong and Priscilla Hopkins, he was born in
Clapton in London. Armstrong was educated at
Bec School
, established = 1926
, closed = 1970
, type = Grammar
, religious_affiliation =
, president =
, head_label =
, head =
, r_head_label =
, r_head =
, chair_label =
, chair ...
in
Tooting
Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross.
History
Tooting has been settled since pre- Saxon times ...
and
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth-oldest college of the un ...
. From 1938 to 1943, Armstrong worked for the
Board of Education
A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution.
The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...
.
Career
From 1943 to 1945 he was private secretary to the
Secretary of the War Cabinet Sir Edward Bridges. Between 1949 and 1953, he was
principal private secretary
A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family.
The role exists in t ...
to the three successive Chancellors of the Exchequer Sir
Stafford Cripps
Sir Richard Stafford Cripps (24 April 1889 – 21 April 1952) was a British Labour Party politician, barrister, and diplomat.
A wealthy lawyer by background, he first entered Parliament at a by-election in 1931, and was one of a handful of La ...
,
Hugh Gaitskell and then
R. A. Butler
Richard Austen Butler, Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, (9 December 1902 – 8 March 1982), also known as R. A. Butler and familiarly known from his initials as Rab, was a prominent British Conservative Party politician. ''The Times'' obituary ...
.
Armstrong was
Under-Secretary
Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is al ...
to the Overseas Finance Division of the Treasury from 1953 to 1957, and from 1957 to 1958 of the Home Finance Division. Between 1958 and 1962, he was
Third Secretary
Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seatings ...
and Treasury Officer of Accounts. In 1962, he became
Permanent Secretary to the Treasury The UK Permanent Secretary to the Treasury is the most senior civil servant at HM Treasury. The post originated as that of Assistant Secretary to the Treasury in 1805; that office was given new duties and renamed in 1867 as a Permanent Secretaryship ...
and, in 1968,
Head of the Home Civil Service
His Majesty's Home Civil Service, also known as His Majesty's Civil Service, the Home Civil Service, or colloquially as the Civil Service is the permanent bureaucracy or secretariat of Crown employees that supports His Majesty's Government, whic ...
. Due to his influence in
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conserv ...
's government he was called the "
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
".
During its dispute with the miners over the government's imposition of a
Three-Day Week
The Three-Day Week was one of several measures introduced in the United Kingdom in 1973–1974 by Edward Heath's Conservative government to conserve electricity, the generation of which was severely restricted owing to industrial action by coal m ...
, however, Armstrong suffered a
nervous breakdown
A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...
.
He returned to office after a period of sick leave but shortly after made known to his Second Permanent Secretary,
Ian Bancroft
Ian Powell Bancroft, Baron Bancroft (23 December 1922 – 19 November 1996) was a British senior civil servant.
Life
He was born at Barrow-in-Furness, the son of a teacher. He was educated at Sir William Turner's Grammar School, Coatham and Ba ...
, that he had been approached to accept appointment as Chairman of the
Midland Bank
Midland Bank Plc was one of the Big Four banking groups in the United Kingdom for most of the 20th century. It is now part of HSBC. The bank was founded as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birmingham, England in August 1836. It ...
. There was internal discussion between Bancroft, the Cabinet Secretary, and the Prime Minister (by this time not Heath but
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...
) as to the propriety of an official who was so close to the government's handling of economic affairs moving to the chairmanship of a clearing bank. Somewhat earlier the outgoing Chancellor of the Exchequer,
Anthony Barber
Anthony Perrinott Lysberg Barber, Baron Barber, (4 July 1920 – 16 December 2005) was a British Conservative politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1970 to 1974.
After serving in both the Territorial Army and the Royal A ...
, had taken up the chairmanship of the Standard Chartered Bank. The Prime Minister decided that Armstrong had the right to accept the post, and he resigned from the Civil Service to do so. It is not true, as is sometimes stated, that Armstrong was replaced as head of the Civil Service.
[Ziegler, Philip.]
How the last Tory-Liberal deal fell apart
''The Sunday Times'', 9 May 2010.
Other work
He was on the governing body of
Abingdon School
Abingdon School is a day and boarding independent school for boys in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. The twentieth oldest independent British school, it celebrated its 750th anniversary in 2006. The school was described as "highly ...
.
Awards
In 1945, Armstrong was made a
Member of the Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...
(MVO). He also was appointed a
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Companion may refer to:
Relationships Currently
* Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance
* A domestic partner, akin to a spouse
* Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach
* Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...
(CB) in 1957, promoted to a
Knight Commander
Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders.
The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...
(KCB) in 1963 and eventually a
Knight Grand Cross
Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Grand ...
(GCB) in 1968. He was sworn in as a member of the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
in 1973. On 29 January 1975, he was created a
life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...
with the title Baron Armstrong of Sanderstead, ''of the
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and London boroughs, borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of cent ...
''. Armstrong died in
Radcliffe Infirmary
The Radcliffe Infirmary was a hospital in central north Oxford, England, located at the southern end of Woodstock Road on the western side, backing onto Walton Street.
History
The initial proposals to build a hospital in Oxford were put forw ...
in
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 ...
.
Armstrong also received an
Honorary Doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...
from
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted univ ...
in 1975.
Personal life
In 1942, he married Gwendoline Enid Bennett, daughter of John Bennett. She died in 2020 at the age of 101.
Lady Armstrong
/ref>
Offices held
References
Sources
*
Obituary of Sir Edward Heath
''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', 18 July 2005.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, William
1915 births
1980 deaths
Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford
Bankers from London
Armstrong of Sanderstead
English civil servants
Governors of Abingdon School
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Members of the Royal Victorian Order
People from Upper Clapton
Permanent Secretaries of HM Treasury
Private secretaries in the British Civil Service
20th-century English businesspeople
Life peers created by Elizabeth II