Tufton Victor Hamilton Beamish, Baron Chelwood (27 January 19176 April 1989) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Member of Parliament for

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...

for 29 years (1945–1974), and an author. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served in France, Belgium (1940), Malaya (1942), India and Burma (1942–43), North Africa and Italy (1943–44). In 1940 he was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

; was knighted in 1961 and upon his retirement from the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

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. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

as Baron Chelwood, ''of

in the County of East Sussex'' on 7 May 1974.

Early life and family

Beamish was born in

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries. The earliest ...

in 1917. His father was Tufton P. H. Beamish, who served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

until 1922 when he retired with the rank of captain. He had followed his career in the navy by entering politics and served as the member of Parliament for

from 1924 until 1931 and again from 1936 until 1945, when his son succeeded him. Beamish was married twice: first to Janet McMillan Stevenson of New York in 1950 (dissolved in 1973), and secondly to Pia "Maria" McHenry (also a divorcee) in 1975. Lord Chelwood died from a heart attack in

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...

on 6 April 1989, aged 72, and was survived by his second wife (who died 7 February 2019, aged 96) and by two daughters from his first marriage. One of his daughters, Claudia Hamilton Beamish, was elected as a Labour

Member of the Scottish Parliament Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; ; ) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. Electoral system The additional member system produces a form of proportional representation, where ...

for

South of Scotland South of Scotland may refer to: * The southern portion of Scotland ** Geography of Scotland * South of Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region) * South of Scotland (European Parliament constituency) * South of Scotland District (rugby uni ...

in 2011.

Military career

Beamish was educated at

Stowe School The Stowe School is a public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13–18 in the countryside of Stowe, England. It was opened on 11 May, 1923 at Stowe House, a Grade I Heritage Estate belonging to the British Crown. ...

and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

. He received his commission as a second lieutenant in the

Royal Northumberland Fusiliers The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution and ...

in 1937. In 1938 Beamish served in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

and

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

(presumably during the Arab revolt in Palestine) and developed a lifelong interest in the

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

people of the region. After the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was transferred to France as a

company commander A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 100–250 soldiers and usually commanded by a major or a captain. Most companies are made up of three to seven platoons, although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and struc ...

with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). He was wounded on the retreat to

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

and managed to secure his evacuation. In 1941, he was transferred to the Far East and was serving in Singapore when the Japanese began their assault of the Malayan peninsula. He avoided being captured at the

Fall of Singapore The fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore, took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of Japan captured the British stronghold of Singapore, with fighting lasting from 8 to 15 February 1942. S ...

by taking to a rowing boat with seven other men. The men rowed to

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

but upon reaching their destination they found that it too had fallen to the Japanese and laid a new course for

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, which they eventually reached safely. Beamish next worked as an intelligence officer in India before being transferred to the Eighth Army in North Africa in 1943, taking part in the invasion of Italy later that year. He left the army in 1945 with the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Political career

In 1945, his father retired from politics and Beamish was chosen to replace him as the

candidate for the 1945 general election. He was elected and continued to serve as the constituency Member of Parliament until he retired from the Commons at the February 1974 general election. From 1947 to 1953, Beamish served on the executive of the

1922 Committee The 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee, or sometimes simply the 22, is the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party in the British House of Commons of the United Kingdom, H ...

and, from 1965 to 1967, as opposition spokesman on defence. He remained a backbencher through his entire career and was uninterested in cabinet office. Beamish was a firm believer in the creation of European harmony through the promotion of a strong

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

(serving on the Monnet Action Committee for United States of Europe, 1971–76). He was strongly opposed to the Soviet Union's domination of Eastern Europe to which he addressed himself in his 1950 book ''Must Night Fall?''. He chaired the Conservative Foreign Affairs Committee from 1960 to 1964. In 1970, he published a book, ''Half Marx'', warning against the rise of the extreme left in the Labour Party. His other noted publication was ''Battle Royale'' (1965), a book on the

Battle of Lewes The Battle of Lewes was one of two main battles of the conflict known as the Second Barons' War. It took place at Lewes in Sussex, on 14 May 1264. It marked the high point of the career of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, and made ...

(1264) between King Henry III and

Simon de Montfort Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester ( – 4 August 1265), also known as Simon V de Montfort, was an English nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the baronial opposition to the rule of ...

. However, he was also widely noted fort his interest in nature conservancy: he was an active member of the

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...

, and, from 1978, a member of the

Nature Conservancy Council The Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) was a United Kingdom government agency responsible for designating and managing National Nature Reserves and other nature conservation areas in Great Britain between 1973 and 1991 (it did not cover Northern ...

. He fought hard for the passing of a

private member's bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in wh ...

that was enacted as the

Protection of Birds Act 1954 Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...

, and the subsequent amendments in 1964 and 1967. As a member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

, he campaigned vigorously for the passing of the

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (c. 69) is an act of Parliament in the United Kingdom implemented to comply with European Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds. In short, the act gives protection to native species ...

. He was Deputy President of

Sussex Wildlife Trust The Sussex Wildlife Trust (SWT) is a conservation charity which aims to protect natural life in Sussex. It was founded in 1961 and is one of 46 The Wildlife Trusts partnership, wildlife trusts across the UK and the Isle of Man and Alderney. As ...

from 1967 until 1978. Although Beamish's name inspired the ''

Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely recognised ...

'' character ''Sir Bufton Tufton'', he was not as far to the right of the Tory party as was suggested by that character, who bore a closer resemblance to the likes of Sir Gerald Nabarro, Sir Patrick Wall, Sir Marcus Fox, and the general attitudes associated with the

Monday Club The Conservative Monday Club (usually known as the Monday Club) was a British political pressure group, aligned with the Conservative Party, though no longer endorsed by it. It also had links to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Ulster Unio ...

. Within the party, Beamish was considered a "

One Nation Conservative One-nation conservatism, also known as one-nationism or Tory democracy, is a form of British political conservatism and a variant of paternalistic conservatism. It advocates the "preservation of established institutions and traditional prin ...

" and as a member of the

he moved an amendment to the

Community Charge The Community Charge, colloquially known as the Poll Tax, was a system of local taxation introduced by Margaret Thatcher's government whereby each taxpayer was taxed the same fixed sum (a "poll tax" or " head tax"), with the precise amount bei ...

('Poll Tax') legislation to have the charge vary by income rather than being the same rate for all. David Butler,

Andrew Adonis Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis, (born Andreas Adonis; 22 February 1963) is a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician and journalist who served in HM Government for five years in the Third Blair ministry, Blair ministry and the Brown mi ...

Tony Travers Professor Anthony Justin Travers, better known as Tony Travers (born December 1953), is a British academic and journalist, based at the London School of Economics (LSE), specialising in issues affecting local government. He was formerly director ...

, "Failure in British Government: The Politics of the Poll Tax" (

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 1994), p. 123

Books

Beamish wrote a number of political and historical non-fiction books, reflecting his interests in Eastern Europe under communism, and his constituency of Lewes. These include: * ''Must Night Fall?'' (1950) * ''Battle Royal: a new account of Simon de Montfort's struggle against King Henry III'' (1965), covering the

. * ''Half Marx'' (1970) * ''The Kremlin's Dilemma: the struggle for human rights in Eastern Europe'' (1979) He also wrote forewords to several books, including: * ''The Battle of Lewes, 1264: its place in English history'' (1964), a book of essays by Sir Maurice Powicke, R.F. Treharne ndCharles H. Lemmon to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Lewes. * ''The Defenders: a history of the British volunteer'' (1968), by Geoffrey Cousins.

Honours and arms

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

- 1961 *

- 20 December 1940 *

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

- 19 July 1945 *

Golden Cross of Merit Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

- 1944 *

Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, ...

(Poland) * Commander, Order of the Phoenix (Greece) - 1949 * Order of the Cedar (Lebanon) - 1969 * Honorary Freeman, Lewes - 1970

References

Works

Lord Chelwood of Lewes. "Modest Détente but Limited Wars." Conspectus of History 1.2 (1975): 1-12.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chelwood, Tufton Beamish, Baron 1917 births 1989 deaths 20th-century British male writers 20th-century British non-fiction writers British Army personnel of World War II British military personnel of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine British political writers Commanders of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece) Conservative Party (UK) MEPs Beamish, Tufton Conservative Party (UK) life peers Deputy lieutenants of Sussex Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Beamish, Tufton Life peers created by Elizabeth II MEPs for the United Kingdom 1973–1979 People educated at Stowe School Presidents of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Recipients of the Military Cross Recipients of the National Order of the Cedar Recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta Royal Northumberland Fusiliers officers Beamish, Tufton Beamish, Tufton Beamish, Tufton Beamish, Tufton Beamish, Tufton Beamish, Tufton Beamish, Tufton Beamish, Tufton UK MPs who were granted peerages