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Biography fo the Rt. Hon. Leslie-Hore-Belisha. ‘Little Chit of a Fellow’.

by

Ian R. Grimwood

Introduction:

 

Leslie Hore-Belisha  is most remembered for the flashing amber ‘Belisha Beacon’ which accompany some pedestrian crossings  before some were overtaken by the advent of pelican and toucan crossings with their push button technology.  Law required that drivers of motorised vehicles gave way to pedestrians walking across the black and white striped area to cross the road.   However, Hore-Belisha made a much greater contribution to public life and society in Britain during his lifetime of sixty- three years.

 

This biography uncovers aspects of his varied and colourful careers.  As a young man he served in the Great War, rising to rank of Major at quite a tender age.  He was mentioned in dispatches before returning to Oxford University where he became President of the Oxford Union Society.  He was to enter the legal profession and journalism en route for the House of Commons.  Hore-Belisha’s enemies sought to emphasis the shaky finances of some of the companies of which he became a director, and his perceived desire for self- publicity, but life is never that clear cut.

 

I point to the considerable contributions that Leslie made as a business like Minister of Transport and reforming Secretary for War.  This was despite the considerable prejudice that he suffered, as a Jew, through the widespread anti-Semitism of the political elite of Britain between the two world wars,  but also the snobbish, ‘stuffed shirt,’ attitudes of these public school products and the blinkered and outdated outlook of so many of the senior ranks of the British Army. His enemies resorted to dirty tricks without qualms.

 

Although an ‘outsider’, brought up for much of his youth in a one parent family, he showed courage and determination as well as flamboyance.Rt, Hon. Leslie Hore-Belisha.  (1893-1957).

Member of Parliament.

 

The works of Government remain a mystery to many, but the determination of this gentleman demonstrate the significant contribution he made , not only for the safety of the Country, but also for the safety of the ‘working man’.   Regulation of  traffic and the still used Belisha Beacons, providing safe road crossings are confirmation that his efforts were not in vain.

 

Chapter 1:      Early Days.  -                                                    Family history. Death of father. Schooling.

Chapter 2:      Road to Westminster.  -                                    President of Oxford Union. General Election  1922/3.

Chapter 3:      Now to make an Impression.                            Split with Lloyd George. Creation of National Liberal Party.

Chapter 4:      Minister of Transport.                                      Road Safety. Ribbon Development. 5 year. road programme.

Chapter 5:      Early Days at the War Office.                          Struggles with ‘The Established Orders’.  Sacking The Generals.

Chapter 6:      Low Ebb.                                                          Sandy’s Affair. Exposure of weakness of A.A. Defences.

Chapter 7:      Fighting for the Army and His Reputation.      Battles with Chamberlain for new Role of the Army.

                                                                                                   Re-establishing credibility.  Revolt of Junior Ministers.

Chapter 8:      The Struggle to Create a Ministry of Supply.   Conflict with Chamberlain – eventual concessions.

Chapter 9:      Conscription and The Road To War.                Overcoming opposition to Cabinet members.  Expansion of   T.A.                                                                    

                                                                                                   French pressure.

Chapter 10:     On the Edge and War Declared.                      Urgency pf preparation of Army for war.

Chapter 11.    War with Germany and ‘The Generals’            Pill Box scandal.  Plot against  H-B and his sacking.

Chapter 12.    Something in the City:                                      Character assassination  by grey eminence of Conservative  Party.

Chapter 13.    In Conflict with two Prime Ministers:              Opposition to Chamberlain and Churchill . Conduct of War 1939-45.                        

Chapter 14:    Searching for a Role:                                        Change of party allegiance . Elevation to House of Lords.

Chapter 15:    In Perspective.                                                  Overview of the Life of Hore-Belisha.

 

Chapter 15

In Perspective.

 

Leslie Hore-Belisha , born in 1893, achieved much in his lifetime and the reforms he introduced as Minister of Transport and subsequently as Secretary of War, were not only of considerable benefit in their time but they also made a lasting contribution to Britain.

Isaac Leslie Belisha was born a Jew , with his prosperous middle class family holding Liberal views . Sadly he knew little of his father who died very suddenly in 1894 from what appears to have been a stroke.  This led to a life-long close, too close in hindsight, relationship between Leslie and his mother, Elizabeth,a lady of charm and intelligence but with a very dominant character.  Following his mother’s marriage to Sir Adair Hore in 1912 Leslie, then a teenager, changed his name to Hore-Belisha .

Leslie became involved, first by volunteering in the University and Public Schools Battalion from which he was transferred to the Royal Army Corps, which had the key role of ensuring that front line troops were well supplied with everything they required.  Hence his involvement  with the Ministry of Supply a generation later.  Promotion was rapid, becoming a Captain in 1915 and reaching the rank of Major following his posting from France to Salonika in Greece in 1917.  His excellent work was ‘mentioned in despatches’, but he contracted malaria and came home in March 1918 and acted as a King’s Messenger.

Undaunted he resumed his studies at Oxford, becoming President of the Oxford Union and gained a Degree in Law and was called to the Bar in October 1922.   Having sat  in the Public Gallery of the House of Commons listening to debates during his training for his degree must have allowed time for full consideration of his future and as we know politics and journalism were more to his liking.  His Presidency brought him to the attention of the Liberal Party leaders which led to him gaining a seat for Devonport.  Radio or ‘the wireless’ was in its infancy and television was an inventor’s plaything. The importance of skilful  speech at public meetings, their coverage in the newspapers and local press  together with the flamboyant campaigning and appearances together with his mother, Lady Hore were all elements in his success.  His election in 1923 brought an introduction to Lord Beaverbrook enabling him to earn and income from his journalism, this would have been his life blood because as a Member of Parliament his salary was  £400 per annum and he had expensive tasks.

His life as a back-bench M.P. must have been particularly frustrating  especially after the fall of the Labour Government in 1924. The Conservative then held power  until 1929 which meant that Liberal’s were the third party and had few prospects. They suffered from internal differences and Leslie’s views altered.  Financial pressures drew Leslie into the City taking on a number of company directorships, some of which were short lived.  This was a very different world from journalism and politics and without doubt he did his best. In no instances did Leslie act improperly or illegally, but this did not prevent his enemies smearing  defamatory allegations about ‘dud companies’. These allegations were unfounded, otherwise he would not have been offered a junior minister’s post at the Board of Trade in 1932 or its Presidency in 1940 as an alternative to the War Office.

Disenchanted  with the leadership of Lloyd George and the collapse of the minority Labour Government with the financial crisis of 1931, Leslie played a leading role in the creation of the National Liberal Party,.( which supported the National Government) and was led by Sir John Simon.  Leslie   built up a close working relationship with Neville Chamberlain ( Chancellor of the Exchequer,1931-1937) who recognising his talents help promote Hore-Belisha to Minister of Transport in June 1934.

The introduction of the ‘Belisha Beacon’ to mark pedestrian crossings remains with us to-day, but it also brought Leslie national recognition.  Tackling the scandal of the high numbers of fatal and serious accidents on Britain’s roads, a new Highway Code, Driving tests, 30 mile a hour speed limit in built up areas and compulsory safety glass in motor vehicles were amongst his successful measures in improving road safety. The blight of ribbon development along the main roads was halted and Trunk roads given a universal standard of maintenance.  His five year programme for new and improved roads met less success as the Chancellor siphoned. off funds from the Road Fund.

Lady Hore left Leslie well provided for in her will and following her death , which Leslie found hard to bear, his relationship with his Secretary, Miss Hilde Sloanee became much closer.  Sadly his mother did not live to see her son promoted by Chamberlain, who on assuming his Premiership  appointed him Secretary for War.  . His predecessor, Alfred Duff Cooper introduced Leslie to Liddell-Hart and a partnership developed between them, with Leslie often turning to Liddell-Hart for support. He became Leslie’s advisor, approved and supported the policy of ‘limited liability’, but there were others at the War Office who considered Basil as a usurper.  It must be said that Hore-Belisha was a reforming Secretary for War on a par with Haldane (  December 1905- June 1912.)  This is confirmed by Lieutenant –General Sir Gordon Macready ( Deputy Director of Staff Duties 1936-38. Assistance Chief of the Imperial General Staff. 1940-1942) who believed that Hore-Belisha ‘ did more to improve the efficiency of the Army than any Secretary for War since Lord Haldane.’

He found stubborn opposition to any change amongst senior ranks at the War Office and courageously retired Field Marshall Sir Cyril Deverell C.I.G.S. and Sir Harry Knox, Adjutant General.   He had sound reasons to promote a new younger generation of officers to the senior ranks and made the Army a career for both Officers and the other ranks.  He removed the petty restrictions and improved uniforms, catering, living quarters, pay and pensions. The biggest mistake was his appointment of Lord Gort as C.I.G.S.  It was Gort along with other senior officers who resented  Hore-Belisha’s cross-examining of staff and it was this which sowed the seeds of Leslie’s downfall.

Derogatory criticism was heaped onto the Secretary for War when the Czechoslovakian Crisis of September 1938 revealed the  glaring shortcomings of Britain’s anti-aircraft defences, but Chamberlian was the real villain as he had starved the Army of finance and refused to give defence contracts priority over civilian orders.  Leslie, eventually, in April 1939, was able to establish the Ministry of Supply when the Prime Minister conceded the issue.

The Munich Agreement had tipped the European balance of power heavily in favour of Nazi Germany and Hore-Belisha fought long and hard for a continental  expeditionary force and for conscription to ensure that the French did not conclude a non-aggression pact with Hitler.  This took much persuasion and the fear that Germany was seeking to seize bases in Holland for an ‘knock-out blow’ to Britain before the Prime Minister relented.   It was Leslie who took the leading role in persuading Chamberlain to stop prevaricating and to declare war on Germany, following their blitzkrieg on Poland , 1^st September 1939.

The Secretary of War feared that Germany would outflank the French defences of the Maginot Line by invading Belgium and these fears were borne out in May 1940, but the ‘pillbox scandal’ was blown out of all proportion. What Leslie failed to realise was that General’s expected to be treated very differently from civil servants.  Leslie’s dismissal found him in a  weak position as he had only the backing of the tiny National Liberal Party, but he used the Press to publicise his achievements; you might call him the first ‘spin doctor’. 

Hore-Belisha resigned from the Cabinet, rather than take a demotion and was then subject to a poisonous campaign of lies and defamation by the head of the Conservative Research Department, Sir Joseph Ball.    It is interesting to note that shortly after Churchill became Prime Minister he moved Gort from his post to Inspector General of the Forces and he then went on the be Governor of Gibraltar, whilst almost simultaneously  Ironside became Commander in Chief Home Forces – a demotion

Having left the War Office Leslie wrote a weekly column in The News of the World reaching an audience of several million and through this made known his own distinct views of how Britain should conduct the war.  Churchill did not include Leslie in his Cabinet probably because he had too many opponents in the Conservative Party and Leslie became increasingly critical of the coalition Government.  Leslie’s resignation from the National Liberals and active debates against the Government, showed no confidence in Churchill’s premiership.

 May-June 1945 Leslie was made Minister of Pensions and National Insurance but all hopes of retaining his seat in the 1945 election were swept away by the tide of feeling for change.  Michael Foot won in Devonport and Leslie was shaken by his defeat. He joined the Conservative Party and later became a ‘One Nation Conservative.’

Whilst remaining active in politics, Leslie was rewarded with a seat, as a Conservative, for the Pall Mall Ward , Westminster in March 1947.  He served on Westminster County Council on the Transport and Highways Committee until his death.

Hore-Belisha was belatedly recognised in 1954 when he became Lord Devonport and soon made himself at home in the House of Lords.  Realising the vulnerability of the Suez Canal, which was Anglo-French owned, and the importance of this waterway, he drew attention to its critical position

Leslie looked forward to close co-operation with Western European countries and would have be dismayed by the Euroscepticism prominent within later generations of Conservative politicians..

Cynthia Elliot  a serving nurse who Leslie corresponded with  through the Red Cross  and they married in June 1944.  Cynthia was 22 years younger than Leslie and together they travelled extensively. During 1955 Leslie suffered heart attacks and Cynthia left him claiming that he ‘ was too demanding a husband ’.

Whilst leading a Parliamentary delegation to France in 1957, Leslie was addressing a distinguished gathering in Rheims and during his speech he suffered a cerebral haemorrhage and died almost immediately.

 

Leslie Hore-Belisha, may have been   ‘a little chit of a fellow’ but he was also a fine parliamentarian who had been both an  innovative Minister of Transport and a reforming Secretary for War.