§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (LORD MOYNE)My Lords, since the House separated we have had to record the death of Lord D'Abernon. He was a man of very striking personality, as distinguished in his appearance as he was in his abilities. A diplomat, administrator, banker, economist, sportsman, great art connoisseur, linguist, probably the very variety of his gifts prevented the achievements in early life which would have come sooner to a man of narrower compass. It was, therefore, only in his sixty-fourth year that he was appointed as our Ambassador in Berlin. There he was largely responsible for the wise measures which re-established German solvency, and he played a very leading part in that phase of international history which ended with Locarno and the readmission of Germany to the League of Nations. He had long been absent from our debates, owing to crippling infirmities in recent years borne with unflinching courage, but many of us, I am sure, to-day remember the charm of his friendship and conversation and will wish to express our deep sympathy with the gracious lady who shared his life.
§ LORD ADDISONMy Lords, I would like on behalf of my noble friends to associate myself with what the Leader of the House has said with regard to Lord D'Abernon. It was my privilege in the course of the last war to be associated with him in one of his many spheres of action, somewhat different from those enumerated by the Leader of the House. He was responsible, among other things, for the chairmanship of the Liquor Control Board, under the Ministry of Muni- 430 tions, and I remember that he acquired all the trade and industry in the neighbourhood of Carlisle, for various reasons which I will not enter into. Everyone of us who met him was impressed, I am sure, with his charm. It was a delight and pleasure to be associated with him, to hear him talk and to listen to his wise counsels on many affairs. I am sure we should all like to associate ourselves with what the noble Lord, the Leader of the House, has said.
THE MARQUESS OF CREWEMy Lords, I would add a word to the tribute which the two noble Lords on the Front Benches have paid to one of the most remarkable men of our time. Looking back as I do for more than sixty years, I recall how Edgar Vincent, as he then was, was remarkable for unlikeness to most of those whose upbringing had been much the same at one of our great public schools and in a famous regiment. That unlikeness did not proceed from any aloofness or affectation of superiority, but simply from the fact that his physical and mental endowments were greater than those of most people. All his life he was conspicuous, as the noble Lord, Lord Moyne, has pointed out, in enjoyment of sports and in skill at games. Quite equally he was conspicuous for his interests in art and his wide knowledge, particularly, of painting. It may seem strange that it was not until, as Lord Moyne has said, he had passed middle life that he became a well-known public figure. During the last war he had filled an important post as controller of a great industry in which he showed marked capacity, and the few occasions in which he took part in the debates in your Lordships' House were connected with the clear statements which he used to make on that subject. His career was not altogether unchequered, but that, I think, was due to the fact that he was never a man who would be content with a merely routine existence. He will be remembered by many as a loyal and generous friend whose loss is lamented by many.