HL Deb 28 January 1958 vol 207 cc217-27

2.35 p.m.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR COMMONWEALTH RELATIONS (THE EARL OF HOME)

My Lords, it is, as your Lordships know, the practice in our House when, unhappily, we lose one of our number, to pay tribute only to those who have held Cabinet Office in this House, but I was sure that your Lordships would feel, in the case of Lord Waverley, that a life of such massive service to the nation could not end without public testimony by his Peers and the expression of our gratitude that the last years of this most extraordinary and remarkable life were spent among us here. To our councils he brought wisdom, the rarest and most coveted of human qualities, wisdom matured by experience in a wide range of public offices which he held during his long career, in all of which he gained personal success and recognition, all of which he dominated by the force of his intellect and of his character. It was, indeed, I believe, his peculiar blend of intellect and character, tested in a hundred ways in action, which brought our discerning people to reply upon him in complete confidence and to lean upon him as upon a rock. He had courage, and it was his in abundance, both physical and mental; judgment, weighted by Scottish caution; but above all, decision clear and forthright. No faltering was ever known on the part of John Anderson, but he pursued his course resolutely towards the goals which he had chosen for himself as right.

Such men when they come are leaders, and his reward was the loyalty, the trust and the following of the whole of the British people. Those who were his friends knew that beneath his material success and the impressive parade of his public achievements there was the authentic article: the modest God-fearing man. But God endows men with his gifts not to hide them under a bushel, but to use them in service; and it was thus that Lord Waverley used them all. My Lords, my noble friend Lord Hailsham will be paying his tribute to Lord Waverley a little later from this Bench, and therefore I will do no more than to offer to Lady Waverley and to the family the understanding and sympathy of your Lordships' House, and to repeat our pride that it was here in his last years that he was able to continue his great contributions to the country and to civilisation.

2.39 p.m.

VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGH

My Lords, of course we all agree entirely with the view of the noble Earl, the Leader of the House: that despite any practice or rule, this is a matter in which we in this House ought most surely and solemnly to pay our tribute to the memory of Lord Waverley. I do not propose to speak at length, especially after the admirable speech which the noble Earl the Leader of the House has just made, and also because my noble friend Lord Attlee, who worked so closely with Lord Waverley for such a long time, will be touching on more intimate things. Lord Waverley, whom I can only think of as John Anderson—he was that to all of us—was to me during the course of the war a great and wise counsellor, especially during the period in which he was Lord President of the Council. When other people of whom one sometimes wanted to take more counsel were not available, he was always a sure refuge in time of trouble to a Minister who wanted sympathy and advice at a particular time.

The extraordinary thing about the career of Lord Waverley, it seems to me, was the breadth of his intellect, as evinced by his academic successes both in arts and science. He was as interested in engineering and shipbuilding (as I found in my experience), and shipping and commerce, as anyone possibly could be. He was therefore a great success not only as a highly qualified academic person, but also probably, in my view—I do not know what anybody else's view may be—as the most outstanding civil servant we have ever had. He succeeded, in addition, as a statesman and then as a great business man; and his services to the Port of London Authority put a sort of crowning tribute to his great career.

I am going to leave it there, because my noble friend is to follow me. I would only say how deeply we sympathise with Lady Waverley, whom we have known for so long. I remember her many years ago being most hospitable to us in the Embassy at Paris—it makes me feel that I am getting older when I look back in that way. We are grateful for the memory of her husband, and we offer her our deep sympathy. He will always remain, whilst we live, to be a constant inspiration.

2.42 p.m.

LORD REA

My Lords, when a great figure in public life passes away, he leaves a serious disjunction in the ranks of those who guide, advise and inspire us. We are all moved by those emotions of regret which have been so excellently expressed to-day by the two noble Lords who have spoken, and there is little I can add, save the expression of the sincere wish of those who sit with me on these Benches to be fully associated in these tributes.

Lord Waverley was an Olympian figure who, in his later years, rarely entered the Parliamentary or even the political arena; and all of us in this Chamber I think share the double regret of being deprived of his counsel in the future and of having had all too little of his wise contributions to our debates in the past. In the changing pattern of modern democracy, where our leaders in politics, religion, the arts and sciences, and in professional and commercial life, are today drawn from every grade and every shade of social and intellectual background, Lord Waverley, stands out strikingly as the rather rare example of a man attaining many of the highest and most honourable positions in the State from the springboard of our traditional and invaluable Civil Service—that Service whose integrity is only underlined by the occasional criticism of its slightest lapse from infallibility. He was an ornament to his old Service, and he was an ornament to his country. Our deep regret at his death is coupled with our most sincere sympathy with Lady Waverley, with his family and friends.

2.44 p.m.

THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY

My Lords, the tributes that have been paid already to the noble Viscount, Lord Waverley, by the Leaders of the various Parties have been so comprehensive and so moving that, like the noble Lord, Lord Rea, I feel that there is hardly anything that can be added, even by his most fervent admirers. But I should like to say one word, if I may, as a friend and colleague who worked with him in the stirring days of the war. In such circumstances one gets to know people very well. One gets to recognise the merits that have made them what they are, and in the case of Lord Waverley one learnt that he had certain outstanding, pre-eminent qualities which must have impressed themselves on all those who worked with him.

First, there was his courage, to which the noble Earl, Lord Home, has already paid a splendid tribute. Secondly, I think there was his steadfastness and, lastly there was, I do not know whether to call it a serenity or an imperturbability which I think flowed from those other two great qualities which I have already mentioned. No crisis, however unexpected, no situation, however formidable, had the power to disturb his serenity or shake his courage. We must all recall with gratitude that rock-like quality which was of inestimable value in those times of storm and stress.

He had another quality which I believe to be of first importance in any senior Minister of the Crown: he could make available to his colleagues at will the lessons of his long and infinitely varied experience. He could, as it were, tuck them away and reproduce them whenever they were needed. The value of that power to a man who was a counsellor, only those who have served in the Cabinet can really appreciate. Sometimes one hears people who have not had that particular experience talking as if all that is necessary for good government is to collect a body of men, each of whom is a technical expert on the subject covered by his own Department, but very likely knowing nothing of affairs outside it. Of course, great technical experts are of first value for particular purposes; but I think anyone who has served in the Cabinet would know that it is very far from the truth to say that that is all that is needed. The Cabinet, as I think all noble Lords here know, is joint government. It is government by a Committee, and each member should be capable of making a significant contribution on any subject that comes before the Cabinet if he is to be of real and permanent value to his colleagues.

Lord Waverley had that particular capability in a very high degree, and he had also, as all who knew him will remember, a dry humour and an innate kindliness. So I do not think it is surprising that he won in ever-increasing measure the affection and respect of his colleagues. These same qualities which he showed in government were, I am sure we should all agree, also visible in this House. Those speeches which he made to us showed the same courage, the same wisdom and the same forthright honesty of purpose. He was with us all too short a time, and we shall miss him sadly now that he has gone. I should like, if I may, to associate myself with the expressions of sympathy to Lady Waverley, whose sorrow we all share.

2.48 p.m.

EARL ATTLEE

My Lords, I should like to add a few words to the moving tributes which have been paid to Lord Waverley, a very great man and a very old friend. He was, I think, the outstanding civil servant of his generation. Yet he was much more than that. It might have been thought that, as the supreme civil servant, he would be hidebound and would riot go beyond a limited range. But he had a most capacious mind. He had a very wide experience. The noble Marquess spoke of his courage. He had to face very difficult circumstances in Ireland and in Bengal, but I can never recall any occasion on which he ever showed the slightest anxiety or the slightest sign of wavering. I knew him, of course, particularly during the war, and I do not think it is realised how much he did. There was some talk of sending Lord Waverley as Viceroy to India, and I remember Marshal Smuts coming to me and saving "Don't let them do it. In every War Cabinet you need one person who looks after the machine. Milner did it in our first Government, and John Anderson is doing it in our second." And that is true. He did an immense amount of work, for which he was, of course, supremely qualified because of his very wide knowledge.

One thing which I think is not always recognised is the great advantage we derived from the fact that he was a trained scientist—it is somewhat rare for leading statesmen to have that kind of back ground. There were only two people I can recall who had it in my time, Sir John Anderson and Sir Stafford Cripps. In all the work on atomic energy John Anderson was in charge, and after he had left office in 1945, when I had to go to America to talk with the President on these matters, he willingly accompanied me; and he was, of course, a tower of strength there. The other thing which I think everybody who came into contact with him would at once recognise was his essential fair-mindedness. He had the most absolute sense of justice. One could never imagine his being swerved from what he thought to be right by any personal consideration or any private prejudice.

Then what a wide range he had! The Port of London Authority; the Covent Garden Opera—every kind of thing he was able to take in his stride. I know that there are some who thought there was something rather formidable about him, who were a little awed with his great knowledge; but he was, in fact, eminently approachable, a warm-hearted and lovable character. I am glad that we pay tribute to him here to-day—a tribute in which I am sure that all who knew him would wish to join. I should like also to associate myself with the sympathy extended to his widow and to other members of his family.

2.52 p.m.

EARL ALEXANDER OF TUNIS

My Lords, we have had some fine tributes to a very fine man, all of which I wholeheartedly support, because I was a close friend of Lord Waverley over a number of years and proud to have enjoyed his close friendship. But there are others outside this House who I feel sure would wish to be associated with all that has been said to-day—I speak of his many great friends and admirers in Canada. I myself have recently returned from Canada, and it was a moving experience to hear so many eminent Canadians express sincere regret and sorrow at Lord Waverley's death. This is a message which I am quite sure your Lordships, as well as Lady Waverley, would like to have. It is a message which I know Lord Waverley's Canadian friends would wish me to give you.

2.53 p.m.

LORD COTTESLOE

My Lords, perhaps I may add a word, as one who, though I never met Lord Waverley until quite recent years, was in close touch with him in a number of the diverse activities and interests of his last decade—the Port of London, the Post-graduate Medical Federation, the control over exports of works of art. At the Port of London, in particular, we were most fortunate in having as our Chairman, through the difficult years of post-war reconstruction, the greatest administrator of his age. He loved the London River and the Port, and he applied there with great enjoyment all the resources of his penetrating intellect and his prodigious memory which had at its command such an astonishing range of experience and of knowledge.

One of the peculiar problems of the Port of London is that, outside the circle of those whose trade or whose travels bring them to it, it is almost unknown. The people of London are hardly aware that they have on their doorstep the greatest Port in the Commonwealth. Lord Waverley was determined to change that, and he made it his business to attract to the Port a multitude of visitors, from overseas and from this country, too. Many of your Lordships must have enjoyed his princely hospitality in the "St. Katharine", and must remember the profound impact which the unrivalled spectacle of the shipping in the Royal Docks made on Ministers and High Commissioners from every part of the Commonwealth and of the world. It may be said that Lord Waverley put the Port of London on the map.

To the affairs of the Port, as to everything else he undertook, he devoted his remarkable capacity for work and his no less remarkable powers of balanced judgment. I have related elsewhere, but it will bear repeating, how one who had served many Chancellors of the Exchequer once told me that he had found each had a different reaction when he was taking a matter for decision. One would be thinking of the effect on his Party politically; another of the effect on the public view of him. "But," he said, "John Anderson was different from all the rest: he was the only one who was always searching for the right answer." That seems to me admirably to sum up the quality of the man. Many may have found his presence a little frightening—it was not for nothing that he was known affectionately among the friends of his earlier years as "Jehovah." But those who were privileged to get behind the formidable presence found a kindliness, a warm human sympathy with a pawky Scottish humour that were very endearing. We have lost not only a great man but a greatly valued friend.

2.58 p.m.

LORD WINSTER

My Lords, it is almost impossible to add anything new to what has already been so feelingly and so felicitously said. I venture to add a few words only, because, in my political experiences, Lord Waverley was one of the men for whom I felt the most profound admiration; and I have often thought that a young man entering into politics would do well to take as his guide the principles which animated a man who touched nothing of which he did not make a success. Lord Waverley touched many things, and it might be said of him that he took all knowledge to be his province. He had all the great qualities. He had courage, both moral and physical, for no man ever faced an assassin more coolly or more resolutely than he did. To courage he added coolness and imperturbability, integrity and fidelity to his trust; and there was a rock-like quality about him which bred implicit reliance on his judgment. I think that no man could ever have been more trusted than he was. Our public life has sustained a great loss—we are not so rich in men of Lord Waverley's calibre. John Stuart Mill once spoke of the absence of giants in the land, so that, he said, we had to rely on the puny efforts of a multitude of dwarfs. One of our few giants has left the scene.

Sympathy has been expressed to-day with Lady Waverley. No one could have been more fitted than she was to be the companion of such a man—well able to understand and enter into the anxieties and vicissitudes of his public life, and also to enter with him into those artistic pleasures, music, the ballet and the opera, which formed the relaxation of his busy life. Sorrow has struck at her more than once in her life, but in this latest sorrow she has the consolation of knowing that Lord Waverley's name will always be held in honour by those who knew his services to our country and shared in them.

3.2 p.m.

LORD HANKEY

My Lords, I hope you will pardon my adding from my heart a few words, because my association with Lord Waverley goes back earlier, I think, than that of anyone else in this House. I knew him intimately as a civil servant from comparatively early in the First World War, when he was associated with the Ministry of Shipping. I knew him later as a civil servant, working very closely with him. We were both heads of departments and we both worked very closely with Sir Warren Fisher, who was then the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury. Afterwards, I became a colleague with him in Mr. Neville Chamberlain's first War Cabinet, and later I was a colleague in Mr. Churchill's (as he then was) Government also.

In the Second World War I had a close association with him in the matter of science. I had been given work as a Cabinet Minister for the promotion of science. When Lord Waverley became Lord President of the Council, of course he had an official connection with science which was very close. I was chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee. My Committee reported to the Cabinet, and the Cabinet referred the report to him for execution—for the first phase of putting the atomic bomb on the war map so far as this country was concerned. I was a member of his Committee on that subject, and other subjects.

Moreover, I have a close and longstanding friendship with Lady Waverley. I should like to thank all those who have spoken, from different aspects of his life, for the wonderfully complete expression they have given to the great qualities of this great man. I was at his wedding, and I hope to be at the solemn ceremony in Westminster Abbey on Thursday.

3.6 p.m.

THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (VISCOUNT HAILSHAM)

My Lords, the House has spoken, as it always does on these occasions, with authority and understanding and in most appropriate language. But I think we can seldom have listened to a more remarkable range of tributes than that which has been uttered on the passing from us of this most distinguished man. I first met Lord Waverley, I think, in 1937, when he had just come back from Bengal. He was not then introduced to me by name, and therefore I can truthfully say that I do not think I have ever met a man who so completely impressed at first sight. But, unlike many who possess this quality, for him respect and admiration were only enhanced on closer acquaintance.

The ancients recognised—and I think we should do better to acknowledge it—that the first qualities of a man are integrity and courage. Tribute has been paid to Lord Waverley's courage which, as has been well said, was both moral and physical. His physical courage was of the high variety which knows how to remain unmoved by the gun and dynamite of the assassin, the perpetual threat of murder in the lonely watches of the night and the ordinary activities of daily life, and a daily life lived in public as the symbol and vehicle of authority. His moral courage was of the kind that would never compromise with sentimentality or muddled thinking, but would never, in revenge, march forward and wreak vengeance on compassion or genuine misunderstanding. Lord Waverley was afraid neither of death nor unpopularity, but, as is not seldom the case with such men, the reward of his steadfastness was a serene old age and the universal respect and affection of his follow-countrymen.

My Lords, of all the men in our public life Lord Waverley was most securely possessed of the Roman virtue of gravitas, a natural moral power exuding from him in the shape of visible dignity and authority. He could calm the excited by his presence. He could silence the hysterical with the unspoken scorn of inner serenity. When he opened his mouth to speak others would await his utterance in the sure knowledge that when it came it would be weighty, objective, dispassionate, and, more often than not, conclusive.

Although the more one knew him the more one realised that he possessed strong moral and intellectual convictions, which I should imagine were as unshakable as a man may have, nevertheless he was, of all the public figures I have seen, one of the least prejudiced, one of the most willing to listen, the most certain to answer rationally, the least likely to interrupt prematurely. Such men are frequently thought deficient in humour or feeling, but Lord Waverley was deficient in neither. The secret of his calmness was not insensitivity but self-control; and when he seemed to some, as I became aware during deputations during the war, lacking in sympathy, it became increasingly obvious that this was due, not to want of feeling but to intellectual honesty; to that rare combination in double harness of generosity and compassion yoked to prudence and immense self-discipline of intellect, which go to mark the distinction between the genuine humanity of the philanthropist and the emotional shallowness of the sentimentalist.

He had one of the highest reputations in the land, yet of all the men of front rank he was probably the easiest to underestimate. When he spoke with authority he was too reticent to refer to his experience. When he spoke of scientific matters, a graduate of Leipzig was your adviser. When he spoke of the social services, he had learned his lessons as one of the administrative architects of the reforms of 1911. The economic opinions were those of the ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer; the imperial policies those of the distinguished proconsul; the views on terrorism, those of the Irish ex-Secretary and the Bengal Governor; and, on penal reform, of the man who had been political and administrative head of the Home Office. Nihil tetigit quod non ornavit. On all he touched he left the mark of his own distinction of mind and character.

He was a personal friend of mine only in his latter years. He was a delightful friend, warm and affectionate, genuine and amusing. He spoke his mind plainly, in public and in private. For all his caution he was capable of severe criticism. He was the best of political allies in office or opposition, the wisest of counsellors, the finest of friends—a giant among men. He has gone, at last, from among us. His place below the gangway is empty. We shall hear his voice no more. But his fame is secure. Of him may we not say, as Pericles said once of the Athenian dead: When great men die, the whole earth is their memorial. In their own country stone monuments describe their praises. But elsewhere, everywhere their fame lives on in the hearts of men, as in a cenotaph not made with hands. May he rest in peace and light perpetual shine upon him!

Back to