Lords Sitting of 19 January 1965

Preamble
Reassembling after the Christmas Recess, the House met at half past two of the clock, The Lord Chancellor on the Woolsack.
Prayers—Read by the Lord Bishop of Worcester
The Lord Ailwyn—Took the Oath.

TRIBUTES TO THE LATE EARL ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGH
2.36 p.m.
THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (THE EARL OF LONGFORD): My Lords, we meet to pay tribute to a great and generous human being. Earl Alexander of Hills-borough was such a man that, whilst there is grief in his passing and a real sense that this House is not the same, yet the predominant thought must surely be a feeling of happiness that we had known him; that in anxious and difficult times we had served with him and, for us on these Benches in particular, that we had had the pride and privilege of serving under him. The feminine played a large part in maintaining and sustaining his life. First, his mother, then his wife, the noble Lady, Lady Alexander of Hillsborough, then his daughter, and, if I may say so without impropriety, the ships of the Royal Navy that he loved so greatly. But besides the part they played, there can be no dispute that the dominant feature of his life was his Christian faith and belief.
Albert Victor Alexander was born at Weston-Super-Mare, and he always retained a great love for the Western Counties. His father died when he was a baby, leaving his mother with four children to bring up and educate. It fell to his mother to earn a living for the family, and she was able to save sufficient to allow her son, Albert, to continue his schooling after the elementary stage. But he was determined that he should support his family as soon as possible by beginning work at an early age. He became a clerk in the education department of the Somerset County Council, and then, in order to continue his own education, he attended classes
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at a technical institute, and he took university correspondence courses. He was a great reader and a deep follower of Emerson.
In 1908 he joined the Western Co-operative Society, and became a director only five years later. In the First World War he enlisted as a private in the Artists Rifles and rose to the rank of captain. At the end of the war he returned to the Co-operative movement, and we in this House are all aware of his lifelong loyalty to that movement. Apart from being interested in matters of trade and commerce, it was natural, with his great social interest, that he should enter the political field, and in October, 1922, he was elected to the House of Commons as the Co-operative Member for the Hills-borough Division of Sheffield. He became a Minister in the 1924 Labour Government, when he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade. In the next Labour Government he became First Lord of the Admiralty, and again as we know so well in this House, he never wavered in his allegiance to the Navy.
He refused to follow Mr. Ramsay MacDonald in serving in his National Government of that time, and lost his seat in the following General Election. He regained his seat in 1935, and served with great distinction, both in Opposition and in the Government, until he was created a Member of your Lordships' House in 1950. It was a matter of special pride to Lord Alexander that he served as First Lord of the Admiralty with the formation of the National Coalition Government in May, 1940. Under the Labour Government of 1945 he served briefly as First Lord of the Admiralty, and then later as Minister of Defence. As so many of us recall, he carried out all these important appointments with great distinction and acceptability. He was a member of the Cripps Commission to India, an Elder Brother of Trinity House, and President of the United Kingdom Council of Protestant Churches—and we know how much that meant to him. But for most of us in this House, we knew him better as Leader of the Opposition for nine years, and I share the view, widely held, that during that period his great qualities of integrity and leadership were shown to the fullest extent.

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The Leader of the Opposition has a task that is far from easy, particularly if one leads a rather small Party; in any case it cannot be easy. It calls, as most of us are aware, for continual acts of statesmanship. There is a duty of examining proposals in a spirit of constructive criticism and, it may be, of making vehement and even belligerent protest. In this part of his duty Lord Alexander never flagged or wavered, as no one here needs reminding. But there are other moments (and these are not always fully appreciated) when restraint of Party impulses and support for the Government of the day are required of the Opposition, and most particularly of the Leader. We who served on the Front Bench opposite were well aware that Lord Alexander of Hillsborough was equipped at all these points and in all these aspects. He was a splendid Party Leader; but he was more than a Party Leader. The British national interest and the broad requirements of Parliamentary democracy always predominated with him. He was fearless, and when fully moved could be ferocious; but his wrath never lasted for more than a few minutes or obscured his natural chivalry of heart. To us on these Benches he was a great Leader, but, above all else, a friend and comrade who promoted a family spirit in our ranks. And his friendship and comradeship were not confined to our sector of your Lordships' House. They were spread far and wide throughout the House.
In recent years, Lord Alexander overcame physical handicaps, and I am sure there are few in your Lordships' House, bearing in mind the vigour and quality of his speeches and the great range of subjects on which he spoke, who would be aware of his serious disadvantage through failing sight. Towards the end, he was largely dependent upon colleagues to read to him newspaper reports, reports from Hansard and official documents, and it never ceased to surprise us that one needed only to read them once for him to assimilate them, and then come down to the House and bring forth all the facts in a constructive and cogent speech.
His devotion to duty could perhaps be illustrated by his last great effort to support our Party. On the last Tuesday before the Christmas Recess, in answer to a three-line Whip on the Machinery of
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Government Bill, in spite of being very ill, he rose from his bed and came to your Lordships' House. It is perhaps nice to know that he was able to spend his last Christmas as he would have wished to spend it—with his family; and that he was able to sit and listen to and join in the singing of the Messiah.
It would be hard for anyone, and not easiest perhaps for me, to say anything at all worthy about his religious life; but this at least can be said, and this at least surely must be said. No one who makes any kind of claim to Christianity or tries, however feebly, to base his life on ethical principles could know Lord Alexander of Hillsborough even slightly without recognising and responding to his exceptional religious inspiration. He based his life on the Bible. He knew it through and through, as no other layman in the House could perhaps claim to know it. Daily he strove, by prayer and scrutiny of conscience, to carry out the will of God as he understood it. He pursued that end as ardently in his last years as I imagine in the days when he was a young preacher—perhaps even more so, if possible. He pursued it with a conviction, a candour and commitment that were the visible source of his strength as a statesman and of his moral influence as a man.
My Lords, with these inadequate words, I pay tribute to Albert Alexander. We send to his dear Lady, and to his family, our deep sympathy and love.
2.46 p.m.
LORD CARRINGTON: My Lords, the noble Earl the Leader of the House has paid a most moving tribute to Lord Alexander of Hillsborough, and every one of us would join with him in sending our sympathy to Lady Alexander, and to his family. The noble Earl was, of course, one of the best known figures in your Lordships' House, and known personally, I imagine, to every one of us present here this afternoon. Each of us has his own memories, political and personal, of the fifteen years or so which the noble Earl spent in this House; but, of course, that was only a very small part of a long life dedicated to public service and to his country.
I suspect that if Lord Alexander of Hillsborough had been asked in what period of his life he was the happiest, and of which he was the most proud, he

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would have said that it was on the three occasions when he was First Lord of the Admiralty, and I am glad that two former First Lords should be here to speak in his honour this afternoon. I remember, when I was at the Admiralty, how fresh his name was in the memories of those officers who served with him, even though it was nearly twenty years since he had last been at the Admiralty. They spoke of him—and speak of him—with great affection, and recall not only what he did for the Service, but his own individual way of doing things.
They remember him as a man of great courage and recall the time, in 1940, when France was falling and he took a flying boat to Bordeaux, on a mission of great importance and at great personal risk. They also recall his great friendship with Admiral Sir Dudley Pound. There is a story that they both had official Bentleys, that both liked to travel very fast and that there was considerable competition as to who could get from London to Portsmouth in the shortest possible time. They recall also those evenings in the wardroom after dinner, when he played the piano and sang songs.
But, my Lords, as the noble Earl, Lord Longford, has said, most of us remember him particularly as Leader of the Opposition for nine years—at the beginning with far fewer supporters than there are today; but neither he nor his colleagues under his leadership ever let the Government of the day get away with anything. And it seemed to us who sat opposite that he did his job with skill and vigour, and with great conviction, yet with kindness and with tolerance. He may sometimes have been very indignant at the iniquities of the Administration, but he never let his indignation last long outside the Chamber, and it never became personal.
Towards the end, as the noble Earl, Lord Longford, has said, he was old and he was ill; he was very lame and he had great trouble with his eyes. He lived a long way from this House, and yet he came here every sitting day. He knew, of course, before 1959, and certainly before 1964, that if a Labour Government came back into office he would not be part of that Government. The only reason he came to this House was a sense of public duty: a sense of duty to his Party, of duty to Parliament
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and of duty to his country. For, above all, he was a great patriot. He cared for his country more than he cared about anything else. I think that some of us will remember yet the last occasion when he intervened in this House, when he made inquiries of his own Government as to whether their policy in a certain matter was likely to weaken the capabilities of the Royal Navy and its world-wide rôle.
So, my Lords, we pay our tribute today to a personal friend, to a great First Lord, a great Leader of the Opposition, a great House of Lords man, but, above all, to a great patriot.
2.50 p.m.
LORD REA: My Lords, as the noble Earl the Leader of the House has said, we reassemble to-day under a cloud of sorrows and regrets. In the person of Lord Alexander of Hillsborough we have lost a great figure in your Lordships' House; a statesman of well-merited national stature, and an eminent Parliamentarian who was himself a vital part of the building up, the flourishing and, ultimately, the triumph of a very great and powerful political Party in this country of ours.
His career and his achievements have been touched upon sympathetically and eloquently by both the previous speakers, but no speech is necessary to underline the high regard which we all had for him, or the great admiration which he won by his undeviating sincerity and consistency in the causes which he held dear. He was a great Parliamentary advocate, and he was a formidable Parliamentary opponent; but he always fought cleanly and fairly, with political ideals always mingled, as the noble Lord, Lord Carrington, has said, with a deep patriotism which shone clearly through for all to see at all times.
Apart from our own personal sense of loss of an eminent and gifted friend—for he was, indeed, a friend of us all in this House—our sympathy must also go to his own political Party which, like all Parties, can ill spare the loss of a trusted, experienced and able figure. And to Lady Alexander, in particular, we send our sorrowful condolences at the passing of a very great contemporary figure.
2.52 p.m.
THE LORD BISHOP OF LONDON: My Lords, in the absence of the most

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reverend Primate the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, who is presiding over Convocation, it falls to me to add the tribute of the Lords Spiritual to what has already been so well said about one of the most deeply respected Members of your Lordships' House. It would be something of an understatement to say that Lord Alexander of Hillsborough did not always agree with the Bishops on matters ecclesiastic, but I know that I can speak for all my colleagues on these Benches (many of whom would have wished to be here, had they not been involved in Convocation) when I say that we respected him the more because we knew that the opposition which he gave to us came from his integrity and from a burning conviction that some of the policies embodied in the Measures of the Church Assembly were not right.
I recollect that two years ago in this House, in paying tribute to Hugh Gaitskell, Lord Alexander of Hills-borough thanked God that in the history of the Labour movement so many of its prominent members had come from the Christian Churches. What he said on that occasion we would apply with special emphasis to himself; for all that he did, as well as all that he said, was inspired by his own Christian convictions. The words of the Bible and of the great Christian hymns were often on his lips—often, indeed, quoted rather with a glance in the direction of these Benches. But the words of the Bible and of the great Christian hymns were also always in his heart, and from them he drew guidance for action, his fairmindedness and his capacity for friendship which we all admired and prized.
We know that Lord Alexander of Hillsborough always loved to see the moral and spiritual values in our civilisation preserved and strengthened, and though he may have criticised the Church of England on many occasions we were left in no doubt that he had a love and respect for it. We are all conscious that this House is the poorer for his death. But our loss is not as great as that of Lady Alexander and his family, to whom we should all wish to send our sympathy. But we do thank God for the experience of his fellowship, and for the example and inspiration of a life directed always by conscience and by a passionate
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concern both for the good of this nation and for all his fellow men.
2.55 p.m.
LORD STRANG: My Lords, it is fitting that a brief tribute to Lord Alexander of Hillsborough should be paid also from the Cross Benches, together with an expression of deep sympathy to his devoted family. We remember (he noble Earl as a Minister, as a Member of your Lordships' House, and as a man. As a Minister, one may think of him with Ernest Bevin. Both were deeply rooted in the people; both were raised in the West Country; both rose to high office by their own merit; and both were men of sturdy and robust patriotism. They will both go down to history as men who stood with Winston Churchill during the war and who helped the noble Earl, Lord Attlee, to bring our people through the difficult post-war years.
As a Member of your Lordships' House, and as Leader of the Opposition, he will be remembered as a strong Party man; and that is right and proper. But, side by side with Party controversy, there was in him a rich fund of friendliness and generosity. No one relished more keenly than he did an able debating speech from the other side of the House. His heart warmed especially to any young Peer who distinguished himself in debate. Though not, I think, a strong supporter of your Lordships' House as an institution, he did, I remember, say one day that one of the merits of the House of Lords was the presence in it of young hereditary Peers with a chance to make their mark.
My Lords, we have all lost a friend, a man of courage who came to the House to the last, and to the last bore witness to his inmost convictions. But what we have lost, above all, is a good man, a man whose deep religious faith lay at the root of his being. We have lost a man whose goodness will long be affectionately remembered.
2.58 p.m.
EARL ATTLEE: My Lords, may I, as a very old friend and colleague of Lord Alexander, add a few words to the tributes which have been so admirably paid. I entered Parliament in 1922, at the same time as Lord Alexander. We both served in the 1924 Government as

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Under-Secretaries, and from that time had always been close friends. He found himself particularly when he went to the Admiralty. He rejoiced in the Admiralty: he felt himself one of them. I remember on many occasions in the war our going across to the Admiralty and listening to episodes in the war.
As a colleague in the House of Commons no one could have been more loyal, and no one could have been less self-seeking. I do not think he asked on any occasion for anything for himself. He was then transferred to your Lordships' House, and he did fine service in leading the small band of colleagues here. A vigorous speaker, he never pulled his punches. But he never caused ill-feeling, and right to the end he kept up that spirit that should be shown by an Opposition.
It has been said how deeply he was inspired by his religious faith. No doubt about that. He was at all times a good companion; he was very fond of music and liked to play himself and to sing. I was very pleased when, last year, he was given the Order of the Garter. It was thoroughly deserved; and how discerning of Her Majesty to bestow it on such a man! He leaves behind him no enemies, but many, many friends. And our hearts go out to the great Lady, Lady Alexander of Hillsborough, and to his daughter. He leaves with all of us a very happy memory of a Parliamentary career without any spot.
3.2 p.m.
LORD SILKIN: My Lords, many tributes have been paid from both sides of the House and from the Cross Benches to the political and public services which Albert Alexander has rendered as a religious leader, a Parliamentarian, a leader of the Co-operative movement and, generally, to his services to the community as a whole. I do not wish to add to anything already said in that regard, but I want to say a few words about Albert Alexander as a man and as a colleague.
I suppose that during the last nine years of his life I knew him as well as anybody in this House. I worked closely with him and often had the misfortune to have to deputise for him. As a colleague, I have never known
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anyone with whom it was a greater pleasure to work. He was unselfish and generous, and indeed I do not remember that we ever had a serious difference of opinion during the whole of the time I worked so closely with him. He loved this House and I know that, when he was Leader of the Opposition, during the time he was in hospital he was most eager to know about everything that was taking place in the House in his absence, even at a time when he was suffering great pain. He was generous to everybody, even to his opponents. Although, as has been said, he spoke most strongly, I never knew him to say an unkind word about anybody or say anything mean. He held strong views on most matters, and expressed them strongly, but he held them sincerely.
Perhaps the quality in him which I admired most was his great fortitude. It is probably not so well known that during the last few years of his life he was in constant pain, and to watch him standing up in this House making speeches, knowing all the time that he was doing so under the most difficult conditions and suffering pain throughout, was really a wonderful experience to witness. He never complained and always showed tremendous courage, and he was ready to step into battle under the most difficult physical conditions.
In the last few months of his life he was aware that the end was near and he made no secret of it: he took it calmly, with great fortitude and courage. I believe that on the last occasion he was here he recognised that it was probably the last time that we should see him in this House. It requires greatness to be able to say that and to accept fate with such fortitude. Of course, he was helped by his religious convictions. We shall all miss him here tremendously, not only because of his political qualities, but as a man and as a comrade. I myself shall certainly feel his loss, and I know that my sense of loss will be
shared by almost every noble Lord in this House, certainly by all those who loved him. I am glad that we are sending a message of sympathy to Lady Alexander of Hillsborough and his family, and I hope that they will find some comfort in the words that we have uttered about him in this House.
THE EARL OF LONGFORD: My Lords, I beg to move that, as a mark of respect to the memory of the late Earl Alexander of Hillsborough, the House do now adjourn.
Moved, That as a mark of respect to the memory of the late Earl Alexander of
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Hillsborough, the House do now adjourn.—(The Earl of Longford)
On Question, Motion agreed to, nemine dissentiente.
House adjourned accordingly at seven minutes past three o'clock.