TRIBUTES TO THE LATE LORD SWINTON (Hansard, 31 July 1972)

THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (EARL JELLICOE)
My Lords, your Lordships will have heard with profound regret of the death at the end of the last week of the noble Earl, Lord Swinton. Our late colleague deserves without question the title of a very great House of Lords man. He was also a great Parliamentarian in the widest sense, but his record of immensely long and distinguished service to the nation demonstrates that he was more than that. It is remarkable to reflect that he first entered Parliament as a Member of another place as long ago as 1918. Thus he had well over half a century of Parliamentary service in one House or the other.
I need not enumerate the roll call of distinguished and various offices held by the noble Earl: these were commented on in a perceptive obituary inThe Times last Saturday. Suffice it say that he became a Cabinet Minister at the age of 38, and he had more than 60 years' experience, in one way and another, of 2 power at the centre. Of all our Statesmen, he was, when he died, the one with the longest period of active service in high office in our country. I should like, if I may, just to single out two particular aspects of the service which he rendered to our country. Both were of the highest importance, and of both the nation has only recently become fully aware.
In the first place, there was his remarkable tenure of office as Secretary of State for Air in the crucial years from 1935 to 1938. These were the years in which were laid the foundations of victory in the Battle of Britain; and for that, of course, the credit is owed to many. But, my Lords, it is owed to no one more than to the noble Earl, Lord Swinton. There are many who would claim that, but for the vigorous impulse which he imparted to the re-creation of our Air Force in those years we should not have had the aircrews, that we should not have the Hurricanes and Spitfires, that we should not have had the radar—had them in time and in sufficient quantities for our country to be saved. As a testimony to this, I would only cite the words of the late Lord, Lord Sankey, then Secretary of the Cabinet and of the Committee of Imperial Defence. This is what he wrote to Lord Swinton after his resignation in 1938: We happen to be behind the scenes and to know the ins and outs of things. For my part, I say roundly that you have accomplished a wonderful and unique work. Another of Lord Swinton's great services to the nation is less well known. In a recent hook, Mr. J. C. Masterman 3 describes the extraordinarily successful system, devised by our security services in the last war, by which we virtually controlled the information, or much of the information, which the Germans received about us. In that book he revealed that the service would scarcely have got off the ground without Lord Swinton's vigorous backing. Indeed, Mr. Masterman dedicates his book to Lord Swinton with these words: To the Earl of Swinton, amongst whose many services to Great Britain the Chairmanship of Security Executive 1940–42 was not the least. My Lords, the noble Earl was not merely a great national figure; he was also a considerable Party figure. It may be fashionable in some quarters in these days to deride Party politics, but I happen to believe that our health as a nation is in large part dependent upon the health of our great national political Parties; and the debt which the Conservative Party owes to Lord Swinton is very great indeed. That said, my Lords, it is natural that we should remember our former colleague in this House above all for his services here which were in themselves long and exceptionally distinguished. He first came to this House in 1935, so that he had been with us for 37 years. During all that time, until only a few months ago, he had played the more vigorous and the most constructive part in our affairs—be it as a Minister; be it on the Opposition Front Bench or be it, as all of us so well recall, from his accustomed corner seat below the gangway.
As Leader of your Lordships' House—and I know that the former Leaders will join with me in this—I valued very greatly the advice of the noble Earl. I valued also the fact that he was always at hand to intervene, absolutely irrespective of Party considerations but solely in the interests of the better running of our affairs, whenever a procedural point warranted that intervention. His loyalty to your Lordships' House was beyond question, and so, if I may say so, was his loyalty, when he was Deputy Leader to his former Chief as Leader of the House, the late Lord Salisbury. It is indeed a tragedy that these two great Englishmen, these two great Parliamentarians, and these two great friends should both have 4 been taken from us within so short a space of time.
My Lords, I am sure that the whole House will wish to join with me in extending our deep sympathy to Lady Swinton and his family in their loss. In saying this I know that it must have been a source of deep satisfaction to the former colleague whom we mourn to have seen his sense of public service continued, as we all have seen it being continued, in the person of the noble Baroness, Lady Masham of Ilton, who is married to his grandson.

§ LORD BESWICK
My Lords, I am privileged on behalf of the Opposition to associate this side of the House with what the noble Earl has said so well. Though I can truthfully say that we should wish to be associated with all that he has said, I would emphasise the theme of genuine public service, which we need to cherish so warmly in our national life and which was embodied so fully in Lord Swinton's career. If one looks at the Privy Council list, as I was advised to do before I came to this House, one sees that Philip Cunliffe-Lister was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1922, and there is quite a gap after that name before others appear. Not always was his work fully appreciated. It may well be that his clear thinking and efficient administration, leading to ease of execution, were the reasons why public attention was not always focused upon him. But the quality of his judgment was well illustrated by the choice of the Hurricane and the Spitfire, to which the noble Earl, Lord Jellicoe, referred. Nobody who entered the Royal Air Force during the war, as I was able to do, could dispute that the massive expansion was possible only because of the framework which had been prepared earlier.
The Front Bench below the gangway has in recent months lost two formidable Tory figures who contributed much to our national life. Like the noble Earl the Leader of the House. I recall Lord Swinton as a trim, spare figure who at times appeared to be living in a world of his own and would then suddenly erupt. Usually he would say what he thought, and both sides of the House would usually agree that he had cut across the Party exchanges to reveal a truth. 5 To his family and to Lady Swindon, we, too, offer our sympathy.

§ LORD BYERS
My Lords, we on these Benches would associate ourselves with the tributes which have been paid to the late Lord Swinton. It was my misfortune that I did not get to know him well until I joined this House eight years ago. No one could have read that fine obituary inThe Times or listened to the Leader of the House today without realising what a tremendous contribution Lord Swinton made, as a statesman, to the political life of this country. I was privileged to work with him on some committees, and what impressed me most was the sound common sense he brought to bear on the judgments that we had to make, and the very real affection he had for this House as an institution. We wish to associate ourselves sincerely with the sympathy which must be extended to Lady Swinton and to the Swinton family.

§ LORD SHERFIELD
My Lords, perhaps from these Benches, I may be allowed to say a few words in memory of the late Lord Swinton. My reference will be to what is perhaps one of the lesser known episodes in his long career. In July, 1942, at a low point in the war, he was sent out as resident Minister in West Africa in order to rally the West African colonies, to work with our American, Free French and Belgian allies, and eventually to deal with the Vichy French territories, whether as friend or foe was not then known. He created and presided over the West African War Council, and his drive and energy had a tremendous effect. The local administrations, after they had got over the first impact of that forceful personality, greatly appreciated the energy and dedication with which he approached his task.
In the event, the West African base was never involved in actual hostilities because the tide of war was on the turn, but I have no doubt that if it had been the work which Lord Swinton did would have been of crucial importance. As it was, he made an unforgetable impression on all who came into contact with him at that time. I believe that this part of his career was not the least of the great services which he rendered to the country.

§ LORD BALFOUR OF INCHRYE
My Lords, Perhaps the House will allow me 6 for a moment, as one who was intimately concerned with Lord Swinton at the Air Ministry, to add a word to what the Leader of the House has said? When Lord Swinton became Secretary of State for Air in 1935 the existing fighter planes of the Royal Air Force were obsolete. The Hurricane and the Spitfire were at the development stage. Lord Swinton used his powers and authority as Minister, both within and without the Government, to speed production and to expand our aircraft industry. It takes years to develop a modern aircraft, and when Lord Swinton left the Ministry in May, 1938, he had gone far towards accomplishing his purpose. In April, 1938, the Royal Air Force first line had twelve Hurricanes, and in July, 1938, it had two Spitfires. But in the factories there were production lines of eight-gun fighters, equal, and indeed superior, to those of the enemy. By 1939, the production lines had given an output sufficient to re-equip our fighter force and finally to win the Battle of Britain. I would remind the House of the words written by Lord Swinton at the time of his resignation in May, 1938: I am content to leave the work I have tried to do at the Air Ministry to be judged at the right time in the light of further knowledge. My Lords, the liberties that we enjoy to-day and have enjoyed since 1945, are in no small measure due to Lord Swinton's work.