Alfred Ernest Mander (13 December 1894 – 26 February 1985) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

psychology writer and political activist who became prominent in New Zealand and Australia. Born in

Great Malvern Great Malvern is an area of the civil parish of Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern, in the Malvern Hills District, Malvern Hills district, in the county of Worcestershire, England. It lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of O ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

, Mander was educated at

Queen's College, Taunton Queen's College is a co-educational private school located in Taunton, the county town of Somerset, England. It is a day/boarding school for pupils aged 0–18. The school incorporates nursery, pre-prep, prep, and senior schools. The current Hea ...

, and became a journalist before studying law at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Mander served in France with the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It was created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of the regiment, the ...

, then from 1917 worked for the Ministries of Munitions and Labour. He became active in the socialist movement, serving on the first committee of

Hands Off Russia The Hands Off Russia campaign was an international political initiative first launched by British Socialists in 1919 to organise opposition to the British intervention on the side of the White armies against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War ...

. He became the general secretary of the National Union of Ex-Service Men, and sold his house in order to help finance it. However, the group dissolved late in 1920, and Mander emigrated to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, where he lectured at the

Victoria University College Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

.''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.IX, p.106 Mander's political views had moved to the right, and in 1929 he became the dominion secretary of the Reform Party. The party was at a low ebb, having suffered a serious defeat in the

1928 New Zealand general election The 1928 New Zealand general election was held on 13 and 14 November in the Māori electorates, Māori and European electorates, respectively, to elect 80 MPs to the 23rd New Zealand Parliament, 23rd session of the New Zealand Parliament. 1928 ...

, and Mander moved on to become general secretary of the New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation. In 1935, Mander began writing books on psychology in ''Psychology for Everyman (and Woman)'' being followed in 1936 by ''Clearer Thinking (Logic for Everyman)''. The titles were frequently revised and in print until at least 1970, selling around 600,000 copies. In 1936, he also wrote ''To Alarm New Zealand'', which argued that white British immigrants to the country should be encouraged. Around the end of 1937, Mander emigrated to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and became secretary of the New South Wales Employment Council. In 1938, he wrote ''Alarming Australia'', following the themes of ''To Alarm New Zealand''. Mander served in the

Australian Intelligence Corps The Australian Intelligence Corps (AUSTINT) is a corps within the Australian Army. It was formed on 6 December 1907 and provides intelligence personnel in every formation headquarters in the Army.Dennis (et al) 2008, p. 65. , the corps consisted ...

in the early years of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, then the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial strength of one ...

from 1941. Although he was temporarily promoted to major, he was placed in reserve in 1942, and found time to write ''Our Sham Democracy'', which argued that voters lacked the knowledge to make decisions based on the latest knowledge. He worked for the New South Wales Public Service, continued to write, and also lectured part-time for the

Workers' Educational Association Workers' Educational Associations (WEA) are not-for-profit bodies that deliver further education to adults in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. WEA UK WEA UK, founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult edu ...

. On occasion, he appeared on television, on the "Nation's Forum of the Air".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mander, Ernest 1894 births 1985 deaths Alumni of the University of Birmingham British emigrants Immigrants to Australia Immigrants to New Zealand British Army personnel of World War I Australian Army personnel of World War II People educated at Queen's College, Taunton People from Malvern, Worcestershire Psychology writers Royal Field Artillery soldiers Australian Army officers