Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Sir Alan Gomme Gomme-Duncan (5 July 1893 – 13 December 1963), born Alan Gomme Duncan, was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer who served in both World Wars; he was recalled to the army at the age of 45 in advance of

Second World War 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 ...

. In a brief break in his career he was Inspector of Prisons for Scotland. After the liberation of Europe he went into politics and served for fourteen years as a Unionist Party Member of Parliament (MP) in Scotland, becoming known for humorous remarks combined with a lively partisanship.

Early life and First World War

Alan Gomme Duncan was the only son of Alfred Edward Duncan, and was sent to Merchant Taylors' School. At the outbreak of the

First World War 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 ...

, Duncan joined the London Scottish, serving in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

."Who Was Who", A & C Black. At the beginning of January 1917, while holding the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

(and temporary

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

), he was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

. He was later transferred to the

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

for whom he served in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

after the armistice and into 1919. During the war, Duncan was twice

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

, and was also wounded in action. He ended the war with the substantive rank of captain.

Inter-war army career

After the end of the war, Duncan formed a business partnership with his father, who was a produce broker in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

. He married Mary Bourne on 2 April 1919 at Leavesden,

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

."Marriages", ''The Times'', 4 April 1919, p. 1. However, Duncan, still an officer in the Black Watch, was posted to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

later in 1919; he decided to remain in the army and not to pursue his business, and so the partnership with his father was dissolved on 1 July 1921. In India, Duncan was a staff officer with the Western Command in

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

from 1923 to 1927. He returned to Britain in 1927, and was a staff officer on the Northern Command based in

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

from 1929 to 1933. He returned to India in 1933 for four more years with the Black Watch, before retiring from the army, with the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

, in 1937. He moved to

Bridge of Earn Bridge of Earn () is a small town in Perthshire, Scotland. Often referred to simply as 'Brig' (Scots Language, Scots for 'bridge'). The village grew up on the south bank of an important crossing of the River Earn, whose sandstone bridge existed ...

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

, and in 1938 he assumed by Authority the surname of Gomme-Duncan instead of Duncan.

Recall to the colours

On 1 November 1938 it was announced that Gomme-Duncan had been appointed HM Inspector of Prisons for Scotland."News in Brief", ''The Times'', 2 November 1938, p. 11. This was to be a brief appointment, for Gomme-Duncan was "recalled to the Colours" as a reservist in June 1939. He was appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General at the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

. 1940 saw Gomme-Duncan placed in command of the 70th Battalion of the Black Watch. In 1941 he was attached to the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

, and in 1942 he became assistant adjutant-general at the War Office. Preparing for the invasion of France, Gomme-Duncan commanded 101 Reinforcement Group within 21

Army Group An army group is a military organization consisting of several field army, field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area. An army group is the largest field organizatio ...

from 1943 to 1944; he went across to France with the Second Army, where he held a command in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

"The Times House of Commons 1945", p. 120. and also served in Belgium and the Netherlands. He finally left the army, as a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

, in 1945.

Political career

For the 1945 general election, Gomme-Duncan was chosen as the Unionist Party candidate for

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, which included his home at Bridge of Earn, and where the sitting member was retiring. Gomme-Duncan easily won election to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

, obtaining a majority of 10,867. In November 1945 Gomme-Duncan seconded a motion calling on the Government to withdraw a proposal to build a hydro-electric scheme on a particularly picturesque

highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

lake; he asserted that Parliament should not be led by the Electricity Commissioners in deciding which schemes to progress, and urged the government to consult the people of Scotland."Parliament", ''The Times'', 15 November 1945, p. 8. He opposed the Civil Aviation Bill, arguing that it abrogated the

Treaty of Union The Treaty of Union is the name usually now given to the treaty which led to the creation of the new political state of Great Britain. The treaty, effective since 1707, brought the Kingdom of England (which already included Wales) and the Ki ...

which guaranteed Scotland freedom of navigation in England."Parliament", ''The Times'', 7 May 1946, p. 2.

Indian independence

Gomme-Duncan spoke from experience in late 1946 when he opposed independence for India, contending that the Congress Party consisted of "moneylenders and landlords" who did not recognise their responsibilities to the peasants, while the British were the only people for 200 years who protected the "toiling masses"."Parliament", ''The Times'', 14 December 1946, p. 5. He also defended the landlord and tenant system in Scotland."Parliament", ''The Times'', 2 December 1947, p. 3. He succeeded in May 1948 in getting a pledge from

Secretary of State for War The secretary of state for war, commonly called the war secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The secretary of state for war headed the War Offic ...

Emanuel Shinwell Emanuel Shinwell, Baron Shinwell, (18 October 1884 – 8 May 1986) was a British politician who served as a government minister under Ramsay MacDonald and Clement Attlee. A member of the Labour Party, he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) ...

that the Highland regiments would once again be supplied with

kilt A kilt ( ) is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill-woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Originating in the Scottish Highland dress for men, it is first r ...

s."Parliament", ''The Times'', 5 May 1948, p. 6. He was a critic of the Government's policy in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

when the British mandate was surrendered, arguing that the withdrawal of British troops had been mishandled and that the Government's orders had favoured Jews over Arabs."Evacuation Of Troops", ''The Times'', 15 May 1948, p. 4. On 30 November Gomme-Duncan presented a petition signed by 530,000 housewives who called on the Government to provide a fuller ration of fresh and varied meat, and a larger share of unrationed meat."Parliament", ''The Times'', 1 December 1948, p. 3. In addition to serious points, however, Gomme-Duncan became known for making humorous remarks in Parliament, frequently provoking laughter.

Scotland within the United Kingdom

At the 1950 general election, Gomme-Duncan's constituency was subjected to boundary changes and renamed Perth and East Perthshire. Gomme-Duncan increased his majority to 13,144,"The Times House of Commons 1950", p. 263. although the constituency saw the

Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 61 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, ...

obtain its highest vote of that election.H.G. Nicholas, "The British General Election of 1950" (Macmillan & Company, London, 1951), p. 256-7. Gomme-Duncan was gratified by the overall electoral failure of the SNP but urged that the signing of the

Covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...

by a million people be recognised as a sign of dissatisfaction and a commission established to look at the facts and figures."Parliament", ''The Times'', 9 March 1950, p. 8. When the

Stone of Scone The Stone of Scone (; , meaning Stone of Destiny, also called clach-na-cinneamhuinn; ) is an oblong block of red sandstone that was used in the coronation of Scottish monarchs until the 13th century, and thereafter in the coronation of Englis ...

was recovered after its kidnap by Scottish nationalists, he called for a tactful response including leaving the stone in Scotland;"Parliament", ''The Times'', 13 April 1951, p. 7. when it was eventually returned to

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

, he voiced his opposition."The Coronation Stone", ''The Times'', 27 February 1952, p. 4.

Political partisanship

In September 1950 Gomme-Duncan was made a delegate to the conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in

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 ...

."Delegation To Malaya", ''The Times'', 16 September 1950, p. 3. After the Conservatives returned to power in the 1951 general election, he asserted that there was a serious lessening in the high reputation of the House of Commons due to the "factious opposition"."Parliament", ''The Times'', 24 April 1952, p. 7. He good-humouredly suggested sending

Hewlett Johnson Hewlett Johnson (25 January 1874 – 22 October 1966) was an English priest of the Church of England and Christian communist. He was Dean of Manchester and later Dean of Canterbury, where he acquired his nickname "The Red Dean of Canterbury" f ...

, the "Red"

Dean of Canterbury The Dean of Canterbury is the head of the Chapter (religion), Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral, the Cathedral of Christ Church, Canterbury, England. The current office of dean (religion), Dean originated after the English Reformation, although Dea ...

, to a

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

when the Dean circulated Communist propaganda."Parliament", ''The Times'', 16 July 1952, p. 4. Gomme-Duncan ran into controversy in late 1952, when he claimed that the chairman of

British European Airways British European Airways (BEA), formally British European Airways Corporation, was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. BEA operated to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East from airports around the United Kingdom. The ...

, Lord Douglas of Kirtleside, had made a political speech to BEA workers claiming that a Labour government would increase their wages. Lord Douglas denied making any such speech and the Minister of Civil Aviation

Alan Lennox-Boyd Alan Tindal Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton, CH, PC, DL (18 November 1904 – 8 March 1983), was a British Conservative politician. Background, education and military service Lennox-Boyd was the son of Alan Walter Lennox-Boyd by h ...

accepted his denial and issued a statement of confidence. Gomme-Duncan was obliged to withdraw his remarks."Parliament", ''The Times'', 13 November 1952, p. 4. However his popularity did not suffer and soon after he was elected a vice-chairman of the

1922 Committee The 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee, or sometimes simply the 22, is the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party in the British House of Commons of the United Kingdom, H ...

."Officers for Conservative M.P.s' Committee", ''The Times'', 15 November 1952, p. 9. He returned to the issue of hydroelectricity in early 1953, moving to cancel a project in Breadalbane, Perthshire."Critics Of Fuel Policy", ''The Times'', 9 March 1953, p. 8. He was re-elected in the 1955 general election with a majority of 13,721 over the Scottish National Party candidate, the party's former MP Dr Robert McIntyre."The Times House of Commons 1955", p. 228. In the new Parliament he opposed proposals to increase the school leaving age to 16, saying it would, without qualification, be a disaster."Parliament", ''The Times'', 2 November 1955, p. 4.

Political and lodge honours

In the 1956 New Year Honours list, Gomme-Duncan was created a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

"for political and public services"."The New Year Honours", ''The Times'', 2 January 1956, p. 4. He was "staunchly" loyal to the Government over the

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...

,"Sir A. Gomme-Duncan, M.P., To Retire", ''The Times'', 12 January 1957, p. 3. complaining at the outset that some broadcasts by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

contained "complete nonsense" in presenting the British case."Parliament", ''The Times'', 12 April 1956, p. 4. After the invasion, he supported a motion critical of

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

policy towards Suez for endangering the Atlantic alliance."110 Back Benchers Support Critical Motion", ''The Times'', 29 November 1956, p. 7. He was appointed a Senior Grand Deacon in the United Grand Lodge of

Freemasons Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

in April 1956."United Grand Lodge Of Freemasons", ''The Times'', 26 April 1956, p. 7.

Retirement

At the beginning of 1957, just after Sir

Anthony Eden Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1955 until his resignation in 1957. Achi ...

resigned as prime minister, Gomme-Duncan announced that he would retire at the end of the Parliament. Given the high political tension, the chairman of the Perth and East Perthshire Unionist Association stressed that there was no connection between the two events, and when Gomme-Duncan next spoke it was to attack the Labour MP

Edith Summerskill Edith Clara Summerskill, Baroness Summerskill, (19 April 1901 – 4 February 1980) was a British physician, feminist, Labour politician and writer. She was appointed to the Privy Council in 1949. Early life Summerskill attended Eltham Hill ...

for remarks which Gomme-Duncan asserted had disparaged British troops. He got into a shouting match with the Labour spokesman

George Brown George Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter * George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist * George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor * Ge ...

who defended Summerskill and disputed that she had made any such remarks."Military Lessons Of Suez Campaign", ''The Times'', 6 February 1957, p. 12. Gomme-Duncan duly retired at the 1959 general election. In Scotland, Gomme-Duncan held several positions of honour, including membership of the

Royal Company of Archers The Royal Company of Archers, The King's Bodyguard for Scotland, is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland—a role it has performed since 1822 during the reign of King George IV when the company provided a pers ...

(the Sovereign's Bodyguard in Scotland); he was a Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland. The usu ...

. Gomme-Duncan was president of the Perthshire Musical Festival Association and vice-president of Perthshire Agricultural Society and of the

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts or Boy Scout may refer to: * Members, sections or organisations in the Scouting Movement ** Scout (Scouting), a boy or a girl participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouting America, formerly known as Boy Scouts of America ...

in Perth District.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gomme-Duncan, Alan 1893 births 1963 deaths People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood Black Watch officers War Office personnel in World War II London Scottish officers British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II British prison inspectors Unionist Party (Scotland) MPs Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies Recipients of the Military Cross Knights Bachelor UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 Members of the Royal Company of Archers Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 20th-century antiquarians