Antony Henry Head, 1st Viscount Head, (19 December 1906 – 29 March 1983) was a British soldier,

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician and diplomat.

Background and education

Head was born in London on 19 December 1906, the son of Geoffrey Head and Ethel Daisy, daughter of Arthur Flower. He was educated at

Ludgrove School Ludgrove School is an English independent school, independent boys' Preparatory school (UK), preparatory boarding school. Ludgrove was founded in 1892 at Ludgrove Hall in Middlesex by the Old Etonian sportsman Arthur Dunn. Dunn had been employed ...

, Eton and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

Military career

A career soldier, Head was commissioned a second lieutenant in the

15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars The 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed by the amalgamation of the 15th The King's Hussars and the 19th Royal Hussars in 1922 and, after service in the Second World War, it was a ...

on 30 August 1926. He later joined the Life Guards, serving through the

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 ...

and achieving the rank of

brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

. 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 ...

(MC) on 20 December 1940. He was part of the British delegation to the Potsdam Conference.

Political career

Head was elected

MP for

Carshalton Carshalton ( ) is a town, with a historic village centre, in south London, England, within the London Borough of Sutton. It is situated around southwest of Charing Cross and around east by north of Sutton town centre, in the valley of the Rive ...

in 1945. He served as

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 ...

from 1951 to 1956 and as

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

(with a seat in the cabinet) from 1956 to 1957, in the administrations of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

and

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 ...

. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1951 and in 1960 he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Head, of Throope in the County of Wiltshire. He was later High Commissioner to Nigeria from 1960 to 1963 and High Commissioner to Malaysia from 1963 to 1966. He was knighted as a Knight Commander of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

(KCMG) in the

1961 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1961 were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 31 December 1960 in the ...

and promoted to be Knight Grand Cross (GCMG) in 1963.

Family

Lord Head married Lady Dorothea Louise (1907–1987), daughter of

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury (31 August 1869 – 25 March 1961) was an English peer, soldier, and public servant. He was the son of the Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 8th Earl of Shaftesbury, 8th Earl of Shaftesbury and Lady Harri ...

, on 23 July 1935. They had four children: * Richard Antony Head, 2nd Viscount Head (b. 27 February 1937) *Teresa Mary Head (b. 20 June 1938) *Simon Andrew Head (b. 11 November 1944) *Josephine Head (24 May 1948 – 9 October 1949) Lord Head lived at Throope Manor in

Bishopstone, Salisbury Bishopstone is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Wiltshire, England, in the River Ebble, Ebble valley about south-west of Salisbury. The parish is on the county boundary with Hampshire and includes the small village of ...

, and died there on 29 March 1983, aged 76. He was succeeded in the viscountcy by his eldest son, Richard.

Arms

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. *

External links

Generals of World War II
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Head, Antony Head, 1st Viscount 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars officers 1906 births 1983 deaths British Army brigadiers of World War II British Life Guards officers Secretaries of state for war (UK) Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst High commissioners of the United Kingdom to Malaysia High commissioners of the United Kingdom to Nigeria Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Ministers in the Eden government, 1955–1957 Officers of the Order of St John People educated at Eton College Recipients of the Military Cross UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 UK MPs 1959–1964 UK MPs who were granted peerages Viscounts created by Elizabeth II People educated at Ludgrove School