Ernest Rogers Millington (15 February 19169 May 2009) was a British Common Wealth and later Labour Member of Parliament (MP). Following the death of

John Profumo John Dennis Profumo ( ; 30 January 1915 – 9 March 2006) was a British politician whose career ended in 1963 after a sexual relationship with the 19-year-old model Christine Keeler in 1961. The scandal, which became known as the Profumo affai ...

on 10 March 2006, Millington was the only living former MP from the 38th Parliament, elected prior to the 1945 general election. He was also the last surviving person to have served as a

Common Wealth Party The Common Wealth Party (CW) was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom with parliamentary representation in the House of Commons from 1942 (the middle of the Second World War) until 1946. Thereafter CW continued to function, e ...

MP.

Biography

Education

Millington was educated at

Chigwell Chigwell is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, England. It is part of the urban and metropolitan area of London, and is adjacent to the northern boundary of Greater London. It is on the Central line of the Londo ...

, the

College of St Mark and St John Plymouth Marjon University, commonly referred to as Marjon, is the trading name of the University of St Mark and St John, a university based primarily on a single campus on the northern edge of Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom. Formerly named Un ...

, Chelsea, and

Birkbeck College Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a public research university located in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. Established in 1823 as the London Mechanics' ...

, London. He served with the

RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the Strategic bombing during World War II#Europe, strategic bombing of Germany in W ...

during 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 ...

, where he rose to the rank of

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...

and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1945.

Parliamentarian

He was elected as MP for

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...

at a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

in April 1945, for the short-lived

. The vacancy was created by the death of the previous Conservative member, Colonel

John Macnamara John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

, killed on active service in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Whereas the Conservative, Liberal and Labour parties had agreed an electoral truce, the Common Wealth Party refused to accept this. The local CW Party had six members and soon raised £200 for the electoral campaign. After a brief discussion the local Communist Party decided not to support him. Nevertheless, he received the support of much of the labour movements as he advocated a distinctly

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

programme. Millington wore his DFC ribbon on his uniform when attending the House of Commons, as was customary at the time. Many years later he fondly recalled being reprimanded by a Conservative MP who bemoaned the fact that Millington's ribbon was being incorrectly worn. Millington told the BBC, "I was approached by a Tory MP dressed in civilian clothes and with a hand in his trouser pocket. 'Your DFC ribbon is worn too wide'. He was, I think, not expecting my reaction. 'If you are talking to me as an RAF officer: stand to attention; take your hand out of your trouser pocket and address a senior officer as Sir. If you are talking to me as a fellow Member of Parliament, mind your business and bugger off.'" Millington saw himself "as a communist with a small c", and advocated a socialist programme based on nationalisation of the land and public ownership. At the by-election he overturned a Conservative majority of 16,624 to win by 6,431 votes, becoming the ''

Baby of the House Baby of the House is the unofficial title given to the youngest member of a parliamentary house. The term is most often applied to members of the British parliament, from which the term originated. The title is named after the Father of the Hou ...

''. He was one of the first public figures to question the morality of the

area bombardment In military aviation, area bombardment or area bombing is a type of aerial bombardment in which bombs are dropped over the general area of a target. The term "area bombing" came into prominence during World War II. Area bombing is a form of str ...

of Germany. Millington held his seat in the 1945 general election and joined the Labour Party in April 1946. He lost his seat in the 1950 general election.

Later life

Millington rejoined the RAF in 1954, but later embarked on a career in education, becoming the head of education at

Shoreditch Shoreditch is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Hackney alongside neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets, which are also perceived as part of the area due to historic ecclesiastical links. Shoreditch lies just north ...

Comprehensive School A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

in 1965. He later retired to

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 ...

, where he lived until his death. Millington and his second wife Ivy emigrated to France in the early 1980s. Millington's

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

, ''Was That Really Me?'', was published in 2006. Millington was survived by his four daughters, all of whom were by his first wife Gwen, who died in 1979.Ernest Millington MP has died aged 93
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References

External links