Percy Alden
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Sir Percy Alden (6 June 1865 – 30 June 1944) was a British social worker, land reformer and radical
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
politician. Born in
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
, he was the third son of Isaac Alden, a master butcher and Harriet ''née'' Kemp. After serving twice as a member of parliament, he was killed in June 1944 by a German
V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb ( "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () name was Fieseler Fi 103 and its suggestive name was (hellhound). It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug a ...
.


Education

At the age of 15, while working as a messenger for the local examinations board, he met the philosopher
T. H. Green Thomas Hill Green (7 April 183626 March 1882), known as T. H. Green, was an English philosopher, political Radicalism (historical), radical and Temperance movement, temperance reformer, and a member of the British idealism movement. Like ...
. Green encouraged him to enter the
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
. In 1884 he was admitted to
Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...
, graduating with a third in
classical moderations Honour Moderations (or ''Mods'') are a set of examinations at the University of Oxford at the end of the first part of some degree courses (e.g., Greats or '' Literae Humaniores''). Honour Moderations candidates have a class awarded (hence the ...
in 1886 and '' literae humaniores'' in 1888. He subsequently began studies for the Congregational ministry at Mansfield House, Oxford. Here, he became involved in social work, and was appointed in 1891 as the first warden of the Mansfield House settlement in
Canning Town Canning Town is a town in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England, north of the Royal Victoria Dock. Its urbanisation was largely due to the creation of the dock. The area was part of the ancient parish and County Borough of West Ham, ...
,
West Ham West Ham is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Newham. It is an inner-city suburb located east of Charing Cross. The area was originally an ancient parish formed to serve parts of the older Manor of Ham, a ...
, a post he held until 1901, later serving as honorary warden and vice-president.


Municipal politics

From 1892 to 1901, he was a member of the West Ham Borough Council, serving as deputy mayor in 1898. He was a supporter, but not a member, of the
Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberal Party (UK), Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse work ...
group that controlled the council West Ham was one of the most deprived areas in London with high unemployment and Alden was the instigator of a petition from the borough council to parliament seeking government action on the problem. He married Dr Margaret Pearse, senior resident physician of the Canning Town Medical Mission Hospital, in 1899 and they had three daughters. He was co-opted onto the
London School Board The School Board for London, commonly known as the London School Board (LSB), was an institution of local government and the first directly elected body covering the whole of London. The Elementary Education Act 1870 ( 33 & 34 Vict. c. 75) was ...
in 1903.


Parliamentary politics

Following his resignation from the Mansfield House Settlement, Alden remained involved in radical politics. In 1902 he became secretary of the National Unemployed Committee, and in 1903 joined The Rainbow Circle, a progressive discussion group of Liberals and Socialists. In the following year he was among a group of Circle members who helped form the British Institute of Social Service. In addition to being a member of the Liberal Party, Alden was a member of the
Fabian Society The Fabian Society () is a History of the socialist movement in the United Kingdom, British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in ...
. At the
1906 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1906. Asia * 1906 Persian legislative election Europe * 1906 Belgian general election * 1906 Croatian parliamentary election * Denmark ** 1906 Danish Folketing election ** 1906 Danish Landsting e ...
, Alden was elected as Liberal MP for
Tottenham Tottenham (, , , ) is a district in north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, ...
, with a 21% swing from the Conservatives. As an MP, he took a strong interest in civil liberties (pressing for Hindu interpreters in British prisons, for example), international issues and unemployment. Alden was re-elected for Tottenham in both the January 1910 and December 1910 general elections. His opposition to conscription in 1916, and support for conscientious objectors, brought him into conflict with some of his Liberal Party colleagues. When the party split into two factions in 1918, Alden was part of the anti-coalition Liberals led by
H H Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928) was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last ...
. He was the party's candidate in the new seat of Tottenham North at the 1918 general election, where he was defeated by a
Coalition Conservative The Coalition Coupon was a letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place soon after British victory in the ...
. In April 1919, Alden joined the Labour Party, but he was unsuccessful as the party's candidate at
Luton Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census. Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...
at the 1922 general election. A further general election was held in
1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...
, and Alden was elected as Labour MP for Tottenham South His return to parliament was to be brief, however, as he lost his seat when a further election was held in 1924.


Life outside parliament

Alden became disillusioned with the Labour Party when the First Labour Government led by
Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first two of his governments belonged to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, where he led ...
had ended in failure. He instead returned to the Liberals in 1927, attracted by their policies on relieving unemployment. He did not re-enter active politics, devoting himself instead to charitable work. He was chairman of the
Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization. It was founded in the UK in 1919; its goal is to improve the lives of children worldwide. The organization raises money to imp ...
Fund, administered a number of educational trusts for the underprivileged and worked with groups for the relief of refugees. Alden wrote a number of books on the subject of social reform, including ''The Unemployed – A Social Question'', ''The Unemployable'' and ''Democratic England''. Among other proposals, he was keen to see a rebalancing of England's population towards the land and away from the cities. He supported the garden city movement and land settlement, as well as putting a case for farm colonies to train the unemployed. He was
knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
in 1933. Alden died 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 ...
when a German
V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb ( "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () name was Fieseler Fi 103 and its suggestive name was (hellhound). It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug a ...
exploded in
Tottenham Court Road Tottenham Court Road (occasionally abbreviated as TCR) is a major road in Central London, almost entirely within the London Borough of Camden. The road runs from Euston Road in the north to St Giles Circus in the south; Tottenham Court Road tu ...
on the morning of 30 June 1944. The missile came down at the junction of Howland Street and Tottenham Court Road and caused a large number of casualties.


Monuments and memorials

A ''Percy Alden Scholarship'', to enable a student to attend university followed by a year's training in social work, was established in his memory. There is a monument to Alden at Balliol College, on the east wall of the Chapel passage. An inscription in the chapel of Mansfield College, Oxford commemorates alumni killed in the Second World War, including Alden.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alden, Percy 1865 births 1944 deaths Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Welsh Congregationalist ministers UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1923–1924 Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Politicians from Oxford Members of the London School Board British civilians killed in World War II Members of the Fabian Society Knights Bachelor Deaths by German airstrikes during World War II