The Man from the Hirsel

The Man from the Hirsel

Chapter One, 1951 - 1952
The Peerage Act



"Such a terrible thing happened today, Dad died in a car accident. He was driving from Wiltshire to London when he was sideswiped by a lorry, died instantly. Another terrible thing happened, with his death the title of Viscount Stansgate has fallen to me by default. Meaning that I have been disqualified from the House of Commons, which I do not want. I shall fight this and take it to Attlee and hope he can introduce such a reform to allow me to relinquish my title. How shall I fight it? By standing in the by-election of course, when I win they'll need to allow me to otherwise a Whitehall farce will ensue"
- Diaries of Tony Benn, 7th January 1951.

Results
Bristol South East By-Election, 3rd February 1951
BENN, Tony (Lab) - 22,193
CHEVENING, Richard (Con) - 11,292
Majority: 10,901
Turnout: 33,485


BENN DISQUALIFIED FROM TAKING SEAT, CHEVENING GIVEN BRISTOL SOUTH EAST BY DEFAULT
- Headline of the Times newspaper, 6th March 1951

"Mr. Speaker,

It is my duty to inform this honourable House that in reaction to the somewhat farcical events taking place in Bristol with regard to the viscountcy of Mr Benn and the election of the recently sworn in honourable Member for Bristol South East, it is this government's intention to introduce the Peerage Act 1950 which will allow members of the Upper House to resign their titles in order to assume seats in this House..."
- Statement by Prime Minister Clement Attlee, 3rd April 1951

PEERAGE ACT 1950
DIVISION LOBBY VOTE - 23RD MAY 1951
AYE - 401
NAY - 204
ABSTAIN - 20
THE AYES HAVE IT


LABOUR LOSES ELECTION TO TORIES, CHURCHILL RETURNS TO DOWNING STREET
- Headline of the Telegraph newspaper, 26th October 1951

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Tony Benn, now free of his peerage and returned as Member for Bristol South East pictured watching the 1951 election results

BENN RE-ELECTED AS BRISTOL SOUTH-EAST HOLDS THIRD ELECTION WITHIN A YEAR
- Headline of the Bristol Gazette, 26th October 1951

29th September 1952,
10 Downing Street,
London


"The Prime Minister will see you now, Viscount" said the wilting voice of Jock Colville, who served as Winston Churchill's Principal Private Secretary. Philip Cunliffe-Lister, commonly known as the Viscount Swinton rose from the Edwardian stiff backed chair in which he was sat and followed the tall Colville up the main stairs, passing the photographs of the previous Prime Minister's that adorned the staircase. Swinton couldn't help but gaze at them, in his mind going over what they had and hadn't done during their time in office. The journey to the study was brief and Swinton found himself facing the Old Man as he was known amongst the backbenches of the Lord's. Churchill was sat at his desk, his chair facing towards the window. The Prime Minister seemed transfixed by the windy day outside. Colville silently shut the door behind him, leaving just Swinton and Churchill. "Take a seat, Philip" grunted the Prime Minister, Swinton perched himself on a large brown leather armchair opposite the desk. Churchill turned and faced Swinton, he opened by saying "The wind outside reflects the internal strife within my own government, Anthony Eden has just telephoned me and given me some very bad news, he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is resigning from the Foreign Office as soon as I can appoint a successor..." He paused,

Swinton's mind soon raced and worked out that he must have been summoned here to be informed he'd be the new Foreign Secretary. The move was a surprise to be certain, he had been out of frontline politics for a long time. He looked up from his lap and his musing to see the Old Man smirking slightly, he continued "So, I am going to reshuffle the Cabinet and Sir David Maxwell Fyfe will become Foreign Secretary, with Oliver Lyttelton as Home Secretary. I want you Philip to return to your old post at the Colonial Office." Swinton nodded as Churchill continued to talk "I'm sending Alec Douglas-Home, the Member for Lanark to assist you. He relinquished his peerage under Benn's act if you'll remember. Someone in the Commons needs to be defending Colonial policy." He paused to light himself a cigar, as the plume of smoke arose around the Prime Minister's head, he said "Alright, Philip." To which he nodded and said "I'm glad to be of service Prime Minister..."

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Newly appointed Colonial Secretary Viscount Swinton in 1952

Churchill Ministry,
As of 1st October 1952

Winston Churchill - Prime Minister
Lord Simonds - Lord Chancellor
Lord Woolton - Lord President of the Council
Henry Crookshank - Lord Privy Seal and Minister of Health
Richard Austen Butler - Chancellor of the Exchequer
Oliver Lyttelton - Secretary of State for the Home Department
Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe - Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Lord Swinton - Secretary of State for the Colonies
Lord Salisbury - Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
James Stuart - Secretary of State for Scotland
Lord Alexander - Minister of Defence
Peter Thorneycroft - President of the Board of Trade
Frederick Lindemann, 1st Viscount Cherwell - Paymaster-General
Sir Walter Monckton - Minister of Labour
Harold Macmillan - Minister of Housing and Local Government
Lord Leathers - Minister for the Co-ordination of Transport, Fuel, and Power
 
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Chapter Two, 1952
Trouble in Kenya


"Being promoted to be Minister of State at the Colonial Office was a welcome surprise having spent the past year working at the Scottish Office. I'm going to enjoy the chance to work properly in foreign affairs, my only experience alas thus far has been during my stint as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the late Neville Chamberlain and even then the Munich Agreement is not a credential one would want to broadcast. Although I was merely a functionary and an assistant during the time, I imagine it would not be held against me. Arriving at the department and being shown to a most well equipped office where I can run my affairs from tells me that I will be able to get a lot done here and hopefully be able to respond to the significant events that will inevitably occur during my tenure."
- Diaries of Alec Douglas-Home, 3rd October 1952

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Alec Douglas-Home's official photograph as Minister of State for Colonial Affairs, taken October 1952

SIR EVELYN BARING POSTED TO KENYA AS GOVERNOR
- Subheading from Page 7 of the Times newspaper, 6th October 1952

KENYAN SENIOR CHIEF ASSASSINATED BY MAU MAU
- Headline from the Telegraph newspaper, 7th October 1952

7th October 1952,
Cabinet Room,
10 Downing Street,
London


The assembled Cabinet members filed into the room, the mood was silent and reserved; it was only the second meeting since the reshuffle and in particular the new Foreign and Colonial Secretaries were worried about the developments in Kenya. The Prime Minister sat in his chair, the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Norman Brook sat to his left and was scribbling notes on his jotter. Without a word from the Old Man, the minister's took their seats. He looked up to face Maxwell-Fyfe, Swinton, Alexander and Salisbury facing him from across the Cabinet table. A cigar between his lips, he removed it and blew a cloud of smoke and said "David, what is this all about then? Norman here tells me that the Mau Mau are making trouble." The Foreign Secretary, master of his brief nodded curtly and said "Evelyn Baring tells us that the Mau Mau have been orchestrating violent attacks against Africans who refuse to take their oath and are believed to be planning an attempt to overthrow British colonial rule. I've offered instructions to Baring to quell any attempt." Churchill nodded and said "Quite right so, this government will not bow to these terrorists" He turned to Lord Alexander and said "Harold, I need you to ensure that we have the appropriate forces on the ground to give assistance to British leadership.", the Minister of Defence nodded, as a veteran of the Second Great War and the Italian and Mediterranean theaters' of their time he was well prepared for this. Holding out a briefing paper, he read "One battalion of the Lancarshire Fusiliers is on standby along with the 2nd division of the King's African Rifle's already in Kenya. Battalions from Uganda are also on hand along with available flights by the RAF and naval support from the fleet."

Churchill nodded again and said "Good work Harold, I want everybody to know that Kenya is a key ally and we must do all we can to stop the descent into terrorism and anarchy that will happen if the Mau Mau get their way..."

"Mr. Speaker,

To the House I present the fact that the British government is prepared to send forces to deter terrorism and ensure law and order within Kenya should the Mau Mau threat become anymore serious. These forces consist of several battalions who are well versed in African terrain and areas along with backup from the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. My department's intention is to ensure Kenya remains free of the Mau Mau threat and we may have to do that by force if necessary..."
- Statement by Colonial Affairs Minister Alec Douglas-Home, 10th October 1952

GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO FIGHT MAU MAU
- Headline of the Daily Mail newspaper, 11th October 1952

MAU MAU REMAIN DEFIANT IN WAKE OF BRITISH THREAT
- Headline of the West Kenyan Observer, 12th October 1952

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Image published in the WK Observer showing a victim of Mau Mau aggression which was a part in dividing the colony, 12th October 1952

"No doubt about it, we are in for stormy days ahead"
- Brief extract from the diaries of Winston Churchill, 13th October 1952
 
Chapter Three, 1952
The Uprising Begins


21st October 1952,
Colonial Office,
Whitehall,
London


"Governor Baring has welcomed forces sent last week by Prime Minister Churchill to Kenya in light of yesterday's declaration of a state of emergency, the force's headed by the General Sir Alexander Cameron, former commander of the Anti-Aircraft Brigade. The forces are believed to be a few thousand strong and will join with African battalions from Kenya and Uganda along with local police. Speaking in the House, the Prime Minister said that the rule of law must be upheld in Kenya to ensure that terrorism does not take innocent lives; the Leader of the Opposition Mr Attlee joined the Prime Minister and said that his party will support the government's fight to quell the violent uprising predicted by the Mau Mau. In other news...", Viscount Swinton slowly turned off the wireless hearing the slowly dimming voice of the newsreader peter out. It was three o clock and the afternoon was beginning to wind down for the Colonial Secretary, he had no work to do except prepare for the emergency Cabinet meeting called by the Prime Minister for five o clock and he probably knew that another would be called for later that evening.

His new office still held the impression of being stiff and belonging to his predecessor, Swinton sank into a brown leather armchair facing the window and he lit himself a cigarette, puffing slowly on it as he viewed the Whitehall skyline...

"The two Cabinet meetings today were exhaustive to say the least, as usual the PM wanted an immediate update from my office to which I said that we have been unable to get contact from the start of the operation, promptly Alexander undermined me by saying that he had. Well of course the Ministry of bloody Defence had gotten something, it's their troops in there yet everyone expects the Colonial Office to have done something about it with limited resources. Honestly if it was as simple as that, a trained chimpanzee could do this job..."
- Diaries of Viscount Swinton, 21st October 1952

REBEL LEADER KENYATTA ARRESTED ALONG WITH 400 OTHERS IN POLICE CRACKDOWN
- Headline of the West Kenyan Observer, 22nd October 1952

"I am writing this on a piece of toilet paper as you can well see, I have been arrested for speaking out against the white's and portrayed as a dangerous rebel leader. I am a lecturer, a campaigner, not a warmonger like the British and I am paying the price for that. While I condemn the violence of the Mau Mau, I must say that I will be prepared to see the British taught a lesson if they want to oppress the people of Kenya once more..."
- First Entry of the Prison Diaries of Jomo Kenyatta, 23rd October 1952

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Kenyatta pictured campaigning on 15th October 1952, a week before his arrest

SWINTON PLEDGES FIRM TRANSITION FROM VIOLENCE IN STATEMENT TO THE LORDS
- Subheading from Page 5 of the Times newspaper, 24th October 1952

VIOLENCE INCREASES IN KENYA AS MORE ARRESTED IN CONNECTION TO ATTACKS
- Subheading from Page 4 of the Daily Mail newspaper, 25th October 1952

"I have just been informed by President Truman that the United States intends to attempt to detonate the first hydrogen bomb sometime next week in a further series of their nuclear tests. Our own program is coming along well but I fear that we may see an arms race between the USA and the USSR should the Yalta agreement fail. Eisenhower, who looks to be Truman's successor if election polls are anything to go by is a firm proponent of nuclear arms and Britain must be prepared for that. Christ, I thought the Mau Mau were my most prominent problem at the moment."
- Diaries of Winston Churchill, 27th October 1952
 

Thande

Donor
What exactly is the POD, Eden's cancer?

Douglas-Home has more of an opportunity to get used to the Commons before he has a chance to become PM, meaning he's less likely to look out of touch than when he became PM in OTL.

Without Eden, will Churchill still be propped up as titular PM even while his strokes mean things are actually being run by a troika (led by Eden OTL), or will he formally resign earlier on?
 
What exactly is the POD, Eden's cancer?

Douglas-Home has more of an opportunity to get used to the Commons before he has a chance to become PM, meaning he's less likely to look out of touch than when he became PM in OTL.

Without Eden, will Churchill still be propped up as titular PM even while his strokes mean things are actually being run by a troika (led by Eden OTL), or will he formally resign earlier on?

The POD's are the Peerage Act being introduced twelve years ahead of OTL due to Benn Senior's premature death resulting in it being acceptable to relinquish a peerage and also Eden's cancer is another.
 
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