EDWARD BOYLE

Edward Boyle His life by his friends

Edited by Ann Gold

M MACMILLAN

© Ann Gold 1991Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1991

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First published 1991

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication DataEdward Boyle: His Life by his Friends1. Great Britain. Politics. Boyle, Edward Boyle, Baron, 1923-1. Gold, Ann, 1926-941.085'092'4ISBN 978-1-349-11105-3 ISBN 978-1-349-11103-9 (eBook)DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-11103-9

List of Plates

Preface

Acknowledgements

Contents

Notes on the Contributors

1 Introduction Ann Gold

2 Edward at home Elizabeth Longford

3 At Preparatory School Michael Howard

4 Eton and Early Politics John Grigg

5 Cricket and Race Relations David Lane

6 The Oxford Union and After Tony Benn

vii

viii

ix

xi

1

48

55

59

73

81

7 At the Treasury 85 Robert Neild

8 In the House of Commons 91 Robert Rhodes James

9 At the Education Ministry: An Official's View 95 Maurice Kogan

10 At the Education Ministry: His Junior Minister's View 104 Christopher Chataway

11 A Cabinet Colleague 113 John Boyd-Carpenter

12 A Supporter of Friends and Causes 117 Edward Heath

v

vi Contents

13 The Move Away from Politics William Rees-Mogg

14 The Vice-Chancellor at Work Christine Challis

15 The Vice-Chancellor and Student Unrest Sue Slipman

16 The Vice-Chancellor in Office William Walsh

17 Guiding the Top Salaries Review Body Jean Orr

18 Edward as Musician Alexander Goehr

19 Presiding at the Leeds Piano Competition Fanny Waterman

20 The Benevolent Uncle Georgina Dunlop

Index

120

124

135

138

147

155

166

174

180

List of Plates

1 Edward Boyle aged seven, with his mother, his brother and sister and their nanny.

2 Aged 12, on a sightseeing visit to Hamburg with his father. 3 At Oxford in 1947, with fellow-officers of the University Con­

servative Association; on his left, Margaret Roberts (later Mrs Thatcher).

4 In 1948 as President ofthe Oxford Union with his guest speaker, Lord Balfour of Inchrye.

5 At a garden party in his constituency in the early 1950s. (D. Page, Birmingham)

6 As Minister of Education. (The Huddersfield Examiner) 7 As a member of Sir Alec Douglas-Home's Cabinet in 1964.

(Crown Copyright, COl) 8 Taking his seat in the House of Lords in 1970, with his supporters,

Lord Butler of Saffron Walden and Lord Fulton of Falmer. (The Press Association)

9 As chairman of the 1972 jury of the Leeds Piano Competition, talking to Mlle. Nadia Boulanger. (The Yorkshire Post)

10 With the prize-winners of the 1972 Leeds Piano Competition, (I. to r.) Eugene Indjic, Murray Perahia and Craig Sheppard. (The Yorkshire Post)

11 Conferring an honorary degree of Leeds University on Mlle. Nadia Boulanger in 1972.

12 As Vice-Chancellor of Leeds University with the Chancellor, H.R.H. The Duchess of Kent, the Pro-Chancellor Sir Richard Graham and the honorary graduates of 1973. (Picturehouse Ltd., Bradford)

vii

Preface

This biography takes a special form, in order to illustrate the particular quality of Edward Boyle's life. He did not hold any of the highest offices; nevertheless, for nearly thirty years he had a gentle but widespread influence on a variety of people in many areas of public life.

An account of his life written by a single person would fail to do full justice to the range and nature of his influence. This biography, therefore, is written by many people. An introductory chapter gives a short but complete factual account of Edward Boyle's life, and is followed by a series of essays written by former colleagues and friends. These are set in a chronological sequence, and they discuss in greater detail certain periods and events of his life to which the introduction has only briefly referred.

viii

Acknowledgements

It is a measure of the respect and affection in which Edward was held that so many busy and distinguished contributors were immediately willing to write for this book. I am deeply grateful to them for their generous response to my original letter, and for their co-operation since.

Among the contributors, John Grigg holds a special place. It was he who proposed the form the book should take, and I am greatly indebted to him for his constant encouragement and wise advice.

As far as my own Introduction is concerned, I am grateful to all those who helped me prepare it. In most cases, their names appear in the text or in the notes, but there are still a few others I would like to mention here.

Maureen Ross was Secretary to the Vice-Chancellor during Edward's time at Leeds: in recording the last decade of his life I have greatly profited from her suggestions and advice, as well as from her patient help in looking for papers.

I am grateful for substantial help from Professor Peter Gosden regarding Edward's thoughts on education while at Leeds. Others who have been especially helpful in providing information for me are Sir Arthur Drew, Lord Goodman, Margaret McCreath, James McGregor, Professor George McNicol, Sir Albert Sloman and John Wilding.

Special thanks are due to Peter Calvocoressi, who discussed the whole idea of the book at the outset, and also to Jim Rose, who, among other help, was instrumental in enabling me to learn for the first time what Edward did during the war.

Sir William van Straubenzee · kindly read the complete type­script of the Introduction; I am grateful for similar help from Don Rimmington and Professor Charles Whewell.

ix

Notes on the Contributors

The Rt. Hon. Anthony (Tony) Wedgwood Benn has been a Labour Member of Parliament since 1950. He was Postmaster-General, 1964-66, Minister of Technology, 1966-70, and Secretary of State for Industry, llJter Secretary of State for Energy, 1974-79. His publications include two volumes of his diaries.

The Rt. Hon. Lord Boyd-Carpenter. John Boyd-Carpenter was called to the Bar in 1934, and was a Conservative Member of Parliament, 1945-72, when he was created a life peer. He was Financial Secretary to the Treasury, 1951-54, Minister of Pensions and National Insur­ance, 1955-62 and Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General, 1962-64.

Christine Challis went to Leeds University as an administrator in 1969 and was appointed Deputy Secretary in 1974. Since 1983 she has been Secretary of the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The Rt. Hon. Christopher Chataway represented Britain in the Olympic Games of 1952 and 1956; in 1954 he held the world 5000 metres record. In 1959 he was elected a Conservative Member of Parliament and was Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Edu­cation, 1962-64. He was Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, 1970-72 and Minister for Industry, 1972-74. He then left Parliament to take up the post of Managing Director of Orion Bank. He is now Chairman of Crown Communications Group PLC.

Georgina Dunlop worked for a publisher until the birth of her first child. She is married to Neil Dunlop, a petroleum engineer, and they have two children.

Alexander Goehr was Professor of Music at Leeds University, 1971-76, and has been Professor of Music and Fellow of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, since 1976. In 1980 he was Visiting Professor at the Peking Conservatoire of Music. In 1987 he\ as the BBC Reith Lecturer.

xi

xii Notes on the Contributors

John Grigg was editor of the National and English Review, 1954-60. He was a columnist for the Guardian, 1960-70 and since 1986 he has been with The Times. His publications include the first three volumes of a life of Lloyd George. Since 1985 he has been chairman of the London Library.

The Rt. Hon. Edward Heath has been a Conservative Member of Par­liament since 1950. He was government Chief Whip, 1955-59, Lord Privy Seal with Foreign Office responsibilities, 1960-63 and Secretary for Trade, Industry and Regional Development and President of the Board of Trade 1963-64. He was Leader of the Opposition, 1965-70, and Prime Minister between 1970 and 1974.

Sir Michael Howard was Professor of War Studies at King's College, London University, 1963-68. He was a Fellow of All Souls' College, Oxford, 196&-80 and Chichele Professor of the History of War, 1977-80. He was a Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, 198~9, and Regius Professor of Modern History; then Lovett Professor of Military and Naval History, Yale University, from October 1989.

Maurice Kogan was private secretary to Edward Boyle at the Ministry of Education, 1957-59. Since leaving the Civil Service in 1967 he has specialised in various studies of the politics and organisation of the welfare state. He is the author of many works on educational and higher education policy and on NHS organi­sation and science policy. He is Professor of Government and Social Administration and Dean of Social Sciences at Brunei Uni­versity.

Sir David Lane worked in the steel and oil industries after graduating from Cambridge University in 1947. From 1967 to 1976 he was Conservative Member of Parliament for Cambridge. In 1970 he was appointed PPS to Mr (now Lord) Carr, Secretary of State for Employment, and he was a junior Minister at the Home Office, 1972-74. From 1977 to 1982 he served as the first Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality.

The Countess of Longford. Elizabeth Longford was born in 1906 and is the author of many biographies, including Victoria RI, Wellington, Wilfred Scawen Blunt and Byron. She twice stood for Parliament as a Labour candidate. She married Frank Pakenham (now Lord

Notes on the Contributors xiii

Longford) and they have had eight children.

Robert Neild served in the economic section, Cabinet Office and Treasury, 1951-56. He was Economic Adviser to the Treasury, 1964-67. From 1967 to 1971 he was Director, Stockholm Interna­tional Peace Research Institute. From 1971 to 1984 he was Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge.

Jean Orr served in the Treasury, where she was promoted to Assistant Secretary in 1961. She was lent to the Office of Manpower Economics as Secretary to the Top Salaries Review Body in 1971. She was Director, Office of Manpower Economics, 1973-80.

Lord Rees-Mogg. William Rees-Mogg was City Editor of the Sunday Times, 1960-61, Political and Economic Editor 1961--63 and Deputy Editor 1964-67. He was Editor of The Times, 1967-81, and Chairman of the Arts Council, 1982-89. In 1988 he was created a life peer and appointed Chairman of the Broadcasting Standards Council.

Robert Rhodes James was Assistant Clerk, House of Commons, 1955--61 and Senior Clerk 1961--64. He was elected Conservative Member of Parliament for Cambridge in 1976. He is a Fellow of All Souls' College, Oxford, and among his many publications are Rosebery (1963) and Anthony Eden (1986).

Sue Slipman was Secretary and National President of the National Union of Students, 1975-78. She was Area Officer, National Union of Public Employees, 1975-85, and Chair, Women for Social Democ­racy, 1983-86. Since 1985 she has been Director of the National Council for One Parent Families.

William Walsh was Professor of Education, University of Leeds, 1957-72; he was Professor of Commonwealth Literature, University of Leeds, 1972-84. He was Pro-Vice-Chancellor from 1965 to 1967 and Acting Vice-Chancellor from 1981 to 1983. Among his many publications are FR Leavis (1981), Higher Education; pattern of change in the 1970s (1972) and Introduction to Keats (1981).

Fanny Waterman studied the piano with Tobias Matthay and later with Cyril Smith. Despite her successful career as a performer, she decided to turn to teaching. In 1963 she was joint founder with

xiv Notes on the Contributors

Marion Harewood of the Leeds International Pianoforte Competi­tion, of which she is now the Chairman of the Jury. She has given master-classes all over the world and is the author of several books on piano playing.