Stephen King-Hall

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Sir William Stephen Richard King-Hall, Baron King-Hall of Headley (21 January 1893 - 1 June 1966) was a British journalist, politician and playwright. [1]

Contents

[edit] Life

Born to Admiral Sir George Fowler King-Hall and Olga Felicia Ker the family was an artistic Naval family, sisters Magdalen and Lou also being writers. He married Kathleen Amelia Spencer (d 14 Aug 1950), daughter of Francis Spencer, on 15 April 1919 and they had three children, Ann, Frances Susan and Jane.

He was educated at Lausanne in Switzerland and at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. He fought in the First World War between 1914 and 1918, with the Grand Fleet, serving on HMS Southampton and 11th Submarine Flotilla. He gained the rank of Commander in the service of the Royal Navy in 1928, before resigning in 1929. He wrote several plays between 1924 and 1940. He joined the Royal Institute of International Affairs in 1929, having previously been awarded their Gold Medal for his 1920 thesis on submarine warfare. He entered the House of Commons in 1939 as Member of Parliament for Ormskirk standing as the National Labour Party candidate. He later changed his affiliation and continued to stand as an Independent, subsequently losing the seat to future Prime Minister Harold Wilson in the 1945 general election. During the Second World War, he served in the Ministry of Aircraft Production under Beaverbrook as Director of the Factory Defence Section. [2] In 1944 he founded and chaired the Hansard Society to promote parliamentary democracy. He presented a programme for children on current affairs on both BBC radio and television. He was invested as a Knight Bachelor in 1954 and was created Baron King-Hall, of Headley in the County of Hampshire (Life Peer) on 15 January 1966. He died on 1 June 1966.

[edit] Research and Writing

  • Submarines in the Future of Naval Warfare, 1920. Thesis.
  • His 1958 book Defence in the Nuclear Age advocated a British policy of unilateral nuclear disarmament and national defense by civilian nonviolent resistance. [3][4][5]

[edit] Locations

He lived at Hartfield House, Headley until his death.

[edit] Media

  • Western Civilization and the Far East, 1924
  • The Middle Watch, 1930
  • The Midshipmaid, 1932
  • Admirals All, 1935
  • Tropical Trouble, 1936
  • The Middle Watch, 1940
  • Carry on Admiral, 1957
  • Girls at Sea, 1958
  • BBC Children's Hour
  • London Newsletter (a.k.a. K-H Weekly News Letter, National News Letter)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Lundy, Darryl. Sir William Stephen King-Hall, Baron King-Hall. thePeerage.com.
  2. ^ Edgerton, David (December 2005). Warfare State: Britain, 1920-1970. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 154. DOI:10.2277/0521672317. ISBN 978-0521672313. 
  3. ^ London: Gollancz, 1958; Nyack, N.Y.: Fellowship, 1959.
  4. ^ Gene Keyes, "Strategic Nonviolent Defense: The Construct of an Option" (1981)
  5. ^ Brian Martin, "Researching nonviolent action: past themes and future possibilities" (2005)
  1. Stephen King-Hall at the Internet Movie Database
  2. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. University of London - King's College.
  3. William Stephen Richard King-Hall, Baron King-Hall (1893-1966), Sailor, writer and commentator. National Portrait Gallery.
  4. Britain and the Future. The Empire Club of Canada.




Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Sam Tom Rosbotham		 Member of Parliament for Ormskirk
1939–1945		 Succeeded by
Harold Wilson
Persondata
NAME Baron King-Hall of Headley, Sir William Stephen Richard King-Hall
ALTERNATIVE NAMES King-Hall, Stephen; King-Hall, William Stephen Richard
SHORT DESCRIPTION English journalist, politician and playwright
DATE OF BIRTH 21 January 1893
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH 1 June 1966
PLACE OF DEATH Headley, East Hampshire, Hampshire, UK