Wogan Philipps, 2nd Baron Milford

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wogan Philipps, 2nd Baron Milford (25 February 1902 – 30 November 1993) was the only member of the Communist Party of Great Britain ever to sit in the House of Lords.[1]

Philipps was the eldest son of Laurence Richard Philipps, 1st Baron Milford. In 1928, he married the novelist Rosamond Lehmann.[2] He aimed to become an artist and set up a studio in Paris, but found little success. He abandoned this to join Medical Aid to Spain, acting as an ambulance driver for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War.[3] During the conflict, he was wounded and had to return to Britain. On his return, he encouraged Nan Green to take his place and, in her absence, paid for the education of her children.[4]

Following his experiences, he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), upon which he was disinherited by his father.[5]

By the end of the 1930s, Lehmann had set up house with poet Cecil Day Lewis, and she and Philipps divorced in 1944.[6] His second marriage, to Cristina, Viscountess Hastings, the only child of the eccentric Italian arts patron Luisa Casati, was terminated by her death in 1953.[2] A year later, Philipps married Tamara Kravetz, the widow of the editor of the Daily Worker.[2]

In 1946, Philipps was elected as a Communist councillor on Cirencester Urban District Council, but soon lost the seat.[3] In the 1950 general election, he stood for the House of Commons in the Cirencester and Tewkesbury constituency, but took only 432 votes.[7] During the campaign, opponents described by Hymie Fagan as "fascists" threw rotten food, and an attempt was made to force his car off the road.[3]

In 1959, he narrowly lost a rural council by-election. Following this, he and his third wife went to study in the Soviet Union.[3]

In 1962, Philipps inherited his father's title and, after encouragement from Harry Pollitt, agreed to sit in the House of Lords as the second Baron Milford.[3] Ironically, this meant that the CPGB's last Parliamentary representative was in the House in Lords. Although, unlike Tony Benn, he made no effort to disclaim the peerage, in his maiden speech he called for the abolition of the institution.[8]

[edit] References

  1. ^ J. Wells, The House of Lords (London, Hodder & Stoughton 197) ISBN 0340649283
  2. ^ a b c thepeerage.com
  3. ^ a b c d e Michael Walker, Wogan Philipps, Compendium of Communist Biography
  4. ^ Michael Walker, George and Nan Green, Compendium of Communist Biography
  5. ^ Rosamond Lehmann
  6. ^ Who's Who 1970 p2163 ISBN 0713611405
  7. ^ UK General Election results: February 1950
  8. ^ TIME Magazine Archive Jul. 12, 1963

[edit] External links

Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Laurence Richard Philipps		 Baron Milford
1962—1993		 Succeeded by
Hugo John Laurence Philipps