Drummond Shiels

The grave of Drummond Shiels, Grange Cemetery, Edinburgh

Sir (Thomas) Drummond Shiels MC MB ChB (7 August 1881 1 January 1953) was a Scottish Labour politician.

Life

The son of James Drummond Shiels, photographer, and Agnes Campbell of Edinburgh, he was educated at Edinburgh University where he graduated MB ChB. Prior to obtaining his medical degree he worked as a photographer in Edinburgh.[1]

He was commissioned into the Royal Scots in 1915[2] and served in World War I with the 9th (Scottish) Division. He was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Military Cross[3] and the Belgian Croix de Guerre. He ended the war as a Captain.

He was a member of Edinburgh Town Council and Labour Member of Parliament for Edinburgh East from 1924-1931. He served in government as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for India in 1929 and as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1929-1931.

He was a Fellow and Senior President Royal Medical Society and Deputy-Secretary of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. He was knighted in 1939.[4]

He contributed the opening chapter to The British Commonwealth, a Family of Peoples published in 1952.[5]

He is buried with his parents near the south-west corner of the western extensions to Grange Cemetery in Edinburgh.

References

  1. The Times House of Commons 1929. London: The Times Office. 1929. p. 123.
  2. London Gazette, 5 October 1915, page 9878.
  3. Edinburgh Gazette, 29 July 1918, page 2667.
  4. London Gazette, 18 July 1939, page 4916.
  5. The British Commonwealth, Odhams Press, London, 1952, revised edition 1961.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
James Myles Hogge
Member of Parliament for Edinburgh East
19241931
Succeeded by
David Marshall Mason
Political offices
Preceded by
Earl Winterton
Under-Secretary of State for India
1929
Succeeded by
Earl Russell
Preceded by
William Lunn
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
19291931
Succeeded by
Robert William Hamilton
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.