Three-times PM finally to get deserved acknowledgement

It is the 150th anniversary of his birth in Bewdley and the 100th anniversary of his first major political appointment - Financial Secretary to the Treasury.

While Baldwin, leader of the Conservative Party for 14 years, was an extremely popular and productive premier during the inter-war years - introducing a range of policies we now take for granted as well as skilfully handling several national crises including the abdication of King Edward VIII - he has remained largely unacknowledged as one of the 20th century “greats” for the decades after his retirement.

Now a group of local and national supporters are aiming to remedy that and honour this remarkable former industrialist and visionary politician by leading a project to raise £150,000 for a life-size bronze statue created by acclaimed sculptor Martin Jennings and to be installed in Load Street, Bewdley.

History shows that Baldwin wasn’t cast from the typical mould of a cut and thrust politician. His contemporaries described him as “the most human and loveable of all Prime Ministers”, “fundamentally a nice man” and a politician who “always appeared to be putting his point of view in a disarming spirit of reasonableness”.

When he first came to power, a leading observer at the time wrote: “He is a quiet, homely sort of countryman who thinks there is no place in the world quite like Worcestershire and who seems to be where he is now more from duty and necessity than from real choice.”

And yet Winston Churchill described him as “the most formidable politician I have ever known in public life.”

In fact Baldwin ended up as Prime Minister by chance, although from his record of success it appears it was his destiny.

He came from a prosperous family and before entering politics he joined the family iron and steel making business, a conglomerate with 4,000 employees including a works in Wilden near Stourport, where he spent 20 years.

This business, which boasted an air of co-operation between employer and workers, inspired him to work for good industrial relations throughout the land. He was one of the very few PMs with business experience and a staunch believer in a one-nation approach and the union of all classes.

He began his career in politics as a parish councillor and was elected to Worcestershire County Council before being returned unopposed to the Bewdley and West Worcestershire Constituency on the death of the sitting MP - his father Alfred Baldwin in 1908.

After holding a number of political posts at Westminster including Chancellor of the Exchequer, Baldwin became PM in 1923 when Tory leader Bonar Law was diagnosed with throat cancer and given only months to live.

His first premiership was short lived as he called an election after six months over the issue of trade tariffs and lost. The Tory party gained power about 10 months later and Baldwin served as Prime Minister for the next five years.

During this time he did everything possible to avoid the General Strike and when it was over quickly rebuild links with the moderates leading the trade unions.

He was widely known for having a social conscience and felt the rich must be prepared to accept higher taxation, declaring the Conservatives must work for “the union of all classes”. He had already donated one fifth of his wealth anonymously to the state to help reduce the National Debt after WWI.

His achievements throughout his political career are too numerous to mention but it is worth noting that, thanks to him, women finally got the vote on the same terms as men, social reform was at the heart of his efforts with local government services transformed, large swathes of slums cleared and more than two million new homes were built.

He also had a vision for a welfare state which would have ensured benefits were closely linked to social security contributions to prevent undue dependence on the state.

Baldwin moved with the times by embracing the use of the two new mass media of the time – broadcasting and film.

In fact, he was clearly a master of communication and probably his most outstanding speech, which he admitted to MP and writer Harold Nicholson was “almost wholly unprepared”, was announcing the King’s abdication in the House of Commons on December 10 1936.

In relaying this “grave” message factually but with heartfelt regret he showed true compassion, kindness, dignity, understanding, integrity and discretion.

Harold Nicholson wrote: “We have heard the best speech that we shall ever hear in our lives..... No man has ever dominated the House as he dominated it tonight.”

The following day Queen Mary, the King’s mother, wrote to Baldwin: “We all listened to your wonderful speech and I feel I must write and thank you for the kind way you spoke of the King.

“Your speech has had a quieting effect on people and has helped us all very much to face the future with faith and courage. Thank you gratefully and with my heart for the kindness and patience you have shown towards the King during these long and anxious weeks.”

Stanley Baldwin retired from politics in May 1937. His last act was to increase MPs salaries and give the Leader of the Opposition a salary. Harold Nicholson wrote in his diary that it “was done with Baldwin’s usual consummate taste. No man has ever left in such a blaze of affection.”

He was immediately knighted as a Knight of the Garter and given the title Earl Baldwin of Bewdley and Viscount Corvedale.

For the next 10 years he was to live in a twilight world at his home of Astley Hall near Stourport, where he died in his sleep on December 14 1947. He was cremated and his ashes interred with those of his wife Lucy Baldwin, who died in 1945, inside Worcester Cathedral.

The Stanley Baldwin Statue Appeal has already raised £40,000 towards its target and Richard Perrin, chairman of Bewdley Civic Society, who is helping to drive the project said: “We really got things moving about two years ago because we wanted to unveil it in his 150th anniversary year of his birth in Bewdley. It is all systems go right now.”

A reception to publicise the appeal is being hosted by Lord Lexden Conservative Peer; the fourth Earl of Bewdley and grandson of Stanley Baldwin; and Lord Cormack in the House of Lords on Thursday (January 26).

An appeal dinner hosted by Lord Cobham will be held at Hagley Hall on Thursday February 23. The speakers will be former director general of the CBI Lord Digby Jones and Stanley Baldwin’s great granddaughter Beatrice Grant.

Patrons of the statue appeal include Prime Minister Theresa May, Lord Heseltine, Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, Cecil Duckworth, Andrew Grant, Angela Brinton, Louise Hewett and the Right Rev John Inge Bishop of Worcester.

Mr Perrins added: “There are other tributes to Baldwin but there is no statue of him anywhere in the world and for someone who was three times Prime Minister, this is long overdue.

“There was criticism of him in connection with the war and it has taken a long time for his reputation to be restored. It has been restored and recent biographies do give him credit for all he did. One of the objectives of the statue is to put this right.”

Worcestershire businessman Andrew Grant said: “I do consider that Stanley Baldwin ranks alongside Edward Elgar. He was a countryman at heart, a very astute businessman and parliamentarian with very much a social and Christian conscience. It is not before time that a statue should be erected in his memory.”

His wife Beatrice and Stanley Baldwin’s great granddaughter said: “I never met him, he died before I was born. I have done some research and I think he was a visionary and he understood people from all walks of life.”

Anyone wanting to donate to the Bewdley Civic Society statue appeal can visit https://localgiving.org/charity/bewdley-civic-society/project/stanleybaldwinstatueappeal/ or sending a cheque to Bewdley Civic Society SB Account, 16 Park Dingle, Bewdley, DY12 2JY.