Wilfrid Whiteley

Wilfred Whiteley 1882-1970 was a British Labour politician. He was elected to the Birmingham Ladywood constituency in 1929 up until 1931.

Early Life

Wilfred Whiteley was born in 1882 in Salendine Nook, a district in Huddersfield. Whiteley attended Padock Board School in Huddersfield until the age of 12. After leaving school he worked at Messrs and Willans wool warehouse for 18 and a half years. Whiteley briefly worked part time at the Advertiser Press when he was aged 18. Whiteley had a strong interest in politics and was involved with the administrative side of politics from 1911 until 1925 where he was secretary of the Lockwood Independent Labour Party.

Politics

Whiteley had the desire to succeed in politics and was supported by the Independent Labour Party as he stood for election in the Colne Valley constituency in the 1918 ‘Khaki’ election representing the Labour Party. Whiteley was unsuccessful in his attempt but he was commended for his honesty whilst campaigning as he highlighted that in the Great War (1914-1918) he was a conscientious objector, a fact he chose not to hide from the electorate. This was a crucial factor in his failure at the ballot box as soldiers returing from the battlefields were highly revered, whereas conscientious objectors were often accused of cowardice. From 1914-1918 Whiteley was head of the Anti-War Movement in Huddersfield. He was an anti-militarist and a staunch socialist. After defeat in the 1918 election Whiteley worked as Publications Manager for National Labour Press in Manchester. Whiteley was invited to stand for election again in Colne Valley in the 1921 election but he eventually declined the offer as he was unemployed at the time and financial worries prevented him from standing. From 1925 to 1929 Whiteley moved to Birmingham where he was Labour Party agent and secretary for Oswald Mosley in the Smethwick constituency of Birmingham. In his role as secretary to Mosley, Whiteley was responsible forhelping oragnaise the schedule of Mosley’s meeting and engagements within the West Midlands. Whiteley was in regular contact with G.T Sutton who was the Private Secretary of Oswald Mosley.

Elected to Parliament

From 1929 to 1931 Whiteley was Labour M.P. for Ladywood constituency in Birmingham replacing former M.P. Neville Chamberlian of the Conservatives. After defeat in 1931 he became Labour Party constituency agent for West Birmingham from 1932-1936. He was also Labour Party agent for the now defunct Elland constituency from 1936 to 1947. He died in 1970.

[[1]] All information gathered from the Wilfred Whiteley Papers at the Borthwick Institute for Archives, University of York