DEATH OF Mr. CHAMBERLAIN

A PRIME MINISTER WHO STROVE FOR PEACE

Universal sympathy has been evoked by the death at his country home, Heckfield House, near Oldham, Hampshire, on Saturday evening, of Mr. Neville Chamberlain.

Mr. Chamberlain will always be remembered with gratitude as the man who strove for peace as long as any hope of peace remained.  He bore a heavy load of responsibility, and as long as he believed there was a chance of peace honorably he strove to take it. When the last hope vanished and war could not be avoided he was equally determined to wage it with all his might.

Mr. Chamberlain was born at Southborne, Edgebaston, on March 20th 1869.  He was a second son of Joseph Chamberlain, one of the most famous of Parliamentarians, and stepbrother of Sir Austen Chamberlain. In 1915 he was elected Lord Mayor of Birmingham, a position which his father had held exactly forty years before, and he was re-elected in 1916 for a second term of office.

When 49 years of age Mr. Chamberlain entered Parliament.  During Mr. Bonar Law's Premiership he was appointed Post Master General, and after a brief spell as Paymaster-General he entered the Cabinet as Minister of Health. After the General Election of 1931another post was given him and he earned a place amongst the great Chancellors of the Exchequer.  When Mr. Baldwin resigned in 1937 he was appointed Prime Minister a position he filled until May last when Mr. Winston Churchill became Prime Minister.

Reproduced from the Pontefract and Castleford Express November 15th 1940

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