Catalogue Number
NMLH.2013.1
Object Name
Clock
Title
Grandmother clock presented to Alderman Harry Thorneycroft, 1942
Place
Colne
Manchester
Date
1942
Description
The plate on the clock shows that it was presented to to Harry Thorneycroft in December 1942 in recognition of his services as Divisional Warden as part of the Civil Defence Wardens Service in which he served from 1937-1942. The Civil Defence Service was a civilian volunteer organisation established by the Home Office in 1935 and during WWII replaced Air Raid Precautions (ARP). The Civil Defence Service included the pre-existing ARP as well as wardens, firemen, fire watchers, rescue, first aid post, stretcher party and industry. Over 1.9 million people served within the CD and nearly 2,400 lost their lives to enemy action. Being a divisional warden meant that Harry would have overseen responsibility for reconnaissance and reporting and leadership, organisation, guidance and control of the general public, a role he obviously fulfilled well given this gift.
On the plate, Thorneycroft is given the titles Alderman, JP and MP. He was elected to Parliament as a Labour MP in Oct 1942 at a by-election for Manchester Clayton after the death of Labour MP John Jagger. His election was contested by and independent candidate, but Thorneycroft received a letter of support signed by PM Winston Churchill, he was the first Labour candidate to receive such a letter. During his parliamentry career, Thorneycroft spoke on issues such as:
- Better hostel accommodation of soldiers in Manchester,
- The need for young people to show identity cards when attempting to buy alcohol
- Hairdressers should be provided with tokens to buy cloaks in the interest of hygiene when cutting hair
- Raising police pensions
- Assistance for the elderly
- Condemned fish
Throneycroft held the seat in Parliament until the constituency was abolished for the 1955 general election, when he retired from Parliament. From 1945 to 1947 he was Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Lord Pethick-Lawrence, the Secretary of State for India and Burma. He was then PPS to Arthur Henderson, the Secretary of State for Air from 1947 until the Labour Government left office in 1951.
More facts about Thorneycroft include:
- Harry was born on 21 February 1892
- He was a hairdresser and began working as a lather boy in a hairdresser's shop at age 9
- Became (in due course) President of the National Federation of Hairdressers
- Joined the Labour Party in 1912
- Served in the Royal Field Artillery in WW1
- Pursued his political career in Manchester after the War
- Was elected to Manchester City Council in 1923, of which he served as an alderman
- Married Lily, daughter of Mr Edward Ford, in 1924
- Stood unsuccessfully for Parliament (Blackpool constituency) in 1933
- He was elected to Parliament as a Labour MP in Oct 1942 at a by-election for Manchester Clayton after the death of Labour MP John Jagger. His election was contested by an independent candidate, but Thorneycroft received a letter of support signed by PM Winston Churchill, he was the first Labour candidate to receive such a letter.
- From 1945 to 1947 he was Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Lord Pethick-Lawrence, the Secretary of State for India and Burma. He was then PPS to Arthur Henderson, the Secretary of State for Air from 1947 until the Labour Government left office in 1951
- Was widowed when Lily died in 1950
- Served as MP for Clayton until the constituency was abolished for the 1955 general election, when he retired from Parliament due to ill health.
- Died in a London hospital on 7 March 1956, aged 64.
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