¹ The lifting of controls to allow Sterling to be freely exchangeable with U.S. dollars. Due to the relative strengths of the British and U.S. economies, when this had been previously introduced in July 1947 it had caused severe economic and financial pressures, and had been suspended after only five weeks.

² Headlam was spending the weekend at Biddick Hall, Lambton Park, the home of Lord (Tony) Lambton.

³ Denis Gomer Berry (1911–1983), second son of 1st Viscount Kemsley; appointed Managing Dir. of Newcastle Journal in 1948Google Scholar; dir. of Kemsley Newspapers; married, as second wife, 1947 Pamela Wellesley (b.1912), elder daughter of Lord Richard Wellesley. Berry was heir-presumptive to his elder brother, the 2nd Viscount Kemsley, but pre-deceased him.

⁴ Belinda Bridget Blew-Jones, daughter of Major Douglas Holden Blew-Jones, of Westward Ho!; married 1942 Antony Lambton (q.v.).

⁵ Denis Nowell Pritt (1887–1972), M.P. Hammersmith N. 1935–50 (Lab. 1935–40, Ind. Lab. 1940–50); member of P.L.P. Ctte. 1936–37; member of N.E.C. 1937–40; expelled from the Lab. Party in Mar. 1940 after defending the Russian invasion of Finland; sat as Ind. Lab., defeating official Lab. candidate in 1945; Chairman, Labour Independent Group 1949–50; awarded Stalin Peace Prize 1954.

⁶ The ‘Labour Independent Group’ was formed in June 1949 by a handful of leftwing M.P.s who had been expelled from the Labour Party: Pritt became Chairman and the other founding members were J. Platts-Mills (expelled Apr. 1948), L.J. Solley and K. Zilliacus (both expelled May 1949); they were shortly afterwards joined by H.L. Hutchinson (expelled July 1949). All five members were defeated by official Labour candidates in the 1950 general election, after which the Group disbanded.

⁷ translation: distinguished, impressive.

⁸ Ashridge House, Hertfordshire, had been acquired by the Conservative Party in 1930 as a residential centre for its educational organization, and named the Bonar Law Memorial College. Davidson, Party Chairman 1926–30, had raised the money for the project and was strongly committed to it; Arthur Bryant had been actively involved as a lecturer at the College from its opening. The College was inactive during the war and the property was requisitioned by the government; in the postwar austerity, and with a Party education centre now operating at Swinton in Yorkshire, the future role and usefulness of Ashridge was far from clear.

⁹ Bernard Charles Tolver Paget (1887–1961), army career; Commandant, Staff College 1938–39; G.O.C. 18th Div. 1939–40; Chief of Staff, Home Forces 1940; C. in C. South Eastern Command 1941, Home Forces 1941–43, 21st Army Group 1943, Middle East Force 1944–46; Principal, Bonar Law Memorial College 1946–49; Gov., Royal Hospital, Chelsea 1949–57; kt. 1942.

¹⁰ translation: about turn.

¹¹ Robert Mills Henderson, member of Newcastle City Council, Westgate Ward 1947–63.

¹² The popular nickname of Lord Woolton, the Chairman of the Party.

¹³ Walter, 1st Viscount Runciman (q.v.)

¹⁴ Walter Runciman (1847–1937), Lib. M.P. Hartlepools 1914–18; leading shipowner in the north-east, founder of the Moor Line 1889, acquired Anchor Line 1935; Pres., Shipping Fed. 1932–37; cr. Bart. 1906, Baron Runciman 1933.

¹⁵ Lord Ridley, President of the Association and a prestigious figure in the northeast. He had been a personal friend of Headlam's since the 1920s, and was firmly on his side; Cuthbert and Beatrice lunched with him before the meeting.

¹⁶ After criticism of his absences from the Commons and remoteness as leader in 1946–47, Churchill began to host a series of lunches to which eventually all Conservative M.P.s were invited; six was the usual number attending, and this must have been one of the last in the series.

¹⁷ Frank Bernard Sanderson (1880–1965), Con. M.P. Darwen 1922–23, 1924–29, Ealing 1931–45, Haling E. 1945–50; cr. Bart. 1920.

¹⁸ William Wavell Wakefield (1898–1983), Con. M.P. Swindon 1935–45, St. Marylebone 1945–63; P.P.S. to Marquess of Hartington 1936–38, to R. Hudson 1939–40, to H. Balfour 1940–42; Dir., Air Training Corps 1942–44; kt. 1944, cr. Baron Wakefield of Kendal 1963; Captain of England at Rugby, Pres. Rugby Football Union.

¹⁹ Henry Reginald Spence (1897–1981), Con. M.P. Aberdeenshire Central 1945–50, Aberdeenshire W. 1950–59.

²⁰ Paul-Henri Spaak (1899–1972), Belgian P.M. 1938–39, 1947–49; For. Min. of Belgian govt. in exile 1940–45, For. Min. 1954–57, 1961–66; presided over first Gen. Assembly of United Nations; Pres., consultative Assembly of Council of Europe 1949–51; Sec.-Gen. of N.A.T.O. 1954–57; chairman of the meeting of European Coal & Steel Community For. Ministers at Messina 1955 (the ‘Spaak Ctte.’), whose proposals led to the Treaty of Rome in 1957.

²¹ The Colonial Development Corporation (an initiative of the Colonial Sec., Creech Jones) ran into difficulties with a project to grow ground-nuts in the East African colony of Tanganyika. The venture was advanced £25m. by the Treasury but mismanagement and incompetence led to heavy losses, and the scheme became a subject of popular ridicule.

²² Headlam wrote ‘successfully’ but, given the context, must have meant ‘unsuccessfully’.

²³ Erich von Manstein (1887–1973), German army career; head of Operations Section, Army General Staff 1935–38; Chief of Staff, Army Group South, Polish campaign 1939; devised the plan for the invasion of France, 1940; G.O.C. 38th Infantry Corps 1940, 56th Panzer Corps 1941, 11th Army 1941–42, Army Group Don 1942–43, Army Group South 1943–44; dismissed by Hitler after advocating tactical retreats, retired to his estate for the rest of the war; captured by British forces 1945, convicted by a British military court of failure to protect civilian life during Russian campaign, Dec. 1949, sentence of 18 years' imprisonment later commuted to 12 years, released 1953.

²⁴ (Alfred) Ernest Marples (1907–1978), Con. M.P. Wallasey 1945–74; P.S. Housing & Local Govt. 1951–54; jt. P.S. Pensions & Nat. Insurance 1954–55; Postmaster-Gen. 1957–59; Min. of Transport 1959–64; cr. Baron Marples 1974.

²⁵ This refers to Victor Raikes (q.v.), who, together with the others mentioned here, assisted Central Office during the election: ‘General Election 1950, Review of Speakers Department’, CPA CCO/500/24/31.

²⁶ Added to the constituency as a result of the 1949 boundary revisions.

²⁷ Michael Bazin, a local businessman who had been one of Headlam's most active supporters during the struggles within the Association; he also volunteered to assist with the election campaign.

²⁸ George Campbell White (1900–1974), Con. can. Newcastle Central 1950.