The first referendum held in Britain came to fruition because of public concern about world events. What is little known though is that the first steps taken to achieve the referendum followed a discussion in a Lyons Tea Shop in Ilford.
Two years after the First World War ended, the League of Nations (the forerunner to the United Nations) was founded at the Paris Peace Conference. The League was the first worldwide intergovernmental body whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. In 1931, to further its objectives the league organised a series of disarmament conferences in Geneva, Switzerland. Sixty countries sent delegates however, progress was slow and little consensus reached. After a long break the conference resumed in February 1932. This was days after Adolf Hitler had been installed as the new Chancellor of Germany. Hitler was determined not to be tied to the Treaty of Versailles, which barred Germany from rearming. The German leader rejected all proposals that prevented Germany gaining military parity with the Western powers. The Western powers in turn refused Germany’s demands, which resulted in Germany announcing its withdrawal from both the Disarmament Conference and the League of Nations. With conference deadlocked, its future looked bleak.
At the same time, much of the western world was suffering from economic depression. Eastern Europe was beset by widespread famine in the major harvesting areas of the Soviet Union. Also in the far east Japan had invaded Manchuria in north-east China. The high hopes following the end of the First World War as being ‘the War to End all Wars’ was rapidly fading as the world seemed set on a path to another conflict.
The scheme for the referendum in Ilford was the brainchild of Charles Boorman the then editor of the Ilford Recorder. At time the paper’s offices were next door to the Lyons Tea Shop on Ilford High Road. The referendums’ purpose was to appeal to the people of Ilford to ask them to express their views on Membership of the League of Nations and disarmament.
Ilford High Road in the 1930s. The Recorder printing works can be seen to the right.
After the first meeting in the tea rooms matters moved quickly. A committee was elected by the representatives of some 20,000 members of local organisation such as the Congregation Church, the Ilford Constitutional Association, the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce. Mr Boorman, the Recorder’s editor was elected chairman who promised to finance the scheme. Other committee members were drawn from the organisations noted above.
On December 5th 1933 the ‘Peace or War’ ballot was launched In Ilford. The borough was divided 15 areas for distribution and collection of voting papers administered by local co-ordinators. 500 voluntary workers came forward to collect and distribute the papers. After much discussion the wording put on the ballot paper was agreed.
There were four questions that required a yes or no answer.
- Should Great Britain remain in the League of Nations?
- Should the disarmament conference continue?
- Do you agree with the aims of the Locarno Treaty? (see below)
- Should the manufacture of armaments by private enterprise be prohibited?
The ballot papers were subsequently printed and distribution began in Ilford on Monday 15th January 1934. Ballots were delivered to all (at the time) 35,700 Ilford homes and the result published on February 8th 1934. All things considered the number of completed ballots collected was quite remarkable. 13,000 ballots papers were counted, being a higher percentage than usual in local elections.
Of the four questions asked large majorities were returned in favour of remaining in the League of Nations, the continuing the disarmament conference and banning private companies from manufacturing arms. However, in respect of the Locarno Treaty there was a large majority against helping France or Germany if one or other was attacked.
The successful conclusion of the Ilford ‘Peace or War’ ballot sparked a demand from other parts of the country for their own ballots. The Ilford branch of the League of Nations held a meeting in Ilford Town Hall where the guest of honour was Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, the President of the League of Nations Union. After congratulating Ilford’s successful efforts Viscount Chelwood went on to say,
‘I wish such a ballot could be carried out all over the country’
Viscount Robert Cecil of Chelwood
A month later in March 1934, Viscount Cecil proposed to the executive committee of the League of Nations Union that a national peace ballot be held. Once again matters moved swiftly forward. Under the banner of A National Declaration on the League of Nations and Armaments, offers of support flooded in along with endorsements from writers, artists, sportsman, actors, leading politicians and the leaders of the churches.
Nationally, half a million volunteers came forward to collect and distribute the ballots which took place from late 1934 until June of 1935. However, national ballot questions were slightly different. As regards to the Locarno Treaty the questions this time were expanded to include both military support and an economic sanctions option. The ballot was completed by June 1935. The organisers were hoping for around five million ballots to come back but to their amazement over eleven million papers were returned. The results were announced on 27th June that year at a rally at the Albert Hall.
Again there was overwhelming support for the League of Nations, (seen as a means of collective security), disarmament and abolition of the private arms trade. Unlike Ilford though, the national ballot produced a majority for military action to support France or another ally should it be attacked.
A special deputation presented the results to the Prime Minster Stanley Baldwin in July 1935. Baldwin had planned a rearmament programme a year earlier but had to tread carefully to avoid antagonising the public. However, the continued rise of the Nazi party in Germany with its expansionist plans on its neighbours coupled with establishment of Fascism in Italy swept away the nations pacificism and four years later war engulfed Europe.
Yet, for the first time in British History an organisation and not part of the government had set out to find out what the British public thought on a major foreign policy issue and it all came about from a discussion in a tea-room in Ilford.
Images
courtesy of
Dr Colin Runeckles. Ilford Historical Society, Ilford High Street
https://ilfordhistoricalsociety.weebly.com
Northern Friends’ Peace Board, Disarmament poster
US Library of Congress public domain, Robert Cecil 1st Viscount of Chelwood
© Essex Hundred Publications
With thanks to Redbridge Heritage Centre
https://visionrcl.org.uk/centre/redbridge-heritage-centre/
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