Michael Willoughby, 12th Baron Middleton

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Digby) Michael Godfrey John Willoughby, 12th Baron Middleton , MC , DL (* 1. May 1921 , † 27. May 2011 ) was a British peer , politician of the Conservative Party and landowners in North Yorkshire .

life and career

Willoughby was born on May 1, 1921, the son of Godfrey Willoughby, 11th Baron Middleton , an officer in the British Indian Army and his wife Angela Florence Alfreda Hall († 1978). He attended Eton College .

During the Second World War , he joined the Coldstream Guards in November 1940 . A little later he was assigned to their 5th Battalion, in which he fought until the end of the war. He took part in the Normandy Landing in June 1944 with the British Armed Forces as Deputy Commanding Officer ( Second-in-command ) . After the commander was wounded, Willoughby took command of the unit. He led the evacuation of the wounded in July 1944 after the unit came under massive fire while being relieved by another unit. For this he was awarded the Croix de guerre . In the award ceremony, Willoughby's prudent behavior and bravery were highlighted ( "to his coolness and efficiency in a critical situation and to the courage and endurance that he had shown throughout the advance" ).

In March 1945 Willoughby led the 5th Battalion on the advance on Brussels and crossed the Rhine with his unit . On April 11, 1945 Willoughby led his unit in an attack near the village of Böen, southwest of Cloppenburg with the aim of taking over the north bank of the River Hase .

He was also Mentioned in Despatches . Shortly before the end of the war, he was promoted to major . In 1946 he retired from the military with the rank of major.

He returned to Yorkshire, where he married and raised a family. He began studies in Agricultural Sciences ( Land Management ) at Trinity College of Cambridge University , where he graduated 1950th He became estate manager in 1951 and from then on devoted himself to the administration and maintenance of the Birdsall family home .

In 1958 he served as magistrate ( Justice of Peace ) in East Riding of Yorkshire active. He was also active in local politics. From 1964 to 1974 he was a councilor ( Councilor ) of the East Riding County Council and from 1974 to 1977 council member of the North Yorkshire County Council . From 1968 to 1979 he was a member of the Yorkshire and Humberside Economic Planning Council . In 1976 Willoughby became President of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society . From 1981 to 1983 he was President of the Country Landowners Association (CLA). He was a member of the Nature Conservancy Council from 1986 to 1989 .

During his tenure with the Country Landowners Association in the early 1980s, he befriended then- Labor Party spokesman for agriculture, Roy Mason .

Membership in the House of Lords

After the death of his father in November 1970, Willoughby inherited his title of Baron Middleton and the then associated seat in the House of Lords . He also inherited the title of baronet . He gave his inaugural address on August 1, 1972.

In the 1970s, he spoke out on health, labor and agricultural policy. In the 1980s he spoke on the subjects of agriculture , urban planning and forestry . In the 1990s he spoke again mainly about agriculture, but also about defense policy and EU enlargement . He was skeptical about enlargement of the European Union and steps towards political integration. However, he saw opportunities to establish the EU as a “trading bloc”.

He belonged to the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Community from 1985 to 1997 and was chairman from 1989 to 1996 ( Chairman ) of the Food and Agriculture Sub-Committee (according to other sources: from 1989 to 1992).

The last time he spoke up was on October 22, 1999. He last attended a meeting on November 10, 1999. His membership ended on November 11, 1999 by the House of Lords Act 1999. He rejected the exclusion of most hereditary peers by the House of Lords Act 1999 . However, he also turned down a candidacy for one of the remaining seats.

Working in public

Willoughby was chairman ( Chairman ) and member of the Trusteeship Council ( Trustee ) of the Middleton Hunt for many years and came from the hunt only with more than 70 years.

Honors

The Royal Agricultural Society awarded him the Bledisloe Medal for “exemplary management” of Birdsall .

Family and death

Willoughby married Janet Marshall-Cornwall on October 14, 1947, the only surviving daughter of General Sir James Handyside Marshall-Cornwall and his wife Marjorie Caralie Owen. She worked in the Foreign Office . The marriage produced three sons.

He died on May 27, 2011 at the age of 90. His son Michael Charles James Willoughby, 13th Baron Middleton (* 1948) inherited his title .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Lord Middleton's obituary in: The Daily Telegraph, June 15, 2011
  2. ↑ Lord Middleton's announcement on the Brits at their Best website , June 24, 2011
predecessor Office successor
Godfrey Willoughby Baron Middleton
1970-2011 		Michael Willoughby
personal data
SURNAME Willoughby, Michael, 12th Baron Middleton
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Willoughby, Digby Michael Godfrey John, 12th Baron Middleton (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British politician
DATE OF BIRTH May 1, 1921
DATE OF DEATH May 27, 2011