Archibald Church

Early life

Church was born on 7 September 1886 in London, England and was educated at University College, London. He was a schoolmaster from 1909 to 1914 when he joined the Army at the start of the First World War.

Military career

Church served on the Western Front for three years with the Royal Garrison Artillery then the Royal Flying Corps. He was transferred to North Russia to command the Centre Column of the 237 Infantary Brigade. In January 1919, Church was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for his service during the First World War,{{London Gazette

Political career

;Failed 1922 campaign Church first stood for Parliament at the 1922 general election, when he lost by a 35:65 ratio of votes in the Conservative-held part-rural, suburban Spelthorne seat.

;Successful 1923 campaign and loss in 1924 At the 1923 general election he won the mainly urban Leyton East seat by a 7% margin from Unionist (Conservative) E.E. Alexander but the latter took it back in 1924 by the same rounded margin.{{London Gazette

;Successful 1929 campaign He took urban, more middle class, Wandsworth Central returning to the Commons at the next general election in 1929 general election. He took it from Sir Henry Jackson, a recently knighted Conservative, noted in transport services. He won a slender majority of 300 votes (1.1% of the total).{{London Gazette

;Eugenic voluntary sterilisation bill In July 1931, Church tabled a Ten Minute Rule Bill promoted by the Eugenics Education Society.{{cite book |access-date=29 July 2010}} its underlying purpose was the eventual introduction of compulsory sterilisation, with Church describing it as "an experiment on a small scale so that later on we may have the benefit of the results and experience gained in order to come to conclusions before bringing in a Bill for the compulsory sterilisation of the unfit." The Commons voted by 167 votes to 89 against any second reading.

;Move to NLO and failed 1931 campaign When the Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald left the party in 1931 to co-lead a Conservative-dominated National Government, Church was one of the few Labour MPs to support him. He followed MacDonald into the new National Labour Organisation then that year stood in the 1931 general election as a National Independent for the London University seat, where he lost by a 27:73 ratio against one candidate.

He stood again twice, as a National Labour (NLO) candidate: in Bristol East at the 1935 general election then in Derby at a by-election in July 1936, and in Tottenham South as an "Independent National" candidate (the local Conservatives had nominated their own candidate) at the 1945 general election Church came in third, Labour winning the seat. This was Church's last election.

In March 1934 he was appointed as a member of a Royal Commission established to enquire into the organisation and work of the University of Durham.{{London Gazette

References

References

1. {{Rayment-hc. w. 1. (March 2012)
2. Craig, op. cit., page 427
3. Craig, op. cit., page 170
4. Craig, op. cit., page 669
5. Craig, op. cit., page 106
6. Craig, op. cit., page 124