Lesser-known, perhaps, is Bevans own personal background. On the day, Bevan attended a ceremony at the Park Hospital, Trafford (now Trafford General), at which he symbolically received the keys to the hospital. [115] Crossman later acknowledged that they had perjured themselves to do so.[116]. One of ten children (though four died in infancy and one at eight years old), Bevans father was a coal miner and Baptist, while his mother a seamstress and follower of Methodism. With his posture, the manager of the colliery found reasons to lay him off but with support from the Miners Federation, he was re-employed by the company as his case was seen as victimization. [31] In 1936 he joined the board of the new socialist newspaper Tribune. Bevan's key speeches in the legislative arena are to be found in: For the local health board headquartered in Caerleon, Wales, see, Minister of Labour and National Service (1951). Bevanism was opposed by the Gaitskellites, moderate social democrats within the party. Find out more about how the BBC is covering the. [12] Bevan resigned from his position two weeks later, stating both the proposed changes and the increase in military expenditure that necessitated the need for such proposals. His contribution to the Welfare State has been immense. Photo by Elliott & Fry Wikimedia Commons. Aneurin is second from right on the back row and his brother Billy is second right on front row. The Aneurin Bevan, former Cross Inn, September 2018, This is a photo of the listed building number. When Labour supported the government's scheme with no such conditions, Bevan denounced Labour for imploring the people on recruiting platforms to put themselves under the leadership of their opponents. You cannot collaborate, you cannot accept the logic of collaboration on a first class issue like rearmament, and at the same time evade the implications of collaboration all along the line when the occasion demands it.[38]. Image Credit: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portraitLarge/mw58048/Aneurin-Bevan / Wikimedia Commons, The Road to the Crown - Elizabeth I's Coronation Procession, Built by a Giantess? William Shakespeares Wife: Who Was Anne Hathaway? For the next few years Bevan was the centre of controversy within the Labour Party and involuntarily gave his name to the partys radical wing. Photo by Spudgun67 Wikimedia Commons. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. C. 1924. [120], After a lengthy period in hospital, on 14 February 1960 Bevan returned home and announced he would not be returning to politics in the near future, so as to be able to recuperate and plan an extended holiday. David Bevan was born in Tredegar but his family had originally hailed from Carmarthenshire, and he followed his own father into the mines, starting work at 5:30am each day and returning home late in the evening. To achieve mastery as a speaker, he had first to overcome a speech impediment. He was the son of coal miner David Bevan and Phoebe (ne Prothero), a seamstress. So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin. The Labour conference voted to drop its opposition to rearmament. His wage of 5 a week was paid by the members of the local Miners' Lodge. [82] It was later claimed that his words had cost Labour more than two million votes. Bevan contested the leadership against both Morrison and Labour right-winger Gaitskell, but it was Gaitskell who emerged victorious with more than half of the ballots. In 1987, a bronze statue of Bevan was erected in the city centre of Cardiff, while the Aneurin Bevan Memorial Stones were erected at the beginning of the Sirhowy Valley Walk with three smaller stones (representing three towns of his constituency Ebbw Vale, Rhymney and Tredegar) surrounding a larger stone, which represents Bevan. [1], Both Bevan's parents were Nonconformists: his father was a Baptist and his mother a Methodist, although he became an atheist. Two of the key elements of Bevan's proposals were this nationalisation of the hospital services and the abolition of the sale and purchase of goodwill by general practitioners. In Parliament, he became a vocal critic of numerous other politicians from all parties, particularly Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George. His appointment came during the post-war housing shortage and the need for a radical change in the National Health Service. [128], Bevan was particularly noted for his public speaking, being described by Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell, as "the greatest parliamentary speaker since Charles James Fox". [61], The free National Health Service was paid for directly through public money. Indeed, these factors, exacerbated by post-war restrictions on the availability of building materials and skilled labour, collectively served to limit Bevan's achievements in this area. It was one of a long row of four-roomed miners' cottages. In his political career, Bevan served as a minister of health in Clement Attlees Labor government of 1945, he was responsible for developing housing programs and for establishing the National Health Service. This was after he had won a seat on the Monmouthshire County Council in 1928. His nomination received a severe blow on the same day it was announced, when two unions that traditionally sided with the left, the National Union of Mineworkers and the Amalgamated Engineering Union, pledged their support for his opponent. In 1934 he married another Labour MP, Jennie Lee. Photo by Jeremy Segrott from Cardiff, Wales, UK - Wikimedia Commons It was around this time that he first "reject[ed] his chapel upbringing" and became an atheist. Perhaps the greatest and certainly one of the most controversial of Labour Party politicians, Bevan was born in Tredegar, a miner's son in a dissenting family. [105] After the 1955 general election, Attlee retired as Labour leader. Aneurin Bevan was the son of coal miner David Bevan and Phoebe, a seamstress. Image Credit: http://www.cradleofnhs.org.uk/nye.htm / Wikimedia Commons. Excerpts from Bevan's speeches are included in Greg Rosen's book Old Labour to New: the dreams that inspired, the battles that divided (published by Methuen in 2005 (ISBN978-1-84275-045-2)). Bevan shared a liberal ideology and was additionally a supporter of the Liberal party that had a change of ideology to socialism after reading Robert Blatchfords in the Clarion. There was a particularly large increase in marginal tax rates for wealthy business owners. Image Credit: Peter Aylmer / Nye Bevan stones / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons. After Bevan left the Health ministry in 1951 he could never regain his level of success and feuded with fellow Labour leaders, using his strong political base as a weapon. His father was a miner and the poor working class family in which Bevan grew up gave him first-hand experience of the problems. Bevan countered that the initial overspending was down to years of underinvestment in the British medical system prior to the Second World War: by the start of the 1950s, the early overspending had come to an end.[65]. BBC Wales documentary, originally aired December 18th 2012.Aneurin Bevan (pronounced /narn/; Welsh: [an.rin]; 15 November 1897 - 6 July 1960), often k. Along with this, the Medical Practices Committee was to oversee the distribution of GP practices a proposal which the previous Coalition Minister had withdrawn after opposition from the British Medical Association. Winston Churchill, the target of numerous diatribes from Bevan during his career, commented that Bevan was "one of the few members that I will sit still and listen to". [129], A bronze statue was commissioned by South Glamorgan County Council and erected in 1987 in the city centre of Cardiff. [18], In 1928, Bevan won a seat on Monmouthshire County Council in the Tredegar Central Division. His appointment came with great displeasure from political opponents and members of his party. The Tredegar Query Club by friends including Aneurin Bevan and Walter Conway. The three won their case, and obtained financial damages of 2,500 each. Bevan was named Minister of Labour in 1951, but resigned after two months in office, when the Attlee government proposed the introduction of prescription charges for dental and vision care and decided to transfer funds from the National Insurance Fund to pay for rearmament. Updates? The True Tale of Wales Legendary Hay Castle, 8 Formidable Fighters of the Hellenistic Period, Operation Unthinkable: Churchills Postwar Contingency Plan, The Pirates Code: Laws and Life Aboard Ship, How the Island of Rhodes Overcame a Superpower, Historical Trips - Book your next historical adventure, 10 Must-See Medieval Landmarks in England, Join Dan Snow for the Anniversary of the D-Day Landings, Lost Literature: Why Most English Texts Didnt Survive the Middle Ages, The Legacy of Hal 9000: How Science Fiction Depictions of AI Have Changed Over Time. With less motivation for studies, he left school at age 13 to work at a local Ty- Trist Colliery. Thus, the responsibility for instituting a new and comprehensive National Health Service, as well as tackling the country's severe post-war housing shortage, was given to Bevan, the youngest member of Attlee's Cabinet in his first ministerial position at the age of 47. The same year, Labour were defeated in the General Election. Born in a modest family, Bevan's exposure to poverty and deprivation gave him a first-hand experience of unfortunate condition of . Top 15 Things to do Around the Eiffel Tower, 10 Things to Do in Paris on Christmas Day (2022), 10 Things to Do in Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. He joined the Labour Party and attended Central Labour College in London. Aneurin's name is pronounced 'uh-ny-rin'. Aged 14, he left school to start working in the mines, starting at 5:30am each day and returning home late in the evening. Use the tabs above to learn about Nye Bevan's life, work and ideas, as well as the history of the NHS. He is known for leading the creation of the National Health Service (NHS) to give medical care free at point-of-need to all Britons. [13], Bevan was one of the founding members of the "Query Club" with his brother Billy and Walter Conway. Read more. I believe that is essential for the full life of citizen to see the living tapestry of a mixed community. He first became an MP for Ebbw Vale in 1929. He was Chief of Staff in Spain, he won the Battle of the Ebro, and he is a sergeant. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In Parliament, Bevan argued that this was the logical outcome of the government's foreign policy. [136], In 2015, Welsh actor Michael Sheen gave a speech in which he described Bevan as a mythical creature, stating, "He had cast-iron integrity and a raging passion".[12]. An infuriated Bevan stated that he would never be a member of a government that imposed charges on the National Health Service. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. In 1925, Bevans father died of pneumoconiosis, a lung condition caused by long term inhalation of coal dust, but no compensation was paid. "[83], Bevan was instead appointed Minister of Labour in January 1951 in place of George Isaacs. Bevan was largely responsible for the distribution of strike pay in Tredegar and the formation of the Council of Action, an organisation that helped to raise money and provide food for the miners. A powerful speaker, debater and champion of the working class, Bevan was voted number one in the 100 Welsh Heroes poll, a response to find the publics favourite Welsh people of all time. He was not, apparently, one of the most diligent students, and found it difficult to follow an organised routine, including arising early for breakfast. [93] In 1952 Bevan published In Place of Fear,[94] "the most widely read socialist book" of the period, according to a highly critical right-wing Labour MP Anthony Crosland. He criticised figures such as Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George for their attitude towards workers rights, and as a result of his strong stance enjoyed consistent support from his constituency, and was one of few Labour MPs to be unopposed in the 1931 General Election. In 1928, Bevan won a seat on Monmouthshire County Council and was elected as the MP for Ebbw Vale the following year. The manager of the colliery found an excuse to have him dismissed; however, with the support of the Miners Federation, Bevans case was judged to be one of victimisation and the company was forced to re-employ him. After the landslide Labour victory in the 1945 general election, Bevan was appointed minister of health, responsible for establishing the National Health Service. [1] The town was situated in the South Wales Valleys and was on the northern edge of the South Wales coalfield. Indeed, he was increasingly critical of his own party, and from 1940 to 1945 was the editor of the independent Socialist Tribune. Bevan, Aneurin (1897-1960). [9][20] In keeping with his background, Bevan described his initial thoughts on the House of Commons as a shrine to "the most conservative of all religions ancestor worship". The facts, figures and quotes that shaped the history of the National Health Service . Aneurin Bevan was a founding member of the Query Club in 1920 alongside his brother. As a result of this success, he was picked as the Labour Party candidate for Ebbw Vale, then easily held the seat in the 1929 General Election, receiving more than twice the number of votes as the Liberal candidate. Icon of 1960s Britain: Who Was Mary Quant? KidzSearch Safe Wikipedia for Kids. Aneurin Bevan and the setting up of the NHS The National Health Service. In the coming decade, his support grew, particularly through the Great Depression. [127] Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell also paid tribute to his former shadow cabinet member and ended his speech by labelling Bevan as "one of the great men of our day". [48][65] They threatened to derail the National Health Service scheme before it had even begun, as medical practitioners continued to withhold their support just months before the launch of the service. [45] Bevan also feared that allowing Churchill to continue unopposed and unchallenged in Parliament during the war would leave him almost unbeatable for the Labour Party in future elections. We want the complete political extinction of the Tory Party, and twenty-five years of Labour Government. Attlee and Labour were ousted from power in a snap election held six months after Bevan's resignation, but Attlee continued on as Labour Party Leader. He became minister of labour in January 1951 but resigned from the government the following April in protest against the rearmament program, which necessitated sharp cutbacks in social expenditures. He was cremated at Gwent Crematorium, Croesyceiliog. His new job arrived in time for him to head the local miners against the colliery companies during the General Strike. His father died by pneumoconiosis (a lung condition caused by long term inhalation of coal dust) but no compensation was paid to him, as it was not classed as an industrial disease under the Workman's Compensation Act. However, by the end of his tenure, he had declared Bevan as "the best minister we have had". Aneurin Bevan was born on 15 November 1897 at 32 Charles Street in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, a working-class mining town, where an estimated 90 per cent of the town's inhabitants relied on the local mines for employment. The new Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, appointed Bevan as Minister of Health, with a remit that also covered housing. The son of a miner, Bevan became a colliers helper at age 13 but had to leave the mines in a few years because of eye disease. If nations more powerful than ourselves accept the absence of principle, the anarchistic attitude of Eden and launch bombs on London, what answer have we got, what complaint have we got? [90] Bevan received unanimous support for his actions from his local Labour constituency leaders. He was the architect of the National Health Service and leader of the left-wing (Bevanite) group of the Labour Party. [75][79] Macmillan was also able to concentrate full-time on the housing crisis, instead of being obliged, like Bevan, to combine his housing portfolio with that for Health (which for Bevan took the higher priority: he once stated tongue-in-cheek that he devoted "five minutes a week to housing"). In 1959, he was elected Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and held the post for a year until his death from stomach cancer at the age of 62. [40] When the government introduced voluntary national service in December 1938, Bevan argued that Labour should demand the nationalisation of the armaments industry, support the democratic government of Spain and sign an Anglo-Soviet pact in return for its support. He was born to David Bevan a coal miner and Phoebe nee Prothero a seamstress as one of their ten children. [102] In July of the same year, Bevan announced his intention to stand for election as the Treasurer of the Labour Party against Hugh Gaitskell. [80], At a party rally in 1948, during a speech, Bevan stated: "That is why no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party that inflicted those bitter experiences on me. He was elected head of his Miners' Lodge when aged 19, where he frequently railed against management. At a dinner in late 1955 or early 1956 to celebrate the publication of the Guillebaud Report into NHS costs Bevan remarked to Julian Tudor Hart "ultimately I had to stuff their mouths with gold" about his handling of the consultants. Photo by Howard Coster Wikimedia Commons. [46] Historian Max Hastings described Bevan's role in Parliament during the war as "his figures were accurate but his scorn was at odds with the spirit of the momentfull of gratitude, as was the prime minister". Although he was defeated, he gained attention from his peers and he won a scholarship to the Central Labour College in London, sponsored by the South Wales Miners' Federation. By 1932, Mosley's New Party had migrated from the left over to the far-right of British politics and was rebranded as the British Union of Fascists. Confrontation with the British Medical Association (BMA) was led by Charles Hill, who published a letter in the British Medical Journal describing Bevan as "a complete and uncontrolled dictator". He was not a cold-blooded rationalist. [10] The Query club started in 1920 or 1921 and they met in Tredegar. He became a trades union activist and won a scholarship to study in London. Aneurin Bevanwas selected as the Labour Partys parliamentary candidate for Ebbw Vale for the 1929 General Election. He was born in Tredegar, Wales, on 15th November 1897. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). They criticised the right-wing "Gaitskellites" high defence expenditure (especially for nuclear weapons), called for better relations with the Soviet Union, and opposed the party leader, Clement Attlee, on most issues. The Daily Herald stated that some MPs were seen to be crying in Parliament and described how there was "sorrow at every street corner" in the South Wales Valleys. "[55] At the beginning of the 1945 general election campaign, Bevan told his audience that his goal was to eliminate any opposition to the Labour programme: "We have been the dreamers, we have been the sufferers, now we are the builders. Corrections? Although the Italians were never sure the British delegation were sober, they always attributed to them an immense political acumen. Bevan was the sort of principled politician we seem to lack these days. Aneurin Bevan Facts: Aneurin Bevan was a Welsh Labour politician widely considered the architect of the National Health Service. If we accept the contention that the common enemy is Hitler and not the British capitalist class, then certainly Churchill is right. He lost the seat in 1931, but regained it in 1932 before deciding against seeking re-election in 1934. He is particularly noted for his tenure as Minister for Health in Clement Attlees government, in which he pioneered the creation of the British National Health Service. In 2002, Bevan was voted the 45th greatest Briton of all time by a BBC public opinion poll. I. [110] He was a vocal critic of the Conservative government's actions in the Suez Crisis, noticeably delivering high-profile speeches at a protest rally in Trafalgar Square on 4 November 1956, and criticising the government's actions and arguments in the Commons on 5 December 1956. [40] Bevan now called unsuccessfully for a Popular Front against fascism under the leadership of the Labour Party, including even anti-fascist Tories. Despite his conflict with Attlee, Bevan was instrumental in developing a program that oversaw the building of 850,000 new homes between 1945 and 1950, which were good quality houses, owned by local councils and rented out to people at affordable prices. On the 'appointed day', 5 July 1948, Bevan's National Health Service Act 1946 came into force. Aneurin Bevan, Minister of Health, on the first day of the National Health Service, 5 July 1948 at Park Hospital, Davyhulme, near Manchester. [11] Bevan remained at the college until 1921, attending at a time when a number of his contemporaries from South Wales, including Jim Griffiths, were also students at the college. Aneurin Bevan was one of the most important ministers of the post-war Labour government and the chief architect of the National Health Service. [42], In August 1939 came the MolotovRibbentrop Pact, a non-aggression pact between the Nazi and Soviet governments that shocked democratic governments around the world. Aneurin Bevan, was born at 32 Charles Street, Tredegar, on 15th November 1897. Aneurin Nye Bevan (1897-1960) is widely regarded as one of the most influential left-wing politicians in British history. He won the seat easily and made it to parliament. Aneurin Bevan Facts: Aneurin Bevan was a Welsh Labour politician widely considered the architect of the National Health Service. [87] The Labour MP David Marquand has stated that the savings were introduced by Gaitskell simply to "impose his will" upon Bevan who he saw as a political rival. [38], By March 1938, Bevan was writing in Tribune that Churchill's warnings about German intentions for Czechoslovakia were "a diapason of majestic harmony" compared to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's "thin, listless trickle". Bevan had been a supporter of the Liberal Party in his youth, but was converted to socialism by the writings of Robert Blatchford in The Clarion and joined the Independent Labour Party. By 19 he was active in trade unionism and was head of his local miners' lodge . Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says, "Bevan alone kept the flag of left-wing socialism aloft throughoutwhich gave him a matchless authority amongst the constituency parties and in party conference". [Nye] was never a hypocrite. [60] He earned a rebuke from Attlee, but Bevan contended that his Welsh mining constituency did not send him to Parliament to "dress up", and he declined to wear formal attire at further Buckingham Palace functions. They have made us ashamed of the things of which formerly we were proud. On 5 July 1948, the government took over responsibility for all medical services and there was free diagnosis and treatment for all. On his return to South Wales he struggled to find work, remaining unemployed for nearly three years before gaining employment as a union official, which led to him becoming a leading figure in the 1926 general strike. Photo by Duncan from Leicestershire, UK Wikimedia Commons. If we are going to appeal to force, if force is to be the arbiter to which we appeal, it would at least make common sense to try to make sure beforehand that we have got it, even if you accept that abysmal logic, that decadent point of view.We are in fact in the position today of having appealed to force in the case of a small nation, where if it is appealed to against us it will result in the destruction of Great Britain, not only as a nation, but as an island containing living men and women. [72], Substantial bombing damage, with over 700,000 homes needing repair in London alone,[74] and the continued existence of pre-war slums in many parts of the country made the task of housing reform particularly challenging for Bevan. They collected monies among themselves was what they did to support a member who needed it each week. Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960) Atheism Healthcare Politics Social Reform He was a great humanist whose religion lay in loving his fellow men and trying to serve them. Bevan was as critical of Nasserist Egypt's seizure of the Suez Canal on 26 July 1956 as he was of the subsequent Anglo-French military response. Conway is in the middle of the picture. He died on 6 July 1960. [41] The Military Training Act 1939 reintroduced conscription six months later, and Bevan joined the rest of the Labour Party in opposing it, calling it "the complete abandonment of any hope of a successful struggle against the weight of wealth in Great Britain".

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