Harry Brittain

Sir Henry Ernest "Harry" Brittain, KBE, CMG (24 December 1873 - 9 July 1974) who founded the Empire Press Union (now Commonwealth Press Union) in 1909 was once described as the most versatile man in the Empire.

Educated at Repton, Rossall and Worcester College, Oxford, (MA Honours in Law) he was called to the Bar of the Inner Temple In 1897, practised successfully for one week and then retired from law.

After a business training, he entered journalism and in time became a director of numerous daily and weekly newspapers daily and weekly newspapers, including the "Illustrated London News".

In 1909 he successfully organised the First Imperial Press Conference. After the Conference, he founded the Empire Press Union and lived to see his concept grow into an organisation which includes in its membership over 1,500 newspapers and news agencies throughout the Commonwealth.

Brittain was an Honorary Life Member of the CPU, attended many of its Quinquennial Conferences, regularly attended all its Council Meetings and Conferences, and in 1959 personally inaugurated its 50th (Golden Jubilee) Annual Conference.

Harry Brittain was also an Honorary Member of the Foreign Press Association, the Association of American Correspondents in London and the Institute of Journalists. For many years, until the "Anschluss", he was the only foreign Director of the Neue Freie Presse of Vienna.

He was founder of The Pilgrims in 1902 and for 17 years, first as honorary secretary and then as chairman, steered the Society through its early life. He resigned the chairmanship in 1919, because of his parliamentary duties, and became its senior vice-president, and the only Pilgrim Emeritus.

On 25 January 1972 he was the guest of honour at a dinner to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Society at which were read a message from Queen Elizabeth II and a personal letter to Sir Harry from President Richard Milhous Nixon.

In addition to The Pilgrims, Brittain had many close associations with the United States. He was an Honorary Life Member of the American Club, and the Society of Americans in London.

Harry was a member of the original Committee of Sulgrave Manor Board, which was set up in 1914 to commemorate 100 years of peace between Great Britain and the United States.

WWI

When the USA joined the Allies in 1917 and American officers started to come to London, an Officers' Club became a necessity and the task of forming one was readily undertaken by Harry Brittain.
King George V, when accompanied by Queen Mary, inspecting the club, expressed surprise that the chairs were so much more sumptuous than he could get for Buckingham Palace.

In May 1918 Sir Harry Brittain conducted an important U.S. delegation, including a number of labour leaders, to the battlefields of France. The very successful tour included personal visits to senior commanders including General Pershing, the American Commander-in-Chief, who paid Brittain high praise for his part in organising the American Officers' Club in London.

Sir Harry Brittain represented Acton as a Unionist Member of Parliament from 1918-1929. Among his parliamentary achievements was the successful sponsorship of a private Bill for the Protection of Birds - especially singing birds - (The Brittain Act - 1925). He was created KBE in 1918 for services in the First World War, and a CMG in 1924. He was also honoured by several continental countries for his international services. He visited 90 countries, crossed the Atlantic by sea more than 70 times and had been entertained in all 50 states in the USA.

He wrote three books of reminiscences without ever keeping a diary. He was the author of many publications including "From Verdun to the Somme", which went through five editions in six days.

Marriages

In 1905 Sir Harry married Alida Luisa, daughter of Sir Robert Harvey, by whom he had one son and one daughter.

Lady Alida Brittain was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1929 and died in 1943 of undisclosed causes.

Dame Alida Luisa Brittain was a Member of the Celtic Congress (1933) and a Bard of the Gorsedd of Cornwall (Gorseth Kernow) - "Colom Wyn" ("White Dove"). [http://cornovia.org.uk/htexts/gorseth01.html] .

After being a widower for 18 years, in 1961 Sir Harry married, secondly, Muriel Leslie Dixon, daughter of the late H. Leslie Dixon.

Quotes

"In a long life I have been fortunate in counting as very dear and close friends men of all parties and with a wide knowledge of people in all five continents, I do not know any land where political differences of opinion have less effect on personal friendships than they have in our country." (Sir H. E. Brittain)

On celebrating his 100th birthday he received many messages of congratulations including one from The Queen and another from the Prime Minister. He died on 9 July 1974 in London.

Posthumous

The Lord Lieutenant of Kent, Lord Astor, said of Sir Harry soon after his death in 1974:

"Well, he was the most fantastic example of enthusiasm and vitality and vigour. I don't think I have ever met anyone who had the enthusiasm that he had and the encouragement that he gave to young people - it didn't matter what anyone was doing or what their particular interests were, he was always full of tremendous enthusiasm which was completely infectious."

External links

* [http://archives.lse.ac.uk/dserve.exe?dsqServer=lib-4.lse.ac.uk&dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=Overview.tcl&dsqSearch=(RefNo='brittain') Catalogue of the Brittain papers] at the [http://www.lse.ac.uk/library/archive/Default.htm Archives Division] of the London School of Economics.
* [http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=CV%2FPers%2FBrittain%2C%20Henry%20Ernest%20Harry%20(1873-1974)]
* [http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0115%2FY3011AAA]
* [http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?search=as&grp=1053%3BLawyers&lDate=&LinkID=mp61664]
* [http://www.cpu.org.uk/fellowsh_hbprofile.html]