Harold Wilson
Harold James Wilson was born on Saturday March 11, 1916 to Ethel and Herbert Wilson. His sister Marjorie was seven years his senior. They lived at 4 Warneford Road in Milnsbridge, Cole Valley, North Yorkshire.
Family
Harold Wilson’s parents were members of the Congregational Church, and their religion was very important form them. Although the family could afford an above-average living standard, Harold’s father “defiantly described himself as ‘working class’” (Smith 16), which was probably due to the fact that he was a socialist and supporter of the Labour Party. His parents were “exceptionally self-contained, self-sufficient [people], disinclined to display feelings” (ibid. 18), further, Harold was very close to his shy mother, and resembled her more than his father. This formed Harold’s character and among his main character traits were resourcefulness and emotional independence. He never lost his temper and he never displayed his feelings publicly; they were to be kept secret and under control. And he never discussed his problems or worries with somebody, which became “indelibly part of the grown man” (ibid. 19).
Education
Herbert Wilson wanted the best education for his children, but despite the fact that he could have afforded a private school, Harold and his sister were sent to New Street Council School in Milnsbridge because their father did not approve of private education. Harold was a very successful pupil, always top of the class. He had a “prodigious reading ability, […] [an] intense interest in every subject” (ibid. 22), and the ability to learn and remember effortlessly. After homework, he liked to play football and cricket with his friends from school, whom liked him because he would always help them with whatever problem they had. About his time at New Street he later said:
I sometimes look at some my colleagues in the House of Commons and feel sorry that they had not the same educational advantages we had. Many M.P.’s have been through Eton and other colleges. If they came to New Street, Milnsbridge, they would see a ‘right’ school. (Qtd. ibid. 28).
In 1927 he was awarded the County Minor Scholarship which allowed him to go to Royds Hall (Grammar) School in Huddersfield. When Harold was sixteen, his teachers thought that he “ought to secure a university education” (ibid. 60), which Harold was inclined to do, he wanted to go to Oxford. For his own benefits he entered the first sixth form of Wirral Grammar School, and because he was the only one, he got individual tuition. Unfortunately, he did not win a scholarship, and it seemed as if he would not be able to study at Oxford. But after having been awarded a History Exhibition for Jesus College (worth £60 a year) and a county grant, “he was only £50 short of his requirements. Herbert gladly undertook to provide the balance” (ibid. 63). In October 1934, Harold went to Oxford where he started to study History, but soon he decided to study Philosophy, Politics and Political Economy.
Scout Movement
Smith argues that it was the Scout Movement that influenced Harold strongly and that was the reason why he entered politics in the first place. He concludes that Harold’s experience as a Scout decisively formed his character and his religious conviction, and that his interpretation and practical expression of the Scout laws can be found in his political principles (cf. 28). The Group Scoutmaster Rev. W.H. Potter “never allowed politics to feature at Scout gatherings, but he saw to it that the boys knew about the social conditions of the times, and he constantly reminded them of their promise ‘to help other people at all times’” (ibid. 29). As a Scout, Harold discovered that he liked to exercise authority and take over responsibility, further he “learned the practical meaning of team work, and the value of friendly rivalry within the team; from this his sense of fair play and loyalty” (ibid. 32).
Sources
Noel, Gerard Eyre. Harold Wilson. Sein Austieg mit der Labour Party. Düsseldorf: Droste Verlag, 1964.
Smith, Leslie. Harold Wilson. The Authentic Portrait. London: Hodder & Stroughton, 1964.