Constituency : Merthyr Tydfil 1915-18 ( National ), Aberdare 1918-22 ( National Democratic Party ) 1922
As the general election approached in 1922, the numbers of Coalition Liberals received a sudden boost from the collapse of the National Democratic and Labour Party. This started in 1915 as a breakaway from the Marxist British Socialist Party calling itself the British Worker's League. Their main policy was robust support for the war effort and they started targeting pacifist MPs. They attracted the support of some Labour MPs including the former leader George Barnes. When Barnes decided to stay in the Coalition Cabinet against the wishes of his party, the BWL became the National Democratic and Labour Party to give him some troops. Lloyd George and Bonar Law indulged them with the coupon in 20 seats and they won ten. When Barnes heard that Labour intended to oppose him in his constituency he decided to retire and the NDP imploded. One MP had defected to Labour the other eight had little choice but to become National Liberals (i.e. supporters of Lloyd George )
Charles started out as a miner's agent in Aberdare and member of the Independent Labour Party. He was an urban district councillor and known as a militant. He was supposed to have fired a gun during the hauliers' strike of 1893.He opposed Keir Hardie's pacifist stance when war broke out and looked to succeed him at Merthyr when he died in 1915. Labour instead chose another mining agent James Winstone . Despite the party truce , Charles decided to stand against him as a "National" candidate. Winstone was not a pacifist like Hardie but did oppose conscription. Local Tories and Liberals openly supported his campaign. Charles won by 4,000 votes.
Charles was happy to stand for the NDP in Aberdare in 1918 where he trashed the pacifist Labour candidate.
Charles was comfortably defeated by Labour in a straight fight in 1922. He became a film actor in the twenties and thirties playing aristocrats or clergymen.
Charles only really joined the Liberal Party in 1928.
He died in 1946 aged 73.
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