Saturday, 5 January 2019
2143 Frank Medlicott
Constituency : Norfolk East 1939-50 ( Liberal National ), Norfolk Central 1950-59 ( National Liberal and Conservative )
Frank took over at Norfolk East when Viscount Elmley succeeded to his father's peerage. Some local Tories were unhappy with his candidature and tried to get the secretary of the Norfolk Farmer's Union to stand as an Independent Conservative.
Frank was born in Taunton and educated locally. He played rugby for Harlequins and Somerset.He was a London solicitor. He stood at Acton in 1929 coming a poor third. He was a Wesleyan Methodist and temperance enthusiast.
Although Frank supported the Munich agreement at his election he voted against Chamberlain in the Norway debate. He joined the army in World War Two and worked in army welfare rising to the rank of major. He was also PPS to Ernest Brown.
Frank held his seat fairly comfortably in 1945 and continued likewise in the new seat of Norolk Central after 1950. He was knighted in 1955.
Frank disagreed with Eden's Suez policy and fell out with his local party over the issue. He resigned the Conservative whip in 1857 but took it again in 1958. Nevertheless he announced his intention to stand down in 1959.
Frank declined an invitation from the local Liberals to stand for them instead but did rejoin the party in 1962 . He urged Liberal voters to vote Labour when there was no Liberal candidate. From 1989 to 1972 he was the party's National Treasurer. He fell out with Jeremy Thorpe over the handling of party donations.
He died of a brain tumour in 1972 aged 78.
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