Basil Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough

The Rt Hon. The Viscount Brookeborough, K.G., C.B.E., M.C., H.M.L., Bt. File:Brookeborough1.jpg Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
Rank	Prime Minister
Term of Office	May 1, 1943 - March 26, 1963
Predecessor	John Miller Andrews
Successor	Terence O'Neill
Date of Birth	June 9, 1888
Date of Death	August 18, 1973
Political Party	Ulster Unionist Party
Profession	Army officer

Basil Stanlake Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough, K.G., C.B.E., M.C., P.C., Bt., H.M.L. (June 9 1888 – August 18 1973) was a British Ulster Unionist politician. He held several ministerial positions in the Government of Northern Ireland, and has been described as "perhaps the last Unionist leader to command respect, loyalty and affection across the social and political spectrum of the movement". He became the third Prime Minister of Northern Ireland in 1943 and held office until 1963.

Early life

Basil Stanlake Brooke was born on June 9 1888 at his family's estate, Colebrooke Park, Brookeborough, County Fermanagh. He was the eldest son of Sir Arthur Douglas Brooke, 4th Baronet, whom he succeeded as 5th Baronet on the latter's death in 1907. He was a nephew of Field Marshal Viscount Alanbrooke, CIGS during World War II, who was only five years his senior. He was educated in Pau, France, at Winchester College (1901-05) and Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the Royal Fusiliers in 1908, but transferred to the 10th Hussars in 1911. He was awarded the Military Cross and Croix de Guerre with palm for his service during World War I. In 1920 he left the British Army to farm his large estate at Colebrooke.

He married, firstly, Cynthia Mary (1897–1970), second daughter and co-heir of Captain Charles Warden Sergison, of Cuckfield Park, Sussex. They had three sons; the eldest and youngest were killed in action during the Second World War, but the second son, John, also a soldier, survived the war and later entered Northern Ireland politics.

Political career

In 1921 he was elected to the Senate of Northern Ireland, but he resigned the following year to become Commandant of the Ulster Special Constabulary in their fight against the IRA. In 1929 he was elected to the Northern Ireland House of Commons as Ulster Unionist Party MP for the Lisnaskea division of County Fermanagh. In 1933 he was appointed Minister for Agriculture. In 1941 he became Minister for Commerce.

As Prime Minister

In 1943 he succeeded John M. Andrews as Prime Minister.

In 1952 Sir Basil, whilst Prime Minister, he was raised to the House of Lords as Viscount Brookeborough, the title taken from the village named after the Brookes. Although a peer he retained his seat in the House of Commons at Stormont.

Lord Brookebrough resigned as Prime Minister in 1963 due to illness. He remained, however, a member of the Northern Ireland House of Commons until the 1969 general election, becoming the Father of the House in 1965. During his last years in the Commons he publicly opposed the liberal policy of his successor, Terence O'Neill, who wished for a better relationship with the Republic of Ireland and attempted to grant the civil rights demanded by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association.

Decorations

Having been appointed CBE in 1921, Brooke was on July 1 1952 raised to the House of Lords as Viscount Brookeborough, of Colebrooke, County Fermanagh. He was appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1965. He held the office of Vice-Admiral of Ulster between 1961 and 1973. He held the office of Lord Lieutenant of County Fermanagh between 1963 and 1969. He held the office of Custos Rotulorum of County Fermanagh between 1963 and 1969.

Later Life

In his retirement Brookeborough developed commercial interests; as chairman of Carreras (Northern Ireland), a director of Devenish Trade, and president of the Northern Ireland Institute of Directors. He was also made an honorary LLD of Queen's University, Belfast. His wife, Cynthia, had served in the Second World War as senior commandant of the Auxiliary Territorial Service, and was created a DBE in 1959. She died in 1970, and the following year, aged 83, Brookeborough married Sarah Eileen Bell, daughter of Henry Healey, of Belfast, and widow of Cecil Armstrong Calvert FRCS, director of neurosurgery at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast.

Lord Brookeborough died at his home in Colebrooke on August 18 1973, he was cremated at Roselawn cemetery, Belfast, three days later, and in deference to his wishes his ashes were scattered on the demesne. His estate was valued at £406,591.83: probate, 5 December 1975, CGPLA NIre. · £42,793 in England and Wales: probate, 7 November 1973, CGPLA Eng. & Wales

See also

• List of Northern Ireland Members of the House of Lords

External links

• "The Peerage".

Further reading

Brian Barton, Brookeborough: the making of a Prime Minister, The Institute of Irish Studies, Queen's University, Belfast, 1988.