David Ennals, Baron Ennals


David Hedley Ennals, Baron Ennals, was a British Labour Party politician and campaigner for human rights. He served as Secretary of State for Social Services from 1976 to 1979.

Early life and military career

Born in 1922 in Walsall, Staffordshire to Arthur Ford Ennals and his wife Jessie Edith Taylor, Ennals was educated at Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall and the Loomis Institute in Windsor, Connecticut on a one-year student exchange scholarship. In 1939 he was a reporter on the Walsall Observer and during World War II he served in the Royal Armoured Corps from 1941 to 1945. He was commissioned into the Reconnaissance Corps in 1942 and posted to the 3rd Reconnaissance Corps. He served in North Africa, Italy and the Rhine Crossing. He failed to return from a night patrol during the Normandy campaign in June 1944 and spent several months as a prisoner of war. He was invalided out with the rank of Lieutenant.

Political career

Ennals stood unsuccessfully as a Liberal candidate for Richmond in the 1950 general election and again in 1951. He later joined the Labour Party and served as secretary to the international department at the Labour Party's head office.
In 1964 he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Dover. Following the 1966 election, Harold Wilson appointed Ennals as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Army. He moved to become Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department in 1967 under James Callaghan before being appointed as a Minister of State for Social Services in 1968. He lost his government post and his seat following Labour's defeat in the 1970 general election. However, in Wilson's Resignation Honours, he was sworn of the Privy Council.
Ennals returned to parliament representing Norwich North following the February 1974 general election and was appointed Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. In 1976 he became Secretary of State for Social Services, which he held until Labour lost power in 1979. During his tenure he appointed Sir Douglas Black to produce the Black Report into health inequality. After losing his seat in the general election of 1983, he was created a life peer, as Baron Ennals, of Norwich in the County of Norfolk.

Other work

Following his exit from parliament in 1970, Ennals became Campaign Director for the National Association for Mental Health, which he served as until 1973. He became chairman in 1984, and served as President from 1989 to 1995.
After serving as secretary to the United Nations Association from 1952 to 1957, he became chairman in 1984, as well as Chairman of the Gandhi Foundation, which he held until 1995. Ennals also served as Chairman of the Anti-Apartheid Movement, from 1960 to 1964, a position that would also be held by his brother John from 1968 to 1976. However, he later came under criticism from the Movement for his involvement in passing the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968.
In 1987 Lord Ennals went on a parliamentary fact-finding mission to Tibet and on his return to the UK he became a tireless campaigner for Tibetan independence and a personal friend of the 14th Dalai Lama. He joined the Tibet Society of the UK, the first Tibet support group in the world, established in 1959, and became its chairman for a number of years. He campaigned energetically and enthusiastically with it and various other UK and international Tibet support groups until his death in 1995.

Personal life

Ennals married Eleanor Maud Caddick on 10 June 1950, and they had four children before they divorced in 1977. Later that year he married Katherine Gene Tranoy.
Ennals had an older brother, John and a younger brother Martin. Martin Ennals, was a human rights activist and Secretary-General of Amnesty International. His son, Sir Paul Ennals, is chief executive of the National Children's Bureau.
He died in 1995 of pancreatic cancer at his home in Belsize Park, London.

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