UK Parliamentary Archives

• Held At: Parliamentary Archives: GB-061
• Catalogue Reference: HNN
• Former Archival Reference: Historical Collection 189
• Ref No: HNN
• Date: 1895-1963
• Level: Fonds
• Extent: 1 Series; 176 files
• Creator Name: Hannon; Sir; Patrick Joseph Henry (1874-1963)
• Administrative or Biographical History: Sir Patrick Hannon had a varied career in industry, agriculture and politics. He served as Unionist MP for Moseley, Birmingham 1921-1950.
• Acquisition: Deposited in Parliamentary Archives on 7 April 1975. Accession number 1460.
• Category: Personal/Political Papers
• Description: Papers including political, business and personal correspondence, minute books of the British Commonwealth Union and minutes of the Carlton Club Political Committee, diaries and notes.
  
  Almost thirty boxes contain personal correspondence and papers relating to Hannon's marriage, his house on Magna Charta Island near Wraysbury, in Buckinghamshire, his life assurance, his knighthood, subscriptions to the numerous organisations he joined, notes on the history of Birmingham and biographical details for Hannon's intended memoirs. There is also a complete set of engagement diaries from 1918 to 1960 and a set of pocket diaries dating 1929-1960.
  
  The bulk of the papers relates to Hannon's various public, parliamentary and business activities. Five boxes contain correspondence with R A Yerburgh, Admiral Hopwood, Commander Gofton Salmond and many other associates, the minutes, agendas, press cuttings and other papers relating to the affairs of the Navy League, 1911-1921 (with some old reports dating from 1874 and various articles and reports from 1921-1933).
  
  Hannon's association with the British Commonwealth Union is reflected in the eight volumes of minute books and eight boxes of correspondence and papers mainly concerned with the financial, legal and constitutional affairs of the union, and with the support of candidates at elections who endorsed the Union's policy (1918-1927).
  
  Most of the papers relating specifically to Hannon's parliamentary activities are post-1941 in date. However, there is an interesting, but small group of files relating to Hannon's attempts to promote Irish conciliation in his capacity as joint secretary with Lloyd-Graeme of a group of Tory peers and MPs concerned with Irish affairs, 1919-1921. Correspondents include James MacMahon, the Irish Under-Secretary, T Callon Macardle, Patrick Brady and R Pope Hennessy. Quite a number of papers relate to Birmingham affairs and a Birmingham and Midland Group of Conservative and Unionist MPs in the 1940s. Topics covered include the Birmingham Canals Committee and National Council of Inland Waterways, 1923-1927, local politics, 1945-1948, social policy towards Birmingham youth and sport, 1942-1962.
  
  A large proportion of the parliamentary papers consists of memoranda, notes, minutes, reports, drafts of bills, copies of Hannon's parliamentary questions and the replies, and some correspondence on a variety of committees and parliamentary groups, including the war policy group and the post-war policy sub-committee, 1941-1944; the parliamentary monetary committee, 1942-1943; the parliamentary and scientific committee, 1943-1950; the House of Commons re-building committee, 1944; the British-American parliamentary group, 1941-1949; the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, 1944-1962; various committees, all from 1945-1949, on imperial affairs, agriculture and food, trade and industry, foreign affairs, the Catholic Union on the Education and Childrens Bills and the Channel Tunnel Study Group.
  
  Some parliamentary papers, mainly post-war, are concerned with such issues as civil aviation (1943), the Bretton Woods Agreement (1945-1946), the Free Austria Movement and the 'Friends of Austria', (1941-1949), trading relations with eastern European countries (1944-1951), and the National Insurance Bill. Last in this group of papers are Hannon's speech notes from 1931, and correspondence and papers relating to elections between 1921 and 1945.
  
  Another group of papers (in six boxes), relates to party matters of both the local Conservative and Unionist Association and Central Office. There are also a few, routine papers of the two Conservative clubs. The minutes and correspondence of the Carlton Club Political Committee are the most interesting to the political historian, but unfortunately they stop just before the Suez crisis, although by then the committee had been forbidden to write letters to party leaders expressing political views.
  
  About twenty boxes contain papers and correspondence relating to a variety of Hannon's public and social activities outside Parliament and the Conservative Party. These include eight boxes of interesting memoranda, notes and correspondence with leading politicians made while Hannon was on a series of foreign tours, mainly in Europe, and sometimes with a parliamentary delegation, between 1922 and 1939; one box of notes for speeches made at Liberal summer schools, 1924-1928; and six boxes concerned with public bodies such as the British Council, the Dollar Exports Board, the Whitley Council, the National Council for Commercial Propaganda Overseas, the Post Office Advisory Council and the National Council of Inland Waterways. Other subjects include Catholic and Jewish affairs from 1944; education in the 1950s; Moral re-armament from 1956; youth clubs and juvenile organisations, 1917-1919 and 1946-1956; the Royal Free Hospital League of Friends, 1955-1962; Egyptian trade, 1927-1932; and the Empire Migration and Development Conference 1937-1939.
  
  The remaining papers of particular interest to the political or social historian are the general correspondence files (40 boxes). With one or two exceptions these files have been roughly sorted into chronological order and arranged alphabetically within each year. The letters are mainly post 1930. Correspondents include leading politicians and parliamentary colleagues, party members, friends and members of the public. Much trivial, social and personal material is included - invitations to social functions, arrangements for various meetings, letters of sympathy, congratulation, etc. But the political topics of the day are discussed as well: party political opinion, public opinion, and parliamentary business are all fairly well covered. There are two separate boxes of correspondence with Beaverbrook chiefly relating to the Empire Crusade; one box of correspondence with Austen and Neville Chamberlain, 1921-1940, mainly on party organisation and policy; and one box of correspondence with Grant Morden on party affairs, 1926-1932, together with correspondence relating to a Grant Morden fund, 1932 -36 (Grant Morden died 1932).
  
  Finally, there are nineteen boxes specifically concerned with Hannon's business activities including six boxes of correspondence relating to Birmingham Small Arms, 1925-62, and one box each for James Booth, HP Sauce, Lea and Perrins, Triumph Cycle Co, and the Westminster Electric Co among others. Five of the boxes contain correspondence and papers - mostly dating from 1944 - relating to various business and trade organisations, such as the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce; the National Chamber of Commerce; the Empire Industries Association; the Federation of British Industry; the Industrial Catering Association; the Midland Association of Building Societies and the National Federation of Property Owners.
• Terms:
  • Politicians,
  • Industry,
  • Agriculture,
  • Ireland,
• Access Status: Open
• Physical Description: This collection was declipped and conserved by NADFAS volunteers in 2005.
• Additional Notes: Beaverbrook Library Collection

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