Harry Herbert Davies (1878 - 1957)

Husband of Gertrude Elizabeth (Evans) Davies — married 28 Jun 1899 in Baptist Chapel, Pontypool

Descendants

Died 31 Aug 1957 at age 79 in Salisbury

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Biography

Harry - known as "HH" - was born in Wales in 1878, the child of William and Dinah Davies.^[1]

He married Gertrude Evans in 1899 ^[2]

He emigrated to Cape Town with his widowed mother and his siblings in 190? [date needed] and then moved to Bulawayo in 1921.

HH was an active member and leader in the Labour Party.^[3] HH died on 31 August 1957 in Salisbury and was buried at the Salisbury Cemetery on 2 September. ^[4]

From Wikipedia

"At the outbreak of war, the Prime Minister Godfrey Huggins offered to appoint the leader of the party Harry Davies to government as part of an all party administration. Davies accepted without consulting the National Executive Committee and was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs on 3 October 1939. The NEC were in fact opposed, although they decided not to raise objections. In 1940, Huggins offered a formal coalition to the party. The NEC rejected this approach, whereupon Davies, John Keller and Thomas Kimble resigned from the party and formed a new party, which they named "The Labour Party". Keller was also appointed to the government as Minister without Portfolio. The breakaway was more strongly supported in Bulawayo and Midlands, with Salisbury and Umtali remaining loyal.

In February 1942, a motion of no confidence in the Huggins government was defeated but with four members of the United Party breaking the whip to support it. Two of them, Edgar Vernall and Frank Thompson, then joined the RLP. Despite the party maneuvring, hopes among Labour supporters were high that some form of reunification could be arrived at after the war. Moves toward reunification had a fortuitous boost when Davies and Keller attended a party congress of "The Labour Party" in October 1943, as Huggins had declared that this was contrary to the spirit of coalition and dismissed them from the government on 12 October. "The Labour Party" then went into opposition.

Reunification

Reunification terms were actually agreed over the winter with the new party called the Southern Rhodesian Labour Party. An inaugural congress was held on 9 January 1944, but Harry Davies walked out half way through, denouncing the congress as unrepresentative because his supporters were outnumbered by about four to one among delegates. A dispute then began over the affiliation of the "African Head Quarters" Branch to which "The Labour Party" were opposed. They pointed to the fact that the affiliation had been agreed despite not complying with regulations whereas a non-compliant branch which supported Davies was refused affiliation.

Eventually on 22 September 1944 Davies and Keller resigned from the Southern Rhodesian Labour Party and reformed "The Labour Party" which excluded all Africans from membership. Unification was still strongly desired and following the end of the war, negotiations were begun at Gwelo. These negotiations failed, resulting in the secession of three further members to "The Labour Party"; the breakaway group then re-established the Rhodesia Labour Party on pre-war lines."

HH was elected to Parliament in 1928, 1933, 1934, 1939, 1946 but lost in 1948.

Southern Rhodesian 1924 general election^[5] BULAWAYO DISTRICT 1,253 (62.3%) Frederic Philip Mennell RP 499 Alexander Robert Thomson RP 492 Harry Herbert Davies Lab 335 George Walter Price Lab 234

Southern Rhodesian 1928 general election BULAWAYO SOUTH 1,110 (62.3%) Harry Herbert Davies Lab 440 George Johnson RP 252

Southern Rhodesian 1933 general election^[6] BULAWAYO SOUTH 1,279 (67.6%) †Harry Herbert Davies Lab 587 Henry Arthur Cloete RP 278

Southern Rhodesian 1934 general election^[7] BULAWAYO SOUTH 1,257 (70.6%) Harry Herbert Davies Lab 458 Thomas Hugh William Beadle UP 430

Southern Rhodesian 1939 general election^[8] HILLSIDE 1,017 (85.8%) Harry Herbert Davies Lab 544 George Victor Wallace UP 329

Southern Rhodesian 1946 general election^[9] HILLSIDE 1,690 (71.0%) Harry Herbert Davies Lab 673 Eric Tom Hepburn UP 438 John Wilfred Bush L 88

Southern Rhodesian 1948 general election, 1948^[10] HILLSIDE 1,844 (82.0%) Julius Macdonald Greenfield UP 677 Harry Herbert Davies Lab 570 Olive Hope Robertson L 266

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2XXY-PP8 : 1 October 2014), Harry Herbert Davies, 1878; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Pontypool, Monmouthshire, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
2. ↑ "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:269X-TPH : 13 December 2014), Harry Herbert Davies, 1899; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,” database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1899, quarter 2, vol. 11A, p. 282, Pontypool, Monmouthshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
3. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesian_Labour_Party
4. ↑ "Zimbabwe, Death notices, 1904-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVBQ-CTR6 : accessed 15 August 2015), Harry Herbert Davies, 31 Aug 1957; citing Death, Salisbury, Zimbabwe, National Archives, Harare; FHL microfilm 1,145,046.
5. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Rhodesian_general_election,_1924
6. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Rhodesian_general_election,_1933
7. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Rhodesian_general_election,_1934
8. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Rhodesian_general_election,_1939
9. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Rhodesian_general_election,_1946
10. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Rhodesian_general_election,_1948