Michael Foot, Member of Parliament for Devonport 1945 - 1955 and son of Plymouth
Michael Foot was born at 1, Lipson Terrace in Plymouth on 23 July 1913 to Eva Mackintosh Foot. His father was Isaac Foot who became a solicitor and with a friend Edgar Bowden set up the famous Plymouth law firm, Foot and Bowden which operates to this day. Michael Foot went on to become the first Labour MP for Devonport in 1945, successfully defending the seat against Randolph Churchill in 1950 and 1951. He was surprisingly defeated in 1955 by Dame Joan Vickers. Some people have suggested that Foot's deep committment to peace and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmanent lead inevitably to the workers of the dockyard turning against him. Although there may be an element of truth in this it should be remembered that the constituency of Devonport was always traditionally a marginal at best. Foot was the first Labour MP and after his defeat it was held by the Tories until 1974 when David Owen regained it. Clearly there is a tradition of working class toryism in Devonport which should not be underestimated.
In fact Foot was dedicated to the workers of the dockyard and spent much of his energies in supporting the workers in improving their pay and conditions and would clearly not have seen the route to peace in arbitarily closing the industries that relied on the military in various forms.
Foot of course went on to become leader of the Labour Party some years after occupying the seat of his great hero Nye Bevan. Although that period of Foot leadership may be seen by some as a failure culminating in the defeat of 1983 there is no doubt of the dedication and affection that Foot retained for the city of Plymouth. Within the city this is probably best known by his undying support for Plymouth Argyle FC.
Below are a couple of pictures of his
birthplace and surely the time is coming when a plaque
commerating his birthplace would be appropriate.
Any comments, ideas, criticisms, photos, anecdotes etc. to: e-mail: jannerboyuk@yahoo.co.uk