MK Today - Wednesday 1st March 2023

Milton Keynes Members of Parliament

QUESTION: From January 1967 when our New City was born right through to today how many members of parliament serving our home have given their name to an area of heritage in Milton Keynes.

ANSWER: In round figures none. Not one. Not a single elected member of parliament. None have gone down in legend, that is if you don’t count the infamous Robert Maxwell. These here today, forgotten tomorrow politicians have a record of leaving nothing behind after their departure.

ANOTHER QUESTION: Well two actually. How many councillors have there been since Milton Keynes Council (Unfortunately) came into existence ? And how many of these persons have given their name to a landmark of heritage.

ANSWER: There is not enough memory on my laptop for the calculator to number them all. However, there is one who lives on with his name rightly assigned to a special, very special place in our city. I’ll tell you about this special gentleman in a moment but to return. Let’s do everything in order, to question one and it’s negative answer. Let’s hop into a time machine, you ready Doctor Who and go back to the coronation of His Majesty King George V and the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

King George V was crowned in Westminster Abbey on Thursday 22^nd June 1911. Within his coronation honours was knighthood for a certain Herbert Samuel Leon of Bletchley Park. Herbert was returned to Parliament as Liberal Member for North Buckinghamshire, serving as a member of the opposition. He contested the seat again the general election of 1892 defeating the tory candidate, Sir Walter Carlisle when the Liberal Party was returned to power under Gladstone. In 1895, however, the tables were turned and Walter Carlisle was returned as Conservative Member with the Liberals being returned to opposition. Herbert Leon did not stand for the constituency again.

By today’s definition of the word I would suggest that Sir Herbert Leon was not a politician, being a member of parliament was simply a way of extending his portfolio of love for his home town. He did not only serve as a member of parliament, he was also a local councillor and justice of the peace.

Herbert Samuel Leon was born on Saturday 11^th February 1850 and left us on Friday 23^rd July 1926. He and his wife Fanny Leon moved to Bletchley Park in 1883, one hundred and forty years ago. Even though such a length of time has passed the Leon name can be found right across the area, he gave us so much. Something he was very much at the centre of was giving us Bletchley and Fenny Stratford War Memorial.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on 2^nd June 1953. Within her coronation honours a knighthood was bestowed on Stony Stratford man Frank Markham. Sydney Frank Markham was born on Friday 18^th October 1897 and left us on Monday 13^th October 1975.

He began by fighting the Guilford seat for Labour in 1924 but failed to win. In 1929 he was elected as Labour MP for Chatham then defected with Ramsay MacDonald to become a National Labour MP. He then stood down at the 1931 general election. Again as a National Labour candidate he was

elected for Nottingham South. He lost his seat standing as a National Independent in the 1945 when National Labour was dissolved.

In the 1950 he stood as the Conservative candidate for Buckingham (Milton Keynes) but failed to unseat the sitting Labour Member of Parliament Aiden Crawley. However, in the 1951 general election he beat Crawley by a margin of fifty-four votes. He held the seat with narrow majorities in the 1955 and 1959 elections. He stood down before the 1964 general election.

So what do you make of all that ! Can you imagine how the political commentators within today’s twenty-four rolling news would have exploited his career ! I tell you what I make of it, Frank Markham was not into politics but he was into people.

Frank Markham was born in Stony Stratford Milton Keynes, he served as Member of Parliament for Buckingham (Milton Keynes), when he died he was buried in Calverton Road Cemetery Stony Stratford. When his wife passed away she was buried alongside him.

For twenty years Frank Markham researched the history of North Buckinghamshire. During

this time the New City of Milton Keynes took over so when this vast research was published in two large volumes its title was The History of Milton Keynes and District. When I was writing Not The Concrete Cows in the early 1990’s Lady Markham gave me permission to refer to her late husband’s writing within my own.

Frank Markham loved the area he represented. You have only go to read his book for that to be clear. I have said so many times that no person should be allowed to become a member of parliament for Milton Keynes, no person should be allowed to stand for election to Milton Keynes Council without having read every word of Sir Frank’s work. Given the way Milton Keynes councillors today engage with we the people I wonder if any of them can actually read !

How terribly sad it was when the secondary school named after Sir Frank Markham changed its title to The Milton Keynes Academy !  What a ridiculous name !

I wrote to Stony Stratford Town Council, I wrote to the member of parliament for Milton Keynes north suggesting the Stony Stratford Library should be renamed The Sir Frank Markham Library. My letters were ignored !

You know what, every politician in Milton Keynes 2023 together is not worth a single full stop in Sir Frank’s writing.

Sad. But I want to end today’s edition on a positive note. Back to my other question. How many councillors have there been since Milton Keynes Council (Unfortunately) came into existence ? And how many of these persons have given their name to a landmark of heritage.

Luing Cowley, former mayor and Milton Keynes Council died at the age of ninety-five. Another gentleman who was passionate about our city and those of us who live here. University Hospital Milton Keynes has a department named after him, every day people pass through its treatment centre. Cowley was passionate about our hospital and went the extra mile in its early days to ensure our city has the incredible University Hospital Milton Keynes we know and love.

Herbert Leon, Frank Markham, Luing Cowley; three special people who were not politicians but people who loved the area they represented and those who lived there. Society need more of their like.