Clement Richard Attlee, First Earl Attlee, 1883-1967

Introductory A biographical Memoir in this series which deals with the life of a distinguished statesman presents certain difficulties. These are specially acute in the case of one who sat in the House of Commons for 33 years and then for another 12 years in the Lords: who was Prime Minister for 6 years, and leader of the Opposition for over 8 years. Any attempt to describe all the events in which he played an important part would involve a potted political history of this country over 40 years. It is clearly impossible to attempt anything so comprehensive. The right course is surely to select the events in Attlee’s lifetime, the tasks he undertook, or the offices which he held, which were of special significance in shaping his career, or in bringing to the surface his own special interests and aptitudes, and his services to the country. The selection of what should be included may seem presumptuous in one who never met Lord Attlee before 1940. But the autobiography published in 1954, under the title As it happened provides a clear and frank account of his early life, and of how his interests developed. The early part of this Memoir is very largely based on material drawn from this book.