Panel 12: “The Gift” (1922-1931) Ernest Enters National Politics

As the 1960s approached the spectre of nuclear war threatening to destroy civilisation itself was a widespread concern. Deeply worried, the Simons set out to contribute to the cause of abolishing of nuclear weapons. In 1958, alongside fi gures such as Michael Foot and J.B. Priestley, Ernest became part of the founding executive of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

In May the same year a packed CND meeting was held at the Manchester Free Trade Hall which Ernest chaired. Unveiling a map he had chartered illustrating the massive destruction a single hydrogen bomb would cause if dropped in the centre of Manchester, Ernest spoke at the meeting about how few people realised the horrendous nature of nuclear weapons. The meeting was packed and was a great fundraising success. The Manchester Guardian reported that “pound notes fell like confetti from the side balconies on to the platform of the Free Trade Hall”. In 1959 in the House of Lords Ernest called on the government to get non-nuclear powers to renounce atomic weapons in return for Britain abolishing hers and to persuade the Soviet Union and the USA to sponsor nonproliferation inspections by the United Nations.

I believe that an important reason for the failure of the people and the Government of Britain to realise the horror of hydrogen bomb warfare is that the human imagination is such that mass destruction is an idea that makes a weaker impact than one street accident actually witnessed. Excerpt from Speech on the Effects of the Hydrogen Bomb by Lord Simon at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester, May 1958. Source: Shena Simon Papers, Manchester Archives+.

(Above) The propaganda map which Ernest unveiled at the Free Trade Hall CND meeting in 1958. Source: Shena Simon Papers, Manchester Archives+.

(Left) A notice advertising the CND meeting at the Free Trade Hall in 1958. Source: Shena Simon Papers, Manchester Archives+.

(Above) Source: The Illustrated London News, 6th July 1957, p. 24.

(Left) The Simons in 1958. Ernest and Shena are sat either side of their daughter-in-law Joan, with their grandsons behind them. Source: Shena Simon Papers, Manchester Archives+. The post-war years were marked by major scientifi c advancements and the Simons were keen that the University of Manchester was at the vanguard of innovation. An opportunity to pursue this goal arose in 1946 when Ernest and Shena attended a tea party at Jodrell Bank and met the radio astronomer Bernard Lovell. Professor Lovell’s pioneering work was being hampered by limited equipment and when he was approached by Shena she was adamant that he should have far more resources. Subsequently the Simons used their positions on the Council of the University of Manchester, alongside much lobbying and fundraising efforts, to aid the construction of Lovell’s radio telescope, completed in 1957. The telescope conducted ground-breaking science, tracking Sputnik as well as providing the fi rst public images of the moon’s surface.

Lady Simon had spied a strange structure towering over the delphiniums in the distance. There was no escape, an inspection was demanded… How much land did I occupy?– A few square Yards.–“Ernest do you hear that? Dr. Lovell has to get all this apparatus in a corner. He ought to have two hundred acres”… On the Monday morning at 9.30 a.m. I was summoned to the phone by a frantic Bursar… “Lovell what the d– went on at Jodrell yesterday afternoon?” – “A tea party. Why?” – “Only that Lady Simon has already been in my offi ce and made me get out all the maps of Jodrell Bank. She says you want two hundred acres. Bernard Lovell’s account of his encounter with the Simons in 1946 in The Story of Jodrell Bank (1968).

THE GHOST OF A JUST MAN

(Above) Excerpt from the Freedom of the City certifi cate for Ernest. Source: Manchester Archives+.

In November 1959 Ernest was bestowed the Freedom of the City of Manchester in recognition of his decades of public service. In his acceptance speech he praised the greatness of Manchester and its civic achievements such as the Ship Canal, Ringway airport and, of course, the development of Wythenshawe. Resonating with today’s contemporary debate about “levelling up” and regional devolution Ernest advocated passionately for Manchester to be recognised as the northern capital city of England. He fi rmly believed that people in Manchester had a better understanding of the challenges facing the city, notably the enduring problem of poor housing, and for this reason it had to be given the requisite powers to address its own issues without interference from London.

In May 1960 in the House of Lords Ernest undertook his last act of campaigning. Ernest organised a debate in which he called on the government to appoint a committee to inquire about the future of post-secondary education. Infl uenced by Ernest, the government appointed Lord Robbins in December 1960 to investigate higher education. The Robbins Report which followed in 1963 laid the groundwork for the modern expanded system of universities. Ernest’s last days were spent where he was happiest. Ernest loved the Lake District and the Simons had travelled there for holidays with their children. Ernest enjoyed walking in the hills there and even had a rustic stone cottage he stayed in. It was here that he suffered a stroke in September 1960. Ernest was rushed back to Manchester where he peacefully died in his sleep a few days before his 81st birthday with Shena beside him constantly. The next day the obituary notice in The Guardian commemorated his wide-ranging work for the public good and made a worthy tribute to his legacy:

Wythenshawe is far from perfect; a major trouble is that we still have no civic centre. But thousands of families are living under housing conditions so good that if we could provide similar conditions for all our families, the housing problem would be satisfactorily and fi nally solved. In spite of serious diffi culties, Wythenshawe is undoubtedly a very great achievement. It was certainly the best instance of a satellite garden town in the inter-war years. It set an example which had an important infl uence on the building of new towns; undoubtedly the best feature of the post-war planning development. Excerpt from address by Lord Simon of Wythenshawe on the occasion of the presentation of the Freedom of the City of Manchester 25th November 1959.

(Above) Source: The Times, 4th October 1960

(Left) Source: The Simon Magazine: Group Review, Vol XV, No. 5. Shena Simon Papers, Manchester Archives+. (Above) Ernest in the Lake District in the late 1950s. Source: Mary Stocks, Ernest Simon of Manchester (1963).

If the ghosts of just men are allowed to walk the earth it is here that the ghost of Ernest Simon will walk. Source: The Guardian, 4th October 1960.