Herbert Henry Asquith was born in Yorkshire in 1852. Asquith was educated at the City of London School and Balliol College, Oxford. After university Asquith worked as a barrister until becoming Liberal M.P. for East Fife in 1886. Asquith was appointed Home Secretary by William Gladstone in 1892 and held the post successfully until the defeat of the Liberal government in 1905.

When the Liberal Party was returned to power in 1905, the prime minister, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, appointed Asquith as his Chancellor of the Exchequer. When Campbell-Bannerman retired on 4th April 1908, Asquith was elected at the new leader of the Liberal Party and became the country's prime minister.

Asquith's government was responsible for introducing a series of social reforms between 1918 and 1914 including Old Age Pensions, National Health Insurance and National Unemployment Insurance. It was also a period of great conflict with a dispute with the House of Lords over the People's Budget, the activities of the suffragettes and the threat of civil war in Ireland over the government's Home Rule proposals.

When war was declared Asquith appointed Lord Kitchener as war minister. This was a popular decision but the people became disillusioned when they realised that the war would not be won quickly. On 14th May, 1915, The Times published a report claiming that the British Army was seriously short of high explosive shells. Asquith's Liberal government was severely criticised and the cabinet was forced to resign. Asquith formed a coalition government that included members of the Conservative and Labour parties.

Henry Asquith by Andre Cluysenaar (1919)

Asquith attempted to make policy-making more efficient by forming a five man war council. With the failure of the Somme Offensive in the summer of 1916, Asquith became very unpopular with the British people. Depressed by his failure to bring the war to an end and the death of his eldest son, Raymond, while fighting on the Western Front. Members of the cabinet also had doubts about Asquith's leadership and in December 1916, David Lloyd George became Britain's new prime minister.

Asquith lost his parliamentary seat in the December 1916 election. He returned to the House of Commons in 1920 and by 1923 had retained his leadership of the Liberal Party. Granted the title, Earl of Oxford, in 1923, Asquith died two years later at the age of seventy-six.

Matthew Levis & Daniel Reoch

Sackville School, East Grinstead

(1) Herbert Asquith's son Raymond, served as a soldier on the Western Front. On 10th July, 1916 Lieutenant Raymond Asquith sent a letter to his friend, Lady Diana Manners.

I agree with you about the utter senselessness of war, one of its chief effects being to make one more callous, short-sighted and unimaginative than one is by nature. The suggestion that it elevates the character is hideous. Burglary, assassination, and picking oakum would do as much for anyone.


(2) Lady Cynthia Asquith, diary entry describing how she heard the news of her brother's death.

19th September, 1916: Heartbreaking day. Came downstairs in high spirits, opened newspaper and saw in large print: Lieutenant Asquith Killed in Action'. Darling, brilliant, magically charming Raymond - how much delight and laughter goes with him! It seems to take away one's last remains of courage. One might have known that nothing so brilliant and precious could escape. Now I feel I have really relinquished all hope and expect no one to survive.