Edward Spears was born on 7th August, 1886. On the outbreak of the
First World War he joined the British
Army. He served as captain in the 11th Hussars and by 1917 had
reached the rank of lieutenant colonel.
In 1917 Spears was appointed head of the British Military Mission
in Paris. The following year he married the American nurse, Mary
Borden, who was later to become the author of books such as Flamingo
(1928), The Forbidden Zone (1929)
and Sarah Gay (1931).
Spears retired from the British Army
in 1920 and in November, 1922, stood as the National Liberal candidate
for Loughborough. Elected to the House of Commons
he served until defeated in October, 1924. The following year he joined
the Conservative Party and was elected
for Carlisle in October, 1931 and held the seat for fourteen years.
In 1940 Winston Churchill appointed
Spears as his personal representative in France.
Later he served as head of the British Mission to General Charles
De Gaulle.
Spears retired from politics after losing his seat in the 1945
General Election. He became involved in business and was President
of the Institute of Directors (1953-54).
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