Ernest Gowers: Plain Words and Forgotten Deeds

Contents\r......Page 10
List of Plates\r......Page 13
The aim of the biography......Page 14
Research method......Page 16
Ernest Gowers\' father, Sir William Gowers......Page 20
Sir William Gowers and his children......Page 23
Bilton Grange – the stepping stone to Rugby......Page 26
Rugby – the choice of school......Page 28
Clare College, Cambridge......Page 30
Competition for employment among the new middle class......Page 31
\'Cramming\' at Wrens and reading for the Bar......Page 33
Success in the Civil Service Examination......Page 34
3 Coping with Lloyd George......Page 35
The India Office......Page 36
Private Secretary to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for India......Page 38
Marriage and family......Page 39
Talent uncovered – promotion to Principal Private Secretary to Lloyd George......Page 40
The turbulent introduction of Lloyd George\'s National Insurance Bill......Page 41
Lloyd George and the Marconi Scandal......Page 43
Establishing the National Insurance Commission – Gowers joins the \'Loan Collection\'......Page 45
Wellington House is established......Page 52
The work conducted by Wellington House......Page 56
The turning point for Wellington House......Page 61
The impact of the war on the Gowers family......Page 66
Calm between the storms: the Conciliation and Arbitration Board......Page 70
5 Influential Head of \'Enfeebled\' Mines Department......Page 71
The troubled history of the coal industry......Page 73
Birth of the \'enfeebled mouse\'......Page 74
The Samuel Royal Commission......Page 76
The 1926 miners\' strike......Page 79
The Samuel Memorandum......Page 80
The miners\' strike unresolved......Page 81
The end of the miners\' strike......Page 83
Inland Revenue......Page 84
\'Mainly about the King\'s English\'......Page 87
Rescue at Entebbe......Page 90
Controversy at the outset......Page 96
Failed test case......Page 98
Steps towards nationalisation......Page 101
Coal becomes a national property......Page 103
Free at last......Page 106
A weekender in the country......Page 107
The build-up of civil defence......Page 110
Establishing the civil defence regions......Page 113
On the brink of war......Page 116
The Phoney War......Page 118
Air raids begin......Page 122
The Battle of Britain......Page 126
The Battle of London (the Blitz)......Page 128
The appointment of Special Commissioners......Page 130
Herbert Morrison succeeds John Anderson......Page 132
Euan Wallace retires......Page 133
Gowers succeeds Wallace as Senior Regional Commissioner......Page 136
Reorganising the fire services......Page 141
After the Blitz, the \'long haul\' of the Lull......Page 142
The Little Blitz......Page 150
The end of the war – the civil defence regions disbanded......Page 153
War and the Gowers family......Page 155
The end of the war – farewells......Page 157
10 Post-war Reconstruction \r......Page 160
Harlow New Town Development Corporation......Page 162
Committees of Inquiry: \'No. 1 Chairman\'......Page 166
Women in the Foreign Service......Page 167
Closing hours of shops......Page 168
Houses of Outstanding Historic or Architectural Interest\r......Page 170
Foot-and-mouth disease......Page 171
The politics of capital punishment......Page 173
Royal Commission into Capital Punishment established......Page 178
The Royal Commission\'s report......Page 180
The fate of the report......Page 181
A Life for a Life? The Problem of Capital Punishment......Page 185
1957 Homicide Act......Page 187
Abolition of capital punishment......Page 188
Genesis......Page 191
A fight for royalties......Page 196
The ABC of Plain Words......Page 197
The Complete Plain Words......Page 201
Gowers and the language zealots......Page 203
Revisions of Plain Words......Page 205
13 Revising Fowler\'s Modern English Usage \r......Page 207
Gowers and the Civil Service......Page 219
Gowers and English usage......Page 222
Gowers and his family......Page 224
Appendix 1: Governments and Prime Ministers 1900–1970\r......Page 230
Appendix 2: Condensed Biographies\r......Page 231
Notes\r......Page 238
Bibliography\r......Page 257
C\r......Page 268
D\r......Page 269
H\r......Page 270
L\r......Page 271
R\r......Page 272
W\r......Page 273