John Cecil-Wright

Air Commodore John Allan Cecil Cecil-Wright (28 August 1886 – 14 July 1982), born John Allan Cecil Wright, was a British Royal Air Force officer and Conservative Party politician.

Early life and military service Born in Knowle, Warwickshire, he was educated at Winchester School.

Industry and local government in Birmingham Cecil Wright was an industrialist, and became chairman of Warne, Wright & Rowlands Limited, screw, nut and bolt manufacturers.

Member of Parliament

In August 1936, John Frederick Eales, the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for the Birmingham constituency of Erdington died. On 18 August, the executive committee of Erdington Division Unionist Association unanimously chose Cecil Wright as their candidate to contest the resulting by-election. The other main candidate was C J Simmons of the Labour Party, who had held the seat from 1929 – 1931. With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, elections were postponed, and Wright held the seat until the general election in 1945, when he was defeated by his Labour opponent, Julius Silverman. From 1941 to 1945, he was Commandant of Midland Command Air Training Corps. After leaving parliament, he became chairman of the Kennel Club of Great Britain from 1948 to 1973, and its president from 1976 until his death.

In 1957, Cecil Wright altered his surname to Cecil-Wright by deed poll, He returned to local politics as a member of Warwickshire County Council from 1958 to 1961. although he had always used the unhyphenated version as a surname.

Cecil-Wright died in Milford-on-Sea in 1982 aged 95.