Basil Neven-Spence

Sir Basil Neven-Spence
Noeven-Spence in November 1969
Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland
In office 1935–1950
Preceded by	Sir Robert Hamilton
Succeeded by	Jo Grimond
Personal details
Born	12 June 1888 Leith, Scotland, United Kingdom
Died	13 September 1974 (aged 86) Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Resting place	Uyea Chapel Cemetery, Uyea, Unst
Political party	Unionist Party
Alma mater	University of Edinburgh
Awards	Order of the Nile  Military Cross  Victory Medal  British War Medal
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1911 - 1927
Rank	Major
Unit	Royal Army Medical Corps
Battles/wars	World War I

Sir Basil Hamilton Hebden Neven-Spence (12 June 1888 – 13 September 1974) was a Scottish Unionist Party politician and military physician.

Neven-Spence came from a prominent landowning family in the Shetland Islands. Neven-Spence graduated from Edinburgh University in 1911. He served with the Royal Army Medical Corps, seconded to help the Egyptian Army and government of Sudan, and in the First World War, mainly in the Middle East. He received the Order of the Nile for his role in the Darfur Expedition. Following the war he organised a campaign to treat sleeping sickness in Darfur. He returned to Edinburgh University to study for an M.D., before moving to Aldershot in 1924 to work as a specialist physician to the British Army. He retired from the Army in 1927 with the rank of Major.

Neven-Spence's family had owned property in Shetland for several generations and he became Vice-Convenor of Zetland County Council.

Neven-Spence first contested the Orkney and Shetland constituency in 1929, stepping down as candidate ahead of the 1931 election. He won in 1935 and served as Member of Parliament (MP) until losing at the 1950 general election to Jo Grimond. He was knighted in 1945 and served as a vice-Lieutenant of Scotland. He once lived on the island of Uyea.

Family

Basil St. Clair Neven-Spence, Sir Basil's son, served in the Colonial Office following serving in World War II. Basil St. Clair committed suicide at the age of 22, after having been assigned to the island of Tanna in the New Hebrides.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir Basil Neven-Spence

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Sir Robert Hamilton	Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland 1935–1950	Succeeded by Jo Grimond
Honorary titles
Preceded by Sir Arthur Nicolson	Lord Lieutenant of Shetland 1952–1963	Succeeded by Robert Bruce