David James (politician, born 1919)
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David James MBE, DSC |
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|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Brighton Kemptown |
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In office 8 October 1959 – 15 October 1964 |
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| Preceded by | Howard Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Dennis Hobden |
| Member of Parliament for North Dorset |
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In office 18 June 1970 – 3 May 1979 |
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| Preceded by | Richard Glyn |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas Baker |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
David Pelham James 25 December 1919 |
| Died | 15 December 1986 (aged 66) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Jaquetta Digby (1950-1986; his death) |
| Relations | Archibald James (father) |
| Children | 6 |
| Alma mater | Eton College |
| Occupation | Politician, author, adventurer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
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| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1939-1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Commands | Motor Gun Boat 79 |
David Pelham Guthrie-James, MBE, DSC (25 December 1919 – 15 December 1986) was a British Conservative Party politician, author and adventurer.
He was the oldest son of Sir Archibald James and Bridget James Miller (née Guthrie). He went first to Summer Fields School in Oxford and then Eton. After leaving there, in 1937, he sailed round the world "before the mast" in the 4-masted barque Viking, based out of the Finnish port of Mariehamn.
In 1938 he went up to Balliol College, Oxford, to read Geography, but left after four terms to join the RNVR.
James served as a Lieutenant in command of Motor Gun Boats operating out of Felixstowe. In the early hours of Sunday 28 February 1943, his then vessel MGB 79, was sunk in action off the Hook of Holland. James and three of his crew were rescued from the water by a German trawler and were taken prisoner. He was sent to Marlag O, the naval prisoner-of-war camp near Westertimke.
He attempted to escape in December 1943, slipping out of the shower block on a foggy morning, then crossed Germany wearing his full British naval uniform, but with forged papers identifying him as "I. Bagerov" of the Bulgarian Navy. James made it as far as the port of Lübeck and had made contact with the crew of a Swedish ship willing to smuggle him out of the country before he was arrested, and returned to the camp. His second escape in late 1944 used the same method, relying on the corrupt shower-block guards not to report their own short head-count. James again headed for the Baltic coast, posing as a merchant seaman, and this time made it to Sweden.
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