Ernest Thurtle
| Ernest Thurtle | |
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Caricature of Ernest Thurtle
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| Member of the United Kingdom Parliament for Shoreditch and Finsbury |
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In office 23 February 1950 – 22 August 1954 |
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| Succeeded by | Victor Collins |
| Member of the United Kingdom Parliament for Shoreditch |
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In office 14 November 1935 – 23 February 1950 |
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| Preceded by | Charles Summersby |
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In office 6 December 1923 – 27 October 1931 |
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| Preceded by | Ernest Griffith Price |
| Succeeded by | Charles Summersby |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 11, 1884 New York State, United States |
| Died | August 22, 1954 (aged 69) |
| Political party | Labour |
| Occupation | Accountant, salesman |
Ernest Thurtle (11 November 1884, New York State – 22 August 1954) was a British Labour politician.
Thurtle worked as an accountant and salesman. He saw service in the army in World War I and was badly wounded at the Battle of Cambrai. In 1912 he married Dorothy Lansbury, daughter of George Lansbury, leader of the Labour Party in the 1930s.
Thurtle contested South West Bethnal Green and Shoreditch without success, and was Member of Parliament (MP) for Shoreditch, London from 1923–31 and 1935–50, then Shoreditch and Finsbury from 1950 until his death.
Thurtle's greatest achievement in Parliament was to bring about the abolition of the death penalty for cowardice or desertion in the British Army. With over 300 British soldiers shot by firing squad after brief trials during the First World War, Thurtle first introduced the measure for abolition in 1924, which became Labour party policy in 1925 and eventually approved by the House of Commons by the Labour government in 1930. Supporters of the measure included T E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) but the abolition was rejected at first by the House of Lords, who were encouraged in their resistance by various retired generals, including Lord Allenby. The House of Commons insisted and the measure was enacted.
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