With the Second World War in Europe having finally drawn to a close in May of 1945, the Christmas of that year was one of hope, despite rationing remaining in force.
King George VI’s address to the nation on Christmas Day was a message of fellowship to all peoples of the British Commonwealth and Empire, telling them that although a great price was paid to win the Second World War earlier that year, that which had been salvaged was beyond value.
It was also Christmas in a UK under a Labour government, after the July 5 general election brought an end to the wartime coalition headed by Winston Churchill.
The electorate overwhelmingly voted in favour of Labour overseeing the rebuilding of the UK after the war, with a landslide victory earned by Clement Attlee’s party which gave a strong mandate for its post-war reforms. It was the first time that Labour had won the popular vote since the election of 1906, and their first majority government.
The transition from a wartime to a peacetime economy overseen by the Attlee government yielded a number of domestic initiatives during his term, including the creation of the NHS in 1948 and the establishment of the welfare state.
Like other prime ministers before him, Attlee embraced Chequers as part and parcel of the role. He was known to use the country residence as a quiet place to read and would also spend his Christmases and Boxing Days on the estate according to an extract from The Times.
When Attlee’s wife, Violet, passed away, The Times released a segment titled The Death of Lady Attlee on June 8 1964. According to the piece, Violet would spend the holiday period with her husband at Chequers, and she would help arrange annual Boxing Day tea parties that the prime minister would host for the children of his ministerial colleagues, beginning from his first year in power.
Yet, Attlee’s idea of a Chequers party would pale in comparison to those hosted on the estate by a prime minister of the 21st century, whose holiday season in the Buckinghamshire countryside shall be explored later in this festive series.
