Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, came from a long line of bankers and philanthropists. Although he considered the hereditary peerage to be against his political and personal principles, he served in the House of Lords from 1971 until his death. He was a champion of human rights both at home and abroad and his Buddhist and humanist beliefs were reflected in the causes he supported. His passion for reform and worthy causes may have been influenced by his ancestor, Sir John Lubbock (1834 – 1913), who had introduced bank holidays and a reduction in working hours in order to provide a healthier lifestyle for the working classes.
Lubbock’s early education was interrupted by the Second World War when he was evacuated to Toronto, Canada. On his return, he attended Harrow School and then studied at Balliol College, Oxford, where he gained a degree in engineering. He carried out his National Service in the Welsh Guards, before working for Rolls-Royce and as a management consultant. In 1962 he won a landslide election for the Liberal Party in the staunchly Conservative stronghold of Orpington, Kent. Despite only being a party member for 2 years voters appreciated that he was a local man with local interests. Lubbock was an ardent campaigner and allegedly wore out five pair of shoes on the campaign trail. He held prominent roles in the Liberal Party but his bid for leadership was prevented by losing the vote to Jeremy Thorpe. He served his Orpington constituency for 8 years. On losing his seat he stated: “in 1962 the wise far-seeing people elected me and in 1970 the fools threw me out.”
He was an avid believer in human rights and was tenacious in his support for his chosen causes. A member of Amnesty International, he once delivered a speech in parliament with a ruptured colon caused by a bike accident on the way to Westminster. His peers called him “unflinching, brave and tenacious”. He was banned from Bahrain and expelled from Sri Lanka after exposing human rights violations. In addition to his efforts overseas he also supported the Travelling and Roma communities in Britain, and his private members bill Caravan Sites Act of 1968 resulted in the creation of 324 permanent sites for travellers.
The list of organisations that he supported is long and varied. From 2002, he served as president of the Peru Support Group; a UK based advocacy organisation founded in 1983 to raise awareness of human rights violations committed during Peru’s internal armed conflict. It campaigns on human rights, indigenous rights, democratic governance and sustainable development, particularly with reference to extractive industries.
He was a Patron of several organisations, including Peace Brigades International and Prisoners Abroad. Peace Brigades International was founded in 1981 and is a non-governmental organization which “protects human rights and promotes non-violent transformation of conflicts”. It sends international volunteers to areas of conflict, who then provide protective, non-violent accompaniment to members of affected countries. Prisoners Abroad is a charity which assists British citizens who find themselves imprisoned overseas. The charity provides some home comforts such as vitamins, essential foods, freepost envelopes to enable them to write home, reading materials to help with their mental wellbeing, and emotional support. It supports their families with the ongoing trauma and assists prisoners’ rehabilitation when they are eventually released.
Lubbock was also a board member of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR). The organisation provides support and protection to human rights defenders in the Gulf region by promoting freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly in the Arabian Peninsula and Gulf. Additionally, he was co-chair of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Commission. The Chittagong Hill Tracts are an area in south-eastern Bangladesh. For over twenty years there was a political and armed conflict between the government of Bangladesh and other tribes and interested parties of the Chittagong Hill Tracts over the issue of autonomy and the land rights of the area’s indigenous tribes. The government and the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS), which represents the region’s indigenous peoples, signed a peace accord in 1997. The CHT Commission was established to ensure the implementation of the treaty and to protect human rights in the region.
Lubbock was an ardent defender of the most vulnerable; he always supported children, minorities, and those affected by loss of their rights and dignity. He was a great influencer in the wide arena of human rights. Diagnosed with incurable blood cancer, he enquired as to the possibility of donating his body to the Battersea Dogs home; an offer which was politely declined. An active proponent of Assisted Dying Bill in 2014, he did not wish to die without dignity, but the parliamentary bill was unsuccessful. He died in February 2016.
By Elaine Dove, a U3A Shared Learning Project researcher for the Citizens Project
Sources:
Photograph of Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury in 2014, taken by Jwslubbock, via Wikimedia Commons
Stephen Bates, “Lord Avebury obituary,” The Guardian, 14 February 2016
“Lord Avebury – obituary,” The Telegraph, 14 February 2016
“Obituary: Lord Avebury,” BBC News, 14 February 2016
Keith Johnson, “Eric Lubbock: My Family Hero,” 25 August 2010, http://myfolktales.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/eric-lubbock-my-family-hero.html
