Birth of Roy Harris Jenkins
Birth of Roy Harris Jenkins, later Labour minister, SDP founder and Liberal Democrat peer.
Role range: 1920-2003
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Roy Harris Jenkins Biography and Timeline
Follow Roy Harris Jenkins through 170 dated historical records for Great Britain.
Roy Harris Jenkins, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
170Distinct records
1 of 5Page
1920–1953Years on this page
1920
Family Background
Is born into a Welsh Labour family led by miners' representative Arthur Jenkins.
Role range: 1920-2003
1932
Abersychan Grammar School
Studies at Abersychan Grammar School before progressing to university education.
Role range: 1932-1938
1938
Balliol College
Begins studying philosophy, politics and economics at Balliol College, Oxford.
Role range: 1938-1941
University College Cardiff
Studies for six months at University College Cardiff before moving to Oxford.
Role range: 1938-1938
1939
Philosophy Politics and Economics
Develops his political outlook while studying philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford.
Role range: 1938-1941
1940
Democratic Socialist Group
Helps establish a democratic socialist group that soon displaces the former Oxford Labour Club.
Role range: 1940-1941
Oxford Labour Club Split
Leaves the Communist-dominated Oxford Labour Club with Tony Crosland and other democratic socialists.
Role range: 1940-1940
1941
First-Class Degree
Graduates from Oxford with a first-class degree in philosophy, politics and economics.
Role range: 1938-1941
Balliol Junior Common Room
Serves as President of the Balliol College Junior Common Room.
Role range: 1940-1941
Oxford Union Election
Loses the Oxford Union presidency election by five votes.
Role range: 1941-1941
Royal Artillery
Serves as an officer in the Royal Artillery during the Second World War.
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1941-1945
1942
Intelligence Corps
Joins British signals intelligence as a captain in the Intelligence Corps.
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1942-1945
Bletchley Park
Works in wartime intelligence after earlier service in the Royal Artillery.
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1942-1945
Lorenz Cipher
Works on intelligence derived from the German Lorenz high-command teleprinter cipher.
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1942-1945
Testery
Joins the Testery research team in Block F at Bletchley Park.
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1942-1945
1944
Military Rank
Holds the rank of captain during his wartime intelligence service.
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1944-1945
German Ciphers
Decodes German communications while serving at Bletchley Park.
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1944-1945
1945
Solihull
Contests Solihull for Labour at the 1945 general election and is defeated.
Role range: 1945-1945
European Commitment
Leaves wartime service strongly committed to European unity and international cooperation.
Role range: 1945-2003
Industrial and Commercial Finance Corporation
Works for the Industrial and Commercial Finance Corporation before entering Parliament.
Role range: 1945-1948
War Service Ends
Completes his military and intelligence service at the end of the Second World War.
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1941-1945
Newmanry
Works under John Herivel in the Newmanry section in Block H.
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1945-1945
1946
Postwar Reconstruction
Works in postwar business finance while preparing for a parliamentary career.
Role range: 1945-1948
1947
Purpose and Policy
Edits a collection of Clement Attlee speeches under the title Purpose and Policy.
Role range: 1947-1947
Labour Policy Writing
Develops his reputation as a political writer and Labour policy commentator.
Role range: 1945-1948
1948
Baby of the House
Enters the Commons as one of the youngest MPs of the post-war Parliament.
Role range: 1948-1950
House of Commons Entry
Begins his first period of service in the House of Commons.
Role range: 1945-1951 – 1948-1950
Southwark Central By-election
Wins the Southwark Central by-election and enters the House of Commons.
Role range: 1945-1951 – 1948-1950
Mr Attlee
Publishes Mr Attlee, an interim biography of the Labour Prime Minister.
Role range: 1948-1948
Young Labour Member of Parliament
Becomes one of the youngest Labour members in the postwar House of Commons.
Role range: 1948-1950
1950
Birmingham Stechford
Wins Birmingham Stechford after boundary changes abolish Southwark Central.
Role range: 1950-1977
Constituency Redistribution
Moves to Birmingham Stechford after Southwark Central disappears during boundary changes.
Role range: 1950-1977
1951
General Election
Retains Birmingham Stechford for Labour at the general election.
Role range: 1950-1977
The Current
Begins writing a weekly political column for the Indian newspaper The Current.
Role range: 1951-1956
1952
Gaitskellite Politics
Becomes associated with the Labour revisionist wing around Hugh Gaitskell.
Role range: 1950-1977
Progressive Reform
Advocates progressive social reforms from the Labour back benches.
Role range: 1950-1977
1953
The Pursuit of Progress
Publishes The Pursuit of Progress during his early parliamentary career.
Role range: 1953-1953
Abolition of Capital Punishment
Argues for ending capital punishment before later reforms suspend the death penalty.
Role range: 1950-1977
Equal Pay
Supports the principle of equal pay as part of his wider reform programme.
Role range: 1950-1977
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.