Major Richard Rapier Stokes Military Cross and bar was a British soldier and Labour politician who served briefly as Lord Privy Seal in 1951.
Background
The second son of Philip Folliott Stokes and his wife born Mary Fenwick Rapier the only surviving child of Richard Christopher Rapier (1836-1897) of Ransomes & Rapier Richard Stokes was educated at Downside School, the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and Trinity College, Cambridge.
Education
Trinity College; Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.
Career
On going down from Cambridge he joined his family"s business, Ransomes & Rapier, and was made managing director at the age of 30. When rearmament was proposed by the National Government Stokes offered to charge the nation cost price for all his firm"s rearmament work. lieutenant was rejected by the National Government and shortly afterwards he joined the Labour Party.
Though he held office under Labour governments he was said to have remained a backbencher at heart.
Stokes was also a prominent critic of the inadequacy of Allied tank design. Prior to the war, he co-wrote a paper (with Andrew MacLaren and George Lansbury) analysing the economic forces menacing peace in Europe.
After the Royal Air Force"s bombing of Dresden on the night of 13 February and the early hours of 14 February 1945, his questions in the House about the act, were in part responsible for the reappraisal of the Government"s bombing policy in the last month of the war in Europe. He raised other issues after the war relating to Yalta and the forced repatriation of Yugoslavs, and the treatment of Doctor George Chatterton-Hill in Germany.
Following the 1945 United Kingdom general election, Labour were returned to power.
He was appointed Lord Privy Seal and the new position of Minister of Materials in April 1951, succeeding Ernest Bevin but served only a few months before Labour lost the 1951 general election. He aimed to show that the proposed armaments programme could be carried out, contrary to Bevin and Harold Wilson (who had resigned over this and other issues). Stokes died at home in London of a heart attack according to his death notice, although he had been in a road accident on 23 July when his car overturned during a thunderstorm on the flooded London road at Stanway near Colchester.
Membership
37th United Kingdom Parliament. 38th United Kingdom Parliament. 39th United Kingdom Parliament.
40th United Kingdom Parliament.
41st United Kingdom Parliament]
He was known for his independence in parliament, including, with Bishop George Bell and fellow Labour Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) Alfred Salter, opposing area strategic bombing during World World War World War II