A. P. Herbert

Sir A. P. Herbert CH
Herbert in a 1910s illustration
Member of Parliament for Oxford University
In office 14 November 1935 – 23 February 1950 Serving with Lord Hugh Cecil (1910–1937) Sir Arthur Salter (1937–1950)
Preceded by	Sir Charles Oman
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	Alan Patrick Herbert (1890-09-24)24 September 1890 Ashtead, Surrey, England
Died	11 November 1971(1971-11-11) (aged 81) London, England
Political party	Independent
Spouse(s)	Gwendolyn, Lady Herbert (née Quilter)
Alma mater	New College, Oxford
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	Royal Navy
Years of service	1914–1918 1939–1945
Rank	Sub-Lieutenant (WWI) Petty Officer (WWII)
Unit	Royal Naval Division Royal Naval Auxiliary Patrol
Commands	Water Gipsy
Battles/wars	World War I World War II

Sir Alan Patrick Herbert CH (known as A. P. Herbert; 24 September 1890 – 11 November 1971), was an English humorist, novelist, playwright, law reformist, and, from 1935 to 1950, an independent Member of Parliament for Oxford University.

Born in Ashtead, Surrey, he attended Winchester College and New College, Oxford, receiving a starred first in jurisprudence in 1914. He joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a seaman in the First World War, becoming an officer in the Royal Naval Division. He fought in Gallipoli and on the Western Front, as a battalion adjutant in 1917, before injury removed him from the front line. After the war he published The Secret Battle and in 1924 joined the staff of Punch. As an MP he campaigned for private-member rights, piloted the Matrimonial Causes Act 1937 through Parliament, opposed Entertainments Duty and campaigned against the Oxford Group. He joined the River Emergency Service in 1938, captaining a boat on the River Thames in the Second World War as a petty officer in the Royal Naval Auxiliary Patrol. In 1943, he joined a parliamentary commission on the future of the Dominion of Newfoundland.