Hull History Centre: Cdr. Harry Pursey MP
U DPU
Cdr. Harry Pursey MP
Biographical Background:
Harry Pursey was born in Sidmouth in 1891 and educated at the Royal Hospital School
and the Royal Naval College in Greenwich. He joined the Royal Navy as a boy seamen in
1907 on HMS Impregnable and served with the Dover Patrol during the First World War
and took part in the Battle of Jutland on-board Revenge. He rose the ranks, serving as
gunner in the Aegean and helped in the successful evacuation of a Naval Air Service
station on Lesbos island for which he received a mention in dispatches.
After the war he was posted to the Black Sea and around Turkey, and saw action in
Somaliland and Mesopotamia. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1920, to LieutenantCommander in Feb 1928.
He retired from the Navy in 1936 and ventured into journalism and reported on the
Spanish Civil War. He was elected to be the Labour MP for Hull East in 1945 and held the
seat until 1970 when he retired and was succeeded by John Prescott.
He had a personal interest in ''below-decks'' naval history and also the 1931 Invergordon
Mutiny. He died 13 Dec 1980 and in his obituary 'The Times' described him as ''the first
naval officer promoted from the lower deck to enter Parliament''.
Custodial history:
Description:
The collection of over 1900 files includes personal and constituency correspondence and
local Labour Party correspondence material. The vast majority, over 1300 files, are subject
files with 40 files of newspaper cuttings.
Extent: 17 linear metres
Related material:
Papers of Councillor F Henry Victor Lewis [Ref U DLE]
Papers of John Prescott MP [Ref U DMR]
Papers of J. Kevin McNamara MP [Ref U DMC]
Records of Hull Fabian Society [Ref U DX/217]
Access conditions:
U DPU (102 boxes, 17 linear metres) is currently un-catalogued. In some cases a draft or
box list may exist which may allow us to provide access to the collection ahead of the
material being catalogued. If you are interested in this collection please contact Simon
Wilson, Archivist, at s.wilson@hull.ac.uk clearly outlining your interest and timescales.
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