80th anniversary of Neville Chamberlain's death

Monday the 9 November marks the 80th anniversary of the death of the former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. He was 71 years old. In life he had declared peace for our time but it had eluded him. In death he had finally found peace for all time. His legacy remains perhaps the most controversial of any British Prime Minister which is one reason why I wrote my book about him. Most people have heard of him but know very little about Chamberlain apart from his 'piece of paper' which they mistakenly believe declared 'peace in our time'. But there was much more to Chamberlain than Hitler, Munich and the path to war. In fact Chamberlain made a huge contribution to housing, midwifery and a widows pension. But his most lasting legacy is the contribution he made to the conservation movement helping to create the Wildlife Trusts and the Campaign to Protect Rural England. So I hope on the anniversary of his death we can have a balanced debate about his legacy.