1931 in the United Kingdom

Events from the year 1931 in the United Kingdom.

Incumbents

*Monarch - George V of the United Kingdom
*Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, Labour and national coalition

Events

* 6 January - Sadler's Wells Theatre opens in London.cite book|title=Penguin Pocket On This Day|publisher=Penguin Reference Library|isbn=0-141-02715-0|year=2006]
* 14 April - The Highway Code issued.
* 23 May - Whipsnade Zoo opens in Bedfordshire.
* 7 June - The Dogger Bank earthquake is felt across Britain. [cite web|url=http://www.stvincent.ac.uk/Resources/EarthSci/Earth/records.html|title=Earth Science resources - earthquake records|accessdate=2008-05-23]
* 12 June - Charlie Parker equals J.T. Hearne's record for the earliest date to reach 100 wickets.
* 24 August - Labour Government of Ramsay MacDonald resigns in Britain and is replaced by National Government of people drawn from all parties also under MacDonald.
* 6 September - Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Snowden announces salary cuts for all government employees, and reductions to unemployment benefit.cite book |last=Palmer |first=Alan & Veronica |year=1992 |title= The Chronology of British History|publisher= Century Ltd|location=London|pages= 373-374|isbn= 0-7126-5616-2]
* 15 September - The Invergordon Mutiny: Strikes in Royal Navy due to decreased salaries.
* 20 September - Pound sterling comes off the gold standard.
* 17 October - General election results in victory for the National Government. Ramsay Macdonald remains Prime Minister.
* 12 November - The Abbey Road Studios in London are opened by Sir Edward Elgar.
* 11 December - Parliament enacts the Statute of Westminster, which establishes a status of legislative equality between the self-governing dominions of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of Canada, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, the Dominion of New Zealand, and the Union of South Africa.

Undated

* The Vic-Wells Ballet, later to become the Royal Ballet, debuts in London. [cite book |title= The Hutchinson Factfinder |publisher= Helicon |year= 1999 |isbn= 1-85986-000-1 ]

Publications

* Agatha Christie's novel "The Sittaford Mystery".
* Anthony Powell's novel "Afternoon Men".
* Vita Sackville-West's novel "All Passion Spent".
* Virginia Woolf's novel "The Waves".

Births

* 10 January - Peter Barnes, playwright and screenwriter (died 2004)
* 2 February - Les Dawson, comedian (died 1993)
* 24 February - Brian Close, cricket player
* 26 February - Ally McLeod, football manager
* 6 March - Jimmy Stewart, racing driver (died 2008)
* 14 March - Frank Sando, long-distance runner
* 19 March - Alan Newton, track cyclist
* 7 April - Jeff Elliott, decathlete and pole vaulter
* 29 April - Lonnie Donegan, musician (died 2002)
* 7 June
** Virginia McKenna, actress
** Malcolm Morley, painter
* 28 August - John Shirley-Quirk, bass-baritone
* 8 September - Jack Rosenthal, playwright (died 2004)
* 22 September - Fay Weldon, author
* 22 September - George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie, politician (died 2003)
* 4 October - Terence Conran, designer and businessman
* 19 October - John le Carré, novelist
* 23 October - Diana Dors, actress (died 1984)
* 9 November - Eric Sandstrom, track and field sprinter

Deaths

* 22 January - Alfred Maudslay, colonial diplomat, explorer and archaeologist (born 1850)
* 11 February - Charles Algernon Parsons, inventor (born 1854)
* 5 March - Arthur Tooth, Anglican clergyman prosecuted for Ritualist practices in the 1870s (born 1839)
* 17 March - James Stewart, Scottish Labour Party politician, MP for Glasgow St. Rollox 1922–1931 (born 1863)
* 27 March - Arnold Bennett, novelist (born 1867)
* 30 April - Sammy Woods, cricketer (born 1867)
* 13 June - Jesse Boot, 1st Baron Trent, businessman (born 1850)
* 5 September - John Thomson, footballer (born 1909)
* 2 October - Thomas Lipton, merchant and yachtsman (born 1850)

Unknown dates

* Lancelot Speed, illustrator (born 1860)
* Joseph Tabrar, songwriter (born 1857)

References

ee also