India Defence League


The India Defence League was a British pressure group founded in June 1933 dedicated to keeping India within the British Empire.
It grew from the parliamentary India Defence Committee and was founded with the support of 10 Her Majesty's [Most Honourable Privy Council|Privy Councillors], 28 peers, 57 MPs, 2 former Governors and 3 former Lieutenant-Governors of Indian provinces and including members of the British [Armed Forces|armed forces] and the judiciary of [the United Kingdom|judiciary]. Viscount Sumner was its Honorary President, with Lord Carson, Rudyard Kipling, Winston Churchill, Sir Henry Page-Croft, the Marquess of Hartington, and Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent|Viscount FitzAlan] holding the Vice-Presidencies. It eventually had over 100 peers as members.
The IDL also helped Roger [Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes|Admiral Keyes] win the 1934 [Portsmouth North by-election|Portsmouth North by-election] in 1934.