Richard Crouch
Richard Armstrong Crouch was an Australian politician. His two periods as a member of the House of Representatives were separated by the First World War, during which he became an anti-conscription activist and changed his political affiliation. Crouch was a Protectionist and Liberal during his first period as an MP, but later became involved in the labour movement and represented the Australian Labor Party during his second term. He is one of the few MPs to move to the ALP after previously belonging to an anti-Labor party.
Early life
Crouch was born on 19 June 1868 in Ballarat East, Victoria. He was the son of Selina Durham and George Crouch. His mother was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and his father was a miner and storekeeper from London who later became a "wealthy boot-retailer".Crouch was raised in Ballarat, attending the state school at Mount Pleasant. He and his family moved to Melbourne in 1885 and in 1887 he enrolled in a course for articled clerks at the University of Melbourne. He was a prize-winning student and was admitted to practise law in 1892, subsequently working as a solicitor in Melbourne. He served on the executive of the Imperial Federation League and was also active in the Australian Natives' Association.
Pre-war politics
In 1901, Crouch was elected to the new Federal Parliament for the electorate of Corio, with a majority of 1,130 votes, as a member of the Protectionist Party. He served for nine years, under the leadership of Alfred Deakin, and was at the time the youngest member of the lower house. He gained recognition as a wit and a radical, and was outspoken on the delicate matter of lavish allowances for the Governor General.World War I
Crouch enthusiastically supported new trends in Australian defence policies. He joined the militia in 1892, and by the outbreak of World War I had attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. In March 1915, he was given command of the 22nd Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, which landed at Gallipoli in September 1915. Crouch was transferred to command the Base Camp at Mudros in December 1915, but illness led to his return to Australia in March 1916.Although a strong advocate for national defence, Crouch did not support the proposal to introduce compulsory overseas service. He became Victorian branch president of the Returned Soldiers' No-Conscription League, and campaigned against prime minister Billy Hughes during the conscription plebiscites in 1916 and 1917. Encouraged by James Scullin, Crouch joined the Labor Party and became an active leader of the Labor movement in Victoria.