Sir Walter Fletcher was a British businessman, First World War veteran, Special Operations Executive’s (SOE) secret agent and smuggler, and a fine artist.

He was also elected the Conservative Member of Parliament for Bury in 1945 against the backdrop of a Labour landslide.

Sir Walter was the chairman and managing director of a major rubber and commodities company for 30 years, among many other achievements, but his service during both world wars was extraordinary.

During the Second World War, he ran Operation Remorse for the SOE.

Sir Walter headed an operation that smuggled rubber, foreign currency, diamonds and machinery out of Japanese-occupied Malaya and Indo-China to fund SOE activities, with an estimated net profit of £77m.

In his maiden speech to Parliament on October 24, 1945, Sir Walter said: “I have the honour to represent a working man’s industrial constituency, Bury, in Lancashire which, for or reasons I have not been able to fathom, abstained from the midsummer madness that overtook the rest of the country in early July.

"I feel that in that constituency – which has an unexcelled record for savings and for war effort…”

Many things have changed in Bury over the 78 years that have followed, but the fundamentals remain.

A proud town, always Lancastrian, independent-minded with a population that makes a positive difference to our area and country.

The town of Bury remains a wonderful place, and we should not only never forget that but also celebrate our history and the lives of every single person who has lived, loved, and died in the town.

Politics can only achieve positive outcomes for everyone if there is a belief in the power of community and a desire to build on the traditions and efforts of those who came before us.

I have the honour of following in Sir Walter’s footsteps.

Bury Times: Bury North MP James DalyBury North MP James Daly (Image: James Daly)

When reading his contributions to debates in the House of Commons in the 1940s and 50s, it’s clear that he was inspired by those he represented, but how so many of the issues discussed are as relevant today as they were then.

We are tenants of a town that links us to family, friends, ancestors, great figures of history and much more.

To me, Bury is a beacon of hope, a place to inspire and to love.

Let’s all remember that we are from the hometown of Sir Robert Peel, a crucial centre of the Industrial Revolution, home to one of the world’s oldest professional football stadiums and a world-leading facility for steam locomotive engineering since 1856. Villages that have a thousand years of history and much more.

Finally, with this being my final column before the festive period, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and every best wishes for the new year.