Violet Emily Mildred Bathurst, Lady Apsley,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(''née'' Meeking; 29 April 1895 – 19 January 1966) was a British

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

politician. Upon the death of her husband,

Lord Apsley Earl Bathurst, of Bathurst in the County of Sussex, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. The medieval English word was Botehurst, thought to date at least from the 13th century. Bote is the origination of Battle, although the family m ...

, she succeeded him as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for Bristol Central in a 1943 by-election. She held the seat until 1945 when it was taken by

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

Early life

Violet Mildred Emily Meeking was born on 29 April 1895 in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

, London. She was the daughter of Captain Bertram Meeking of the 10th Hussars and his wife, Violet Charlotte (née Fletcher). She would later use the name "Viola". During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

she served with a

Voluntary Aid Detachment The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) was a voluntary unit of civilians providing nursing care for military personnel in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The most important periods of operation for these units we ...

as a nurse and ambulance driver at Marsh Court Military Hospital. She had an early interest in politics and was president of the Southampton Women's Conservative Association in 1924. On 27 February 1924, she married

and they had two sons: Henry Allen John (1927–2011) and George Bertram (1929–2010). Apsley gained her pilot's licence in 1930 and served in the

Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existed until 1 Februa ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, resigning her commission after being elected to Parliament. In 1930 she had a hunting accident which left her permanently disabled and unable to walk. Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Apsley and her husband supported pro-

appeasement Appeasement in an international context is a diplomatic policy of making political, material, or territorial concessions to an aggressive power in order to avoid conflict. The term is most often applied to the foreign policy of the UK governm ...

groups, sometimes speaking alongside fascist supporting speakers, and organised pro-appeasement talks in Bristol up to April 1939.

Parliamentary career

Her husband died in an aircraft accident in 1942, and she succeeded him as

(MP) for Bristol Central, winning a 1943 by-election with a majority of 1,559. Her maiden speech in parliament was made from her wheelchair. In the 1945 general election Lady Apsley lost her seat. She contested the Bristol North East seat between 1947 and 1951, opposing the creation of the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

and other elements of the welfare state, but was not re-elected to Parliament.

Later life

Between 1952 and 1954 she was a member of the Central Council of the Victoria League. She held numerous offices in the Conservative Party, and was National Chairman of the Women's Section of the British Legion. She was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) in the 1952

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...

, "for public and social services".

Notes

References

Centre for Advancement of Women in Politics: Lady Apsley
*

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Apsley, Violet Bathurst, Lady 1895 births 1966 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1935–1945 Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies

Violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Viol ...

British courtesy baronesses and ladies of Parliament 20th-century British women politicians British women aviators Members of Parliament for Bristol 20th-century English women 20th-century English people