Violet Emily Mildred Bathurst, Lady Apsley, CBE (''née'' Meeking; 29 April 1895 – 19 January 1966) was a British Conservative Party politician. Upon the death of her husband, Lord Apsley, she succeeded him as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bristol Central in a 1943 by-election. She held the seat until 1945 when it was taken by Labour.

Early life

Violet Mildred Emily Meeking was born on 29 April 1895 in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

, 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

she served with a Voluntary Aid Detachment 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. Prior to her marriage, she lived at Richings Park, Iver, which had been held by the Bathurst family in the 17th century. On 27 February 1924, she married Lord Apsley and they had two sons: Henry Allen John (1927–2011), the future Earl Bathurst, and George Bertram (1929–2010). Apsley gained her pilot's licence in 1930. That year, she had a hunting accident which left her permanently disabled and unable to walk, needing a wheelchair. Before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Apsley and her husband supported pro-

appeasement Appeasement, in an International relations, international context, is a diplomacy, diplomatic negotiation policy of making political, material, or territorial concessions to an aggressive power (international relations), power with intention t ...

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

, she 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 World War II, Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existe ...

as a welfare officer. She had held the rank of senior commandant (equivalent to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the ATS since 17 October 1938. She resigned her commission on 12 July 1943, after being elected to Parliament.

Parliamentary career

Her husband died in an aircraft accident in 1942, and she succeeded him as Member of Parliament (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 term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the 1952 Queen's Birthday Honours, "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 British courtesy baronesses and ladies of Parliament 20th-century British women politicians British politicians with disabilities British women aviators Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Bristol 20th-century English women 20th-century English politicians