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The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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Miss Joan Helen Vickers was born in London on June 3rd 1907, the eldest child of Mr Horace Cecil Vickers, stockbroker to Mr Winston Churchill amongst others, and Mrs Lilian Monro Lambert Vickers, formerly Miss Grose. After receiving her education at St Monica's College, Burgh Heath, in Surrey, she was sent to a finishing school in Paris. Upon returning to England, she began training to be a nurse but in August 1936 went to see Mr Winston Churchill seeking advice on how to become a Member of Parliament. He steered her in the direction of Local Government instead and in 1937 she was elected as a Conservative councillor for Norwood. After serving with the Red Cross during the Second World War, for which she was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE), she decided to seek a parliamentary seat and was chosen as the candidate for Poplar. Unfortunately the country decided to reject the Conservative government at the first post-war election in 1945 and she went off to Malaya to serve with the colonial service. When she returned to England, Mr Michael Foot was the Labour Member of Parliament for Devonport which, as the vast majority of its constituents worked at the Royal Dockyard, was considered to be a safe Labour seat. Miss Vickers was chosen as the Conservative candidate at the general election on May 26th, which both Michael Foot and the Conservative Party expected her to lose. How wrong they both were, for after personally canvassing EVERY household in her constituency, she won the seat for the Conservatives and continued to represent the people of Devonport until the general election of February 28th 1974, when she lost to local man Doctor David Owen. It is thought that this was brought about by a change in the boundary of the constituency. In the middle of her time as MP for Devonport, 1964 in fact, she was accorded the honour of Dame of the British Empire (DBE) and in 1974, following her defeat, was awarded a peerage, becoming Baroness Vickers. Dame Joan was instantly recognisable both in Parliament and around the Town by her blue-rinsed hair and blue dresses. She took a particular and serious interest in all matters appertaining to the defence of the Realm, as befitting an MP with a major Naval base in her constituency, and apparently terrified ministers with her otherwise unlikely knowledge of military matters. She continued in national politics in the House of Lords until old age forced her to retire. Baroness Joan Helen Vickers died on May 23rd 1994 at her home in East Chisenbury, Wiltshire, and her remains (after donating her body to medical research) were buried at Enford Churchyard, Wiltshire.
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