Richard Pilkington (politician, born 1908)

Sir Richard Antony Pilkington, KBE, MC (10 May 1908 – 9 December 1976) was a British Conservative Party politician and a soldier in the British Army.[1]

Sir Richard Pilkington
KBE MC
Member of Parliament
for Widnes
In office
14 November 1935 – 15 June 1945
Preceded byRoland Robinson
Succeeded byChristopher Nyholm Shawcross
Member of Parliament
for Poole
In office
25 October 1951 – 25 September 1964
Preceded byMervyn Wheatley
Succeeded byOscar Murton
Personal details
Born10 May 1908
St Helens, Lancashire, UK
Died9 December 1976(1976-12-09) (aged 68)
Political partyConservative
Spouse(s)Rosemary Kidwell, née Russell-Roberts
ChildrenThree daughters
Parent(s)Arthur Richard Pilkington and Marjorie Cope
Alma materChrist Church, Oxford

Early life

Richard Pilkington was born in St Helens to the Chairman of the Pilkington glass works, Arthur Pilkington, and Marjorie Cope, daughter of the painter Arthur Stockdale Cope.[2] He was educated at Charterhouse and Christ Church, Oxford. He worked and travelled in North America from 1928 until 1930 when he joined the Coldstream Guards, serving in Sudan and Egypt.[3]

Military and political career

In 1935 he resigned his commission to enter politics and was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Widnes in Lancashire.[4] He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Oliver Stanley.[5] On the outbreak of the Second World War he rejoined the Army and travelled to France with the British Expeditionary Force.[6] He was awarded the Military Cross after returning with one of the last groups from Dunkirk in 1940.[7]

The Board of the Admiralty meets - 16 July 1943. RAP is seated front left.
US officials visit the Admiralty 1942-3. Richard Pilkington (pictured standing on the right) was a Civil Lord of the Admiralty.

He left the Army again in 1942 and became a Civil Lord of the Admiralty, leading naval missions to India, Ceylon and Burma.[8] He lost his seat to Christopher Shawcross in 1945 and lost again in 1950. In 1951 he won election as Member of Parliament for Poole in Dorset,[9] a seat he held until his retirement from politics in 1964 after a car accident and the onset of Parkinson's disease. He died from the disease in 1976 at the age of 68.[10]

Personal life

Richard Pilkington was also known for his collection of cars, all red, a passion shared by his nephew Sir Antony Pilkington.[11]

References
  1. "Sir Richard Pilkington (Hansard)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  2. "Pilkington Genealogy - Graces Guide". www.gracesguide.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  3. "WAR DIARY". www.ww2guards.com. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  4. "Sir Richard Pilkington (Hansard)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  5. "The Times Archive | The Times & The Sunday Times". 25 June 2023. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  6. "The Times Archive | The Times & The Sunday Times". 25 June 2023. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  7. "The Times Archive | The Times & The Sunday Times". 25 June 2023. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  8. "The Times Archive | The Times & The Sunday Times". 25 June 2023. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  9. "Sir Richard Pilkington (Hansard)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  10. "The Times Archive | The Times & The Sunday Times". 25 June 2023. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  11. "Bonhams : Outstanding motor cars from the late Sir Antony Pilkington collection to be offered by Bonhams at Goodwood". www.bonhams.com. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  • Obituaries, The Times, page 17, 13 December 1976.
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