Richard Pilkington (politician, born 1908)

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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

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]

Early life[edit]

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 as an officer,[3] serving in Sudan and Egypt.[4]

Military and political career[edit]

In 1935 he resigned his commission to enter politics and was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Widnes in Lancashire.[5] He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Oliver Stanley.[6] On the outbreak of the Second World War he rejoined the Army and travelled to France with the British Expeditionary Force.[7] He was awarded the Military Cross after returning with one of the last groups from Dunkirk in 1940.[8]

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.[9] 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,[10] 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.[11]

Personal life[edit]

Richard Pilkington was also known for his collection of cars, all red, a passion shared by his nephew Sir Antony Pilkington.[12]

References[edit]

  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. ^ "No. 33658". The London Gazette. 4 November 1930. p. 6958.
  4. ^ "WAR DIARY". www.ww2guards.com. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Sir Richard Pilkington (Hansard)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  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. ^ "The Times Archive | The Times & The Sunday Times". 25 June 2023. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Sir Richard Pilkington (Hansard)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  11. ^ "The Times Archive | The Times & The Sunday Times". 25 June 2023. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  12. ^ "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.

External links[edit]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Widnes
1935–1945 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Poole
1951–1964 		Succeeded by
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