Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Lena Townsend

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep‎. (non-admin closure) The Herald (Benison) (talk) 05:43, 16 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Lena Townsend[edit]

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I was unable to find any sources proving the notability of this individual, whether under the name "Lena Townsend" or "Lena Moncrieff/Lena Moncrieff Townsend"; the page has been marked as unreferenced since 2009. Most results about this specific person that I could find trace back to the English Wikipedia. She is noted as having a CBE, so that might prove her notability, but I can't find any sources that prove that she was in fact awarded a CBE. Jaguarnik (talk) 15:24, 8 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Delete: Best I could find is a "paranormal investigator" with the same name; seeing as this individual the article is about has passed away, it's not the same person. I don't find coverage of the politician. Oaktree b (talk) 15:49, 8 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Note: This discussion has been included in the list of England-related deletion discussions. CAPTAIN RAJU^(T) 18:19, 8 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Note: This discussion has been included in the list of People-related deletion discussions. CAPTAIN RAJU^(T) 18:19, 8 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Politicians-related deletion discussions. CAPTAIN RAJU^(T) 18:19, 8 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Note: This discussion has been included in the list of United Kingdom-related deletion discussions. CAPTAIN RAJU^(T) 18:19, 8 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Women-related deletion discussions. CAPTAIN RAJU^(T) 18:20, 8 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Egypt-related deletion discussions. CAPTAIN RAJU^(T) 18:20, 8 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Keep. There's some debate about MBEs and OBEs, but CBEs are virtually always held to meet WP:ANYBIO #1. See User:Necrothesp/List of AfD discussions for individuals with a CBE or above. Jfire (talk) 00:33, 9 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Reference for CBE: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/46254/supplement/4396 Jfire (talk) 00:40, 9 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
It looks like the CBEs who were successfully nominated for deletion had no sources about them to be found, which is the case for Townsend. There's much written about her career in the articlei but nothing to back it up (although maybe there's more about her in offline sources)? Jaguarnik (talk) 08:51, 9 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Keep. Clear pass of WP:ANYBIO #1. People are not appointed CBE for no reason and it is ludicrous of Wikipedia to assume people awarded high honours (especially those who were active before the internet era) are not notable just because it's hard to find anything about them online. -- Necrothesp (talk) 13:05, 9 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
To be clear, I didn't assume she wasn't notable because I couldn't find anything online; I admit that I don't have access to offline resources. I performed a check for sources and at the time couldn't find anything that proved she was awarded the honor in the first place. Jaguarnik (talk) 14:43, 9 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Comment: ANYBIO #1 is not a secondary notability criterion; "meeting one or more [of the NBIO criteria] does not guarantee that a subject should be included." Sure, people don't get CBE's for no reason, but that's not sufficient reason to keep an unsourced article for which nobody can find sources. I'm not !voting because I have not undertaken a search. My view is that the burden of establishing notability is on the keep !votes. voorts (talk/contributions) 03:41, 10 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Comment. She does have a substantial entry in Who's Who. As one would expect of a CBE, leader of ILEA and deputy chairman of the GLC. This is not a low-profile person. But she was active before the internet era. -- Necrothesp (talk) 11:47, 12 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Does TWL not provide access to British newspaper archives, books via Oxford, etc. that might contain coverage of her? I have found significant coverage for far more obscure topics than a person with a CBE ought to have. "But there must be sources" is not a good reason to keep, particularly when the article is completely unsourced. voorts (talk/contributions) 16:15, 12 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
This entry talks about Townsend (https://www.ukwhoswho.com/display/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-37938?rskey=At6mWc&result=1) but it's locked behind a subscription and I cannot access it, even with the Wikipedia Library. Jaguarnik (talk) 18:22, 12 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
You could try WP:RX. voorts (talk/contributions) 18:44, 12 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Will do. Jaguarnik (talk) 19:03, 12 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Keep Clear pass of WP:ANYBIO #1. CBE. Lightburst (talk) 04:49, 16 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.