Jane Birdwood, Baroness Birdwood
| The Baroness Birdwood | |
|---|---|
| Born |
18 May 1913 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Died | 28 June 2000 (aged 87) London, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Political activist, publisher |
| Spouse(s) | Christopher Birdwood, 2nd Baron Birdwood |
Jane Birdwood, Baroness Birdwood (18 May 1913 – 28 June 2000), born Joan Pollock Graham, was a far-right political activist in the United Kingdom who took part in a number of movements. She was the second wife of Christopher Birdwood, 2nd Baron Birdwood.
She was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the daughter of a singer from Hull and a mother from Newcastle, although according to her Searchlight obituary she was the daughter of a Scottish aristocrat. The family returned to Britain when she was 10 and settled in Yorkshire.
She changed her name to Jane while working in the BBC Gramophone Library in order to avoid confusion with Joan Graham, a radio actress of the time. During the war she worked for the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA), originally in Brussels and then in the early post-war period in Hamburg. Remaining in Germany, she joined the Red Cross in 1947, becoming secretary to Lieutenant Colonel, the Hon Christopher Birdwood. They began an affair; she was cited as a co-respondent in Birdwood's divorce case and became his second wife after the divorce was finalised in 1954. Her husband was the son of Field Marshal William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood); after his father died he succeeded to the title in 1951.
Initially serving only as a worker for her husband's passion, international aid, she expanded her political involvement after becoming a widow in 1962. She was a member of the League for European Freedom, an anti-communist group that sought to aid refugees from Eastern Europe. Her activities also brought her into contact with such groups as the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations and individuals such as Yaroslav Stetsko.
Around the same time, she allied herself with campaigns to support public decency, and was briefly associated with Mary Whitehouse, becoming chairwoman of the London branch of the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association. In this role, she attempted to launch a number of prosecutions against productions and writers that offended her sense of taste, including the producers of the theatrical revue Oh! Calcutta! and actor John Bird, the author of the play Council of Love, whom she accused of blasphemy.
...
Wikipedia