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Dorothy Crisp – English author, and political writer
(1906 – 1987)

Brief biography:

Born in Leeds 17 May 1906, she became a public speaker and writer on nationalism, contributing to the National Review in the 1920’s. Among her books were The Rebirth of Conservatism (1931) and Why we Lost Singapore (1944). She was a British political commentator with contacts in high places at the Foreign Office. By mid-1940’s she was famous as the belligerent and outspoken champion of the right-wing British Housewives’ League, (link Wikipedia) whose meetings frequently descended into boos, catcalls and physical tussling for control of the microphones. Hecklers once got so out of hand at the Royal Albert Hall that police were called, though she was later cheered for threatening to throw Aneurin Bevan (then Minister of Health in the Atlee Labour government) over Westminster Bridge if he brought in the National Health Act. The police were summoned twice to maintain order at an uproarious meeting in which she expelled several executive members amid shouted accusations of ‘dictatorship’. She resigned her chairmanship in 1948 on personal grounds, after that the League went into decline.

A regular contributor of provocative articles for the Sunday Dispatch (1928-60), -one edition in 1943 was banned in Eire (Southern Ireland) because it contained her criticisms of the de Valera’s government. Dorothy Crisp fought in the Acton by-election in London in December 1943 as in 'Independent Candidate', for a seat the British House of Commons. During World War II, the major parties had agreed an electoral pact under which they would not contest by-elections in seats held by their respective parties, and as a result many wartime by-elections resulting in a candidate being returned unopposed. However, other parties and independent politicians were free to field candidates. She lost, securing only 707 out of the 8,315 votes cast, the seat was held by the Conservatives.

She married John Becker in London during the Spring of 1945, but retained her maiden name. Moving to the village of Smarden near Ashford in Kent she gave birth to a daughter (Elizabeth) in 1946, to whom Ida Copeland was godmother (a Conservative MP in the 1930’s and the 25th woman to be elected to the House of Commons). She was subject of a patronising article (referring to her as "the buxom, brown-eyed, voluble little woman") by Gordon Beckles, published in the 12 July 1947 issue of Leader Magazine,(a weekly pictorial magazine -closed in 1950), under the title of 'Housewife of England!', showing a photo of her giving a public speech on behalf of the British Housewives’ League. (Gordon Beckles b.1901, was a Daily Express journalist and author).

In 1947 she won substantial damages for libel against the New Statesman and the following year was halfway through a similar case against the Daily Herald and expecting her son (John) in 1948, when her husband was shot dead in his office in Singapore (he was a special constable), whilst helping the police to arrest a crazed man. Because he was off-duty at the time –the government denied her a pension, but after a three-year struggle she finally got £500 pa. By then she was bankrupt, her publishing company had folded and the libel case abandoned. She was convicted of misdemeanours under the Bankruptcy Act (obtaining credit whilst an un-discharged bankrupt) in 1958 and twice again in the 1960’s and served three terms in Holloway. Her prison memories – A Light in the Night (1960) describe conditions in Holloway in order to call attention to the need of prison reform.

She lived in Sussex during the 1950’s and 1960’s for about fifteen years and around 1975 moved to Oxford after which no more is known. However, she appears to have returned to London and died in Fulham May 1987.

== Books by Dorothy Crisp ==

The Rebirth of Conservatism, 1931, Methuen, London 203p

England - Mightier Yet, 1938

Christ is no pacifist: the religious and secular case against pacifism, London: Boswell Publishing, 1938

England’s Purpose, 1941

Aprons of Fig Leaves, 1943, a novel

The Future of Europe 1944, Keliher, Hudson & Kearns, Ltd, London, a booklet 36p giving the author's analysis and thoughts on the then current situation in Europe and the future, particularly in relation to Poland.

Why we lost Singapore 1945,Dorothy Crisp & Co., London, 178p, comprises newspaper articles written in 1942 and 1943 author examines in some detail the political, economic and military situations both prior to, and during the war.

The Commonsense of Christianity 1945, Rich & Cowan, London, 126p,

A Life for England, 1946, Dorothy Crisp & Co., London, 311p, biography, the causes of the discontents for which the author suggests the remedy.

The Path for England, 1947, Dorothy Crisp & Co., London,

A Light in the Night, Holborn Publishing Co. Ltd, London 1960, prison memories describe conditions in Holloway in order to call attention to the need of prison reform.

The Dominance of England, Holborn Publishing Co. Ltd London 1960, World War, 1939-1945 - Great Britain

Truth Too Near the Heels, Spider Web (London 184 Munster Road SW6 6AU), 1986, 260p,

== Some books published by Dorothy Crisp & Co Ltd (as publisher) ==

Old Mrs. Warren, Faith Wolseley, 1939, 324p, a humorous novell

Thus My Orient, (12 short stories), Hubert S Banner, 1947, 220p

Stony Ground, John Norwood, 1946, The Australia Book for English Boys & Girls (and Their Parents), 158p

With the Fourteenth Army, D F Karaka, 1945, ''first account of the Burma Campaign, not a war book, or authoritative treatise on the 14th Army, just a personal diary.85p ''

Empire Relations – The Peter Le Neve Foster Lecture, ''Delivered on the 3rd June 1942, at the Royal Society of Arts by the Right Hon. the Viscount Bennett ''

Song of the City, 1943, Peter Abrahams (South African author) Novel, 179p One of South Africa's most prominent black writers,

Mine Boy, 1946, Peter Abrahams (South African author), his seminal novel, became the first author to bring the horrific reality of South Africa's apartheid system of racial discrimination to international attention.

By Parachute to Warsaw, Marek Celt, 1945, Polish National Hero & wartime agent. The author's eye-witness account of conditions in Poland on his second parachute courier mission in April-July 1944.

Between Tears and Laughter, Lin Yutang, 1945, written during World War II, was his bitter plea for the west to change its perspective of the world order.

One |Hour of Justice, A. Cecil Alport, 1946, 311p, a denunciation of the living conditions of the Egyptian poor, by the late professor of clinical medicine, University of Cairo

A Police Background, 1947, Rene H Onraet, he was a former Inspector-General of Police, Straits Settlement

Reference sources
Notable Sussex Women: 580 Biographical Sketches, Helena Wojtczak, Hastings Press, 2008, ISBN 978-1-904-10915-0

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Housewives'_League - Cached

'Housewife of England', by Gordon Beckles, article with photo published in Leader Magazine, 12 July 1947. Copyright Picture Post (defunct). Hull University Archives ref DCL/16/11

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acton_by-election,_1943 - Cached

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ida_Copeland - Cached