Wilfrid Denis Walker (29 December 1933 – 8 January 2024) was a Rhodesian cabinet minister from 1974 to 1982 who later returned to the United Kingdom. He was known for his monarchist activities and anti-communism and was also company secretary, director and treasurer of the International Monarchist League and its UK subsidiary, the Constitutional Monarchy Association.
Denis Walker | |
|---|---|
 Walker in 1989 | |
| Minister of Education | |
| In office 1977–1978 | |
| Prime Minister | Ian Smith |
| Preceded by | A. P. Smith |
| Succeeded by | Rowan Cronjé and Godfrey Magaramombe |
| Member of Parliament for Bulawayo North | |
| In office 30 July 1974 – c. 1981 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wilfrid Denis Walker 29 December 1933 |
| Died | 8 January 2024 (aged 90) |
| Political party | Rhodesian Front |
| Spouse | Jill Walker |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
editHaving grown up in Tooting and Chingford, London, Walker was called up for national service in the Royal Fusiliers in 1952. Although he was to be posted to fight in the Korean War, this was cancelled before he departed. He was discharged in 1954.[1] Walker went on to become a Methodist missionary in southern Africa, including time in the townships of Johannesburg.[1] He left the mission service and later settled in Bulawayo, Rhodesia, acquiring Rhodesian citizenship after the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965.[2]
Political career in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe
edit
In the Rhodesia general election of 1974, he gained the seat of Bulawayo North as a Rhodesian Front candidate, polling 93.4% of the vote among the electorate. He was re-elected in the 1977 and 1979 elections. Walker served as Minister of Education from 1977 in Ian Smith's government and also held office under Abel Muzorewa.[3] In January 1979, he was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs,[4] serving alongside Kayisa Ndiweni until the Government of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia was established in June 1979, after which he held office as a Deputy Minister.[5]
Following the end of white minority rule and the creation of Zimbabwe, he remained as an MP, but came under pressure from the new government of Robert Mugabe. He was to have been arrested (on suspicion of attempting to overthrow the government) on 10 December 1981, together with the MP for Bulawayo South, but had already left the country.[6] When he returned in January 1982, he briefly re-attended Parliament before learning that the Mugabe government had stationed police around the building to arrest him on sight, Walker fled the country and returned to Britain.[7][8]
Return to Britain
edit
On 10 February 1982, Walker delivered a letter to Margaret Thatcher at 10 Downing Street highlighting the political situation in Zimbabwe.[9] On 29 September 1986, Walker was the guest-of-honour at a Conservative Monday Club Foreign Affairs Committee Dinner at Bailey's Hotel, Gloucester Road, South Kensington, chaired by Richard Stallabrass, who had previously served in Rhodesia. He subsequently joined the Club and joined the Executive Council as membership secretary in 1990. He also chaired the International Monarchist League.[10]
Other activities
editWalker was a trustee of the Zimbabwe-Rhodesia Relief Fund, a charity that describes itself as assisting "Zimbabwe Rhodesians throughout the world".[11] Walker was introduced as an Ordinary Member onto the Grand Council of the International Monarchist League on 14 March 1990 by Gregory Lauder-Frost (seconded by Lord Sudeley).[10] He administered the International Monarchist League, the Monday Club, and other business activities from an office at Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, and resided in the town until his death in January 2024.[12]
Walker was married to Jill Walker (who was born in Rhodesia) and had one son, Trevor Wilfrid.[13] Denis Walker died on 8 January 2024, at the age of 90.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "Walker, Denis". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Walker, Denis; Tyrie, Nigel (September 2004). "Walker, Denis (Oral history)". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ "NEW RHODESIAN CABINET IS COMPLETED BY SMITH". The New York Times. 13 April 1978. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ "Walker's Appointment to Internal Affairs Welcomed". The Herald. 10 January 1979. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ Smith, Ian (2008). Bitter Harvest: Zimbabwe and the Aftermath of its Independence. King's Road Publishing. p. 332. ISBN 9781843582380.
- ^ "Politician acquitted on plot charge". UPI. 14 October 1982. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Nelson, Harold (1983). Zimbabwe, a country study. Department of the Army. p. 243. ISBN 978-0160015984.
- ^ AF Press Clips. Department of State. 1982. p. 2.
- ^ "MT letter to Zimbabwe MP Denis Walker (dual citizenship and exchange controls". Margaret Thatcher Foundation. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ a b The Monarchist League Newsletter, Spring, 1990, p.4
- ^ "Charity overview, the Zimbabwe Rhodesia Relief Fund". Register of Charities – The Charity Commission. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ a b "'He was a great man'- Andrew Rosindell MP pays tribute to former Romford Deputy President". Havering Daily. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Ashcroft, Lord (1 November 2018). "If the Germans can come to the Cenotaph, why not the Rhodesians?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 December 2020.