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| ==Political career in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe== | ==Political career in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe== | ||
| In the ], he gained the seat of Bulawayo North as a ] candidate, polling 93.4% of the vote among the electorate. He was re-elected in the 1977 and 1979 elections. Walker served as Minister for Education from 1977 in ]'s government.{{cn}} | In the ], he gained the seat of Bulawayo North as a ] candidate, polling 93.4% of the vote among the electorate. He was re-elected in the 1977 and 1979 elections. Walker served as Minister for Education from 1977 in ]'s government.{{cn|date=January 2024}} | ||
| ] 'El Salvador' Dinner, London, 25 September 1989. L to R: Denis Walker, ], José Manuel Pacas Castro (El Salvador's Foreign Minister), Andrew Smith (yellow tie), Dr ]]] | ] 'El Salvador' Dinner, London, 25 September 1989. L to R: Denis Walker, ], José Manuel Pacas Castro (El Salvador's Foreign Minister), Andrew Smith (yellow tie), Dr ]]] | ||
Revision as of 02:09, 13 January 2024
Former Rhodesian politician For the Australian activist, see Denis Walker (activist). For those of a similar name, see Dennis Walker (disambiguation).
| Denis Walker | |
|---|---|
 Walker in 1989 | |
| Minister of Education | |
| In office 1977 (1977)–1978 (1978) | |
| Prime Minister | Ian Smith |
| Preceded by | Arthur Smith |
| Succeeded by | Rowan Cronjé and Godfrey Magaramombe |
| Member of Parliament for Bulawayo North | |
| In office 30 July 1974 (30 July 1974) – c. 1981 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wilfrid Denis Walker (1933-12-29)29 December 1933 |
| Died | 8 January 2024(2024-01-08) (aged 90) |
| Political party | Rhodesian Front |
| Spouse | Jill Walker |
| Children | 1 |
Wilfrid Denis Walker (29 December 1933 – 8 January 2024) was a Rhodesian cabinet minister resident in 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.
Early life
Having 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. Walker went on to become a Methodist missionary in southern Africa, including time in the townships of Johannesburg. He left the mission service and later settled in Bulawayo, Rhodesia, acquiring Rhodesian citizenship after the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965.
Political career in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe
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 for Education from 1977 in Ian Smith's government.
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. 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.
Return to Britain
On 10 February 1982, Walker delivered a letter to Margaret Thatcher at 10 Downing Street highlighting the political situation in Zimbabwe.
Monday Club
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 in 1990 joined the Executive Council as membership secretary.
Other activities
An anti-communist, Walker was a guest on 25 September 1989 at the Western Goals Institute Dinner at Simpsons-in-the-Strand, London, in honour of the President of El Salvador, Alfredo Cristiani, and his inner cabinet.
Walker was a member of the South Africa-oriented Good Hope Christian Group and the Rhodesia Christian Group, organisations which assist expatriates in need from those countries. The Rhodesia Christian Group was originally a pressure group supporting the Rhodesian government.
Walker was a trustee of the Zimbabwe-Rhodesia Relief Fund, a charity that describes itself as assisting "Zimbabwe Rhodesians throughout the world".
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).
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.
Walker was married to Jill Walker (who was born in Rhodesia) and had one son, Trevor Wilfrid. Walker died on 8 January 2024.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byArthur Smith | Minister of Education 1977–78 |
Succeeded byRowan Cronjé and Godfrey Magaramombe |
| Preceded byRollo Hayman | Co-Minister of Internal Affairs, Local Government and Housing, and Works With Chief Kayisa Ndiweni 1979 |
Succeeded byHerbert Zimuto (Home Affairs) Walter Mthimkhulu (Local Government and Housing) Chief Kayisa Ndiweni (Works) |
| Preceded byPost not created | Deputy Minister of Mines and Works 1979 |
Succeeded byPost abolished |
References
- ^ "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.
- "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.
- "Britan Lifts Sanctions Against Arthur Lewis". The Living Church. 179: 10. 6 August 1979.
- ^ "'He was a great man'- Andrew Rosindell MP pays tribute to former Romford Deputy President". Havering Daily. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- "Charity overview, the Zimbabwe Rhodesia Relief Fund". Register of Charities - The Charity Commission. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- The Monarchist League Newsletter, Spring, 1990, p.4
- 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.
- Fax Network International booklet, London, 1989, company number 2248589.
- Western Goals Institute archives.
- Rhodesia Herald
- Companies House UK http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/
- Rhodesia Christian Group Newsletter.
| Members of the 1st Parliament of Zimbabwe (1980–1985) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister: Robert Mugabe (ZANU–PF); Leader of the Opposition: Ian Smith (RF) | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
- 1933 births
- 2024 deaths
- British Methodist missionaries
- British monarchists
- Rhodesian anti-communists
- Rhodesian Methodists
- Rhodesian politicians
- Zimbabwean exiles
- Zimbabwean Methodists
- Zimbabwean politicians
- Methodist missionaries in Zimbabwe
- British emigrants to Rhodesia
- Rhodesian Front politicians
- Members of the Parliament of Rhodesia
- Members of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe