Barbara Cartland

Barbara Cartland was born on July 9, 1901 in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England as Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland.

Her daughter, Raine Spencer (9/9/1929-21/10/2016), was Princess Diana's stepmother. She was an elected member of the London County Council and later of the Greater London council.

In 1931, she and two Royal Air Force Officers devised and created the first airplane-towed glider airmail. In 1984, she received the Bishop Wright Air industry Award at Kennedy Airport in Queens, New York for her contribution to the development of aviation.

During the Second World War from 1939 to 1945, she was Chief Lady Welfare Officer in Bedfordshire looking after 20,000 service men and women. She had the idea of gathering as many wedding dresses as she could for hire, so that service brides would have a white dress to wear on their wedding day. She bought 1,000 second hand gowns without coupons for the A.T.S., the W.A.A.F.S. and the W.R.E.N.S. In 1945, she received the Certificate of Merit from Eastern Command.

In the early 1960's, she campaigned for the rights of gypsies' to have a permanent place to live which resulted in an act of Parliament. One of the first gypsy camps was opened by her in 1964 and called Barbaraville and there are now 14 in Hertfordshire. This has meant thousands of gypsies and their families have a place to call home and their children can be educated in their local area.

In 1964, she founded the National Association for Health in the United Kingdom, of which she was President, as a front for all the Health Stores and for any product made as alternative medicine. This health industry now enjoys a huge turnover each year, with one third going in export.

In 1978, she sang an Album of Love Songs with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

In January 1988, she was awarded "La Medaille De Vermeil De La Ville De Paris", (The Gold Medal of Paris). This is the highest award to be given by the City of Paris for the achievement of 25 million books sold in France.

She was a writer, known for Duel of Hearts (1991), A Hazard of Hearts (1987) and The Lady and the Highwayman (1988). She was married to Hugh Rowley McCorquodale and Alexander George McCorquodale.