Rosalie Huzzard

Rosalie was an inspirational WILPF woman. Her energy, optimism and dedication made a real difference to the causes of socialism, pacifism and feminism that she espoused. Rosalie was an activist in the Labour and peace movements, the Quakers and in WILPF.

Rosalie lived all her married life in Petts Wood and became central to the work of the Orpington WILPF Branch where meetings were held in her house and annual garden parties in her beautifully designed garden. Later the Branch met at the Petts Wood Friends Meeting House through Rosalie’s good offices.

Rosalie and her husband Ron were very active in the local Labour Party. Ron was a Bromley Borough Councillor and stood unsuccessfully for Parliament. and Rosalie worked in the office of Ken Livingstone at County Hall.

Before UK WILPF had a London office, and in the very early years of digitalisation, Rosalie was asked to take on the role of Section Secretary. She dedicated a room in her house to the Secretary’s work and the Orpington Branch periodically gathered in her living room to prepare for the well-organised national mailings.

After Ron died in 1998 the Branch helped to raise funds so that Rosalie could travel to Costa Rica to support the WILPF UK delegation to the Triennial Congress in 1999. In 2002 Rosalie became President of WILPF UK. It was a great loss to Orpington when in 2003 Rosalie decided to move to Sheffield to be near to her daughter Val.

Although in her late 70s when she arrived in Sheffield, Rosalie built a totally new WILPF Branch, and a lovely new garden. She was able to recruit Quaker and Labour Party friends and contacts to build up a good membership. The Sheffield WILPF Branch met regularly in the Friends Meeting House, held summer garden parties, and took part in local activities including the Annual Sheffield Peace and Craft Fair.

Sight loss was a developing challenge for Rosalie in her later years, but she enthusiastically embraced new technologies and retained her interest in working for a fairer world to the very end. Many in WILPF and across the peace and socialist movements feel the loss of an activist comrade we were lucky to have called our friend.