Political Influence
After the death during World War II of her brother Ronald Cartland, a Conservative Member of Parliament, she published a biography of him with a preface by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill. The war marked the beginning of a lifelong interest in civic welfare and politics for Barbara Cartland, who served the War Office in various charitable capacities as well as the St. John Ambulance Brigade; in 1953 she was invested at Buckingham Palace as a Commander of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem for her services.
In 1955 Barbara Cartland was elected a councillor on Hertfordshire County Council as a Conservative and served for nine years. During this time she campaigned successfully for nursing home reform, improvement in the salaries of midwives, and the legalization of education for the children of Gypsies. She also founded the National Association of Health, promoting a variety of medications and remedies, including an anti-aging cream and a so-called "brain pill" for increasing mental energy.
Read more about this topic: Barbara Cartland
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