"Passionate" Battersea woman Lilian Harrison MBE dies aged 90

Lilian Harrison MBE, formerly of Elsley Road, died of pneumonia in the company of family at St Thomas’s Hospital on Wednesday, March 4.

Born in Canning Town in 1924, she served in the RAF during World War II when she met her husband Herbert Harrison, the son of Frederick and Louise Harrison, a former mayor and mayoress of the old Borough of Battersea.

Lilian and Herbert married in December 1947 and had two children, Edward and Derek.

After her husband’s election as a Labour councillor to the Battersea Borough Council, in the 1960s, Mrs Harrison became active in a wide range of local projects.

She worked with charities and community groups including the friends of St George’s Hospital, Tooting and Balham Carnival committee and was the chairman of Battersea United Charities.

She was a long-term member and trustee of Battersea Arts Centre and in 1993 she was given the mayor of Wandsworth’s civic award.

Edward Harrison, 63, a semi-retired contract manager, said: "She was very passionate about what she did and things had to be right. She struggled the last four to five years with dementia and moved to a nursing home. She was totally committed and very good at organising things. She had that old spirit of the war time generation - keep going. She wasn’t going to give up without a fight."

Derek Harrison, 59, who works in the construction industry, added: "She was lovely. She laid down the law when required. She managed somehow not to ever let anything slip. She was absolutely spot on."

After her husband’s death in 1990 she continued with her charity and community work, until four years ago.

She was made an MBE by the Queen in her New Year’s Honours list in 2008 for services to the community.

Her funeral will take place at North East Surrey Crematorium, Grand Drive Morden, on Monday March 30 at 2pm. Her family have asked people who wish to bring floral tributes to instead donate to Battersea United Charities’ Harrison Wingrove Trust.