Grave Enoch Powell

Just in front of the Commonwealth War Graves Plot for the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in Warwick Cemetery sits the single headstone for Enoch Powell and wife

"In Loving memory of
John Enoch Powell
P.C., M.B.E.
1912-1998
Fellow of Trinity College Cambridge
Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Member of Parliament
and his every loving wife
Margaret Pamela
Powell
1926-2017."

Enoch Powell was served as a Member of Parliament from 1950-1974 (Conservative) and from 1974-1987 (Ulster Unionist) and is probably most famous for his controversial "Rivers of Blood" speech about immigration on 20th April 1968.
Shortly before the outbreak of World War 2, Powell, who had been outspoken against Britain's policy of appeasement and Oswald Moseley's view of Nazi Germany, visited Germany. He managed to arrange a visa from the British consul to enable German-Jewish classical scholar Paul Mass to escape. At the outbreak of war he returned to Britain and in October 1939 enlisted in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment as a private. Having been classically educated, (he was the youngest professor, at 24)he drew attention to himself when he answered a Brigadiers question with a Greek proverb which resulted in him being commissioned as an officer and the start of his rise through the ranks. He was attached to the 9th Armoured Brigade and later the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in an Intelligence Royal. He served in North Africa, where he helped plan the 2nd Battle of Alamein and was awarded the MBE for his service.
He later served as secretary to the Joint Intelligence Committee for India under Lord Mountbatten. By the end of the war he had been promoted to Brigadier and was one of only 2 to be promoted from Private to Brigadier during the Second World War. Whilst he never saw combat he did feel guilty that he had survived.

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