Candidates

Mr Thomas B H Chappell, the Labour candidate in the Torrington Division, is 50 and was born near High Wycombe. In the first world war he put on his age to enlist and was wounded on the Somme at the age of 15. Later he became a sergeant in the Coldstream Guards and completed seven years’ regular service. In 1926 he joined Exeter City Police and served until 1939 when he resigned on winning £13,000 in a football pool. He has since been a license at North Tawton and Hatherleigh and in 1948 returned to Exeter. From 1946 until last year he was chairman of the South Molton Division Labour Party. Mr and Mrs Chappell have brought up a family of thirteen, of whom four boys and three girls served in the last war. Their third son was killed on the Glorious in 1940.

The Hon G Lambert, the National Liberal-Conservative candidate, is the elder son of Viscount Lambert, and lives in the family home, Spreyton, Devon.
Viscount Lambert first entered Parliament as Liberal member for South Molton in 1891 and except for a break of four years represented the Division continuously until 1945.
The Hon G Lambert, who is 39, was educated at Harrow and New College, Oxford. He joined the Territorials (RA) in 1938. During the war he served as a regimental officer and on the staff in AA command and in 1942 was promoted Lieut-Col in command of an Ack-Ack OCTU. Appointed a War Office liaison officer in 1944, he visited Central Mediterranean, PAI Force, India and South East Asia Command.
Mrs Lambert was formerly Miss Patricia Quinn of London. They have a son and a daughter.

Mrs Elizabeth Rashleigh, the Liberal candidate for the Torrington division, is the wife of Dr J C S Rashleigh, of Throwleigh, Devon.
In 1946, Mrs Rashleigh took a leading part in forming the Torrington Division Liberal Association, becoming chairman of the Okehampton Committee. She is a vice-president of the Devon and Cornwall Liberal Federation.
Mrs Rashleigh, who is a Justice of the Peace for Devon, has undertaken much public work.
She is one of the County Voluntary Organisers and a public speaker for the Women’s Institute movement and serves on the County WI Agricultural Sub-Committee.
During the war she helped the Red Cross and was also associated with the National Saving Movement.

 

Gazette article dated 17 February 1950