Oldest former MP Sir Patrick Duffy dies age 105

Sir Patrick Duffy, the oldest former Member of Parliament, has died aged 105 after a short illness.

The miner’s son from Doncaster first stood for parliament in 1950 and held the Labor seat of Sheffield Attercliffe between 1970 and his retirement in 1992.

Sir Patrick died at Doncaster Royal Infirmary on January 2 and a family friend said his kindness and sense of humor would be missed by everyone who knew him “of all age groups”.

Kevin Meagher, who helped him write his second book, called it “a living historical jukebox” and added: “Patrick’s life was one well lived, filled with achievements, the admiration of his colleagues, and the love and affection of his many family and friends.”

Sir Patrick was born in Wigan in 1920 before his family moved to Doncaster to work in the South Yorkshire coalfield, where his father James was a miner.

He told friends that some of his earliest memories were of the mining strikes of 1926 and said he had been a “political animal” from the age of five, according to the Guardian.

Sir Patrick went on to serve in the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War and survived a horrific crash at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands – even reciting his last rites twice at the age of 23 – but went back to flying.

The accident also caused serious facial injuries that required him to undergo experimental plastic surgery.

After the war, Sir Patrick studied at the London School of Economics, then earned a doctorate at Columbia University in New York and became a lecturer in economics at the University of Leeds.

He first stood for Parliament in Tiverton, Devon, in 1950, and then successfully contested Colne Valley, West Yorkshire, in a by-election in 1963.

He served as defense minister in James Callaghan’s Labor government in the late 1970s and as president of the NATO Assembly in the 1980s; As the Cold War ended, Pope Paul II. He worked with many heads of state, including John Paul.

Later in life, Sir Patrick held various academic positions and remained a respected figure in the field of naval warfare.

A committed Catholic, he received a papal knighthood in 2017 and was ordained by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991. He was awarded the title of knighthood by Elizabeth.

After retiring from Parliament, he participated in many pilgrimages, including the famous Camino de Santiago, a 35-day walk of 25 kilometers each day, which he completed every year for six years.

Mr Meagher also said: “You know, he could remember Oswald Mosley speaking at Wigan in 1930 and he could remember almost everything about the events from then on, really – he had incredible mental acuity even at such an old age.”

Sir Patrick published his second book, From Wigan to Westminster: Hot Wars, Cold Wars and Carrier Strike Groups, at the age of 103, making it the second oldest book in the world.

Paying tribute, Doncaster Central MP Sally Jameson said: “I am so sorry to hear of the death of Sir Patrick Duffy.

“He was loved at Doncaster and will be greatly missed. My condolences go out to all his family and friends.”

Mr Meagher added: “We will miss him very much. God rest his soul.”

Sir Patrick lived with his three beloved dogs in Doncaster, near the colliery where his father worked, and is survived by his sister Patricia.