John Howard Cordle (1912-2004)

[Michael Rhodes]

John Cordle, who died 22 November, 2004, aged 92, was a former
Conservative MP for Bournemouth East and Christchurch.

John Howard Cordle was born 11 October, 1912, the son of Ernest William
Cordle, and was educated at the City of London School.

Career: served in the Royal Air Force during WW2; owned the Church of
England Newspaper, 1960-71; Member: Archbishop of Canterbury and York
Commission on Evangelism, 1945-46; Member of the Church Assembly,
1946-53; Member of the Oxford Churches Patronage Trust from 1947
(Chairman from 1945); Member of the Ecclesiastical Comittee of the
House of Commons, 1975-77; Hon. Treasurer, the World's Evangelical
Alliance, 1949-53; Lay Reader, Rochester, from 1941; Member of Lloyd's,
1952; Freeman of the City of London, 1956; Member, Founders' Livery Co
(Master 1990-91); Member, Consultative Livery Committee, City of
London, 1991-92; Prospective Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for
Wolverhampton NE, 1949; Contested the Wrekin Div. for the Tories in
1951 (unsuccessfully); Conservative MP for Bournemouth East and
Christchurch, Oct 1959-1974; Conservative MP for Bournemouth East,
1974-77; Chairman, West Africa Committee, Conservative Commonwealth
Council, 1962-77; Chairman, Church and Parliament All-Party Group,
1975-77; Secretary, All-Party Anglo-Libyan Group, House of Commons,
1964-67; Member of the UK Delegation to the Council of Europe,
Strasbourg, 1974-77 (Vice-Chairman, Parliamentary and Public Relations
Committee, 1976-77); Member, UK Delegation to the the WEU, Paris,
1974-77; Chairman, Wessex Aid t Addicts Group from 1985; Governor,
Lndon College of Divinity, 1947-52; President, Salisbury District
Speech-impaired Children Trust, from 1988; Life Governor, St Mary and
St Paul's College, Cheltenham; Life Governor, Epsom College; Member of
the Court of the University of Southampton, 1960-77; Gold Staff Officer
at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953; &c.

Mr Cordle received the Grand Band, Order of the Star of Africa
(Liberia), 1964.

His home was Malmesbury House, The Close, Salisbury, Wiltshire.

He was three times married. He had 3 sons and 1 dau from his first
marriage; 1 son and 3 daughters from his 2nd; and 2 sons from his
third.

His daughter, Marina Rose, married in 1987, as his second wife, the 4th
Viscount Cowdray.

The funeral Service is at St Peter's Church, Britford on Friday, 26th
November, 2004.

Source: Daily Telegraph, 24 Nov 2004