Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Remarkable life of ‘loyal’ Margarete
Red Cross stalwart led response to tragedies
The extraordinary life of Margarete Dalgliesh will remain a lasting and fond memory for her family, friends and many others who benefited from her love and support.
They have recalled her wartime exploits, charity work and numerous personal skills following her death at her home near Canterbury, at the age of 92. Dutch-born Margarete grew up in Amsterdam and was a young volunteer in the Dutch Red Cross as a teenager. But later, during the war, she was suspected of passing on intelligence for the Allies, arrested and detained in a labour camp.
On her release at the end of the conflict, she worked as an interpreter for British and American forces in Germany.
It was there she met her future husband, Theo, a veteran of the Normandy campaign who later became laboratory manager at Pfizer. He was made an MBE for voluntary service on the former War Pensions Committee and related welfare work.
The couple hit it off at a camp dance and were married in a make-shift chapel at the barracks, spending the rest of their lives together and raising three children.
Among Margarete’s many skills was a talent for languages. She spoke Dutch, German, French and Norwegian. On their return to England, she became a presenter at the BBC World Service, on the Dutch-speaking Orange Service desk.
The couple moved to east Kent in 1958 when Theo began working at Pfizer.
They bought their home in Upstreet in 1976. Margarete quickly re-established her voluntary work with the Red Cross, becoming co-ordinator in Thanet, and then in Canterbury, where her roles included coordinating the British Red Cross response to the Zeebrugge ferry tragedy of 1987, as well as many other crisis incidents.
The charity awarded her a special commendation to mark her 30 years’ service to the Red Cross.
Her family say she was not only a wonderful homemaker but skilled in crafts and could turn her hand to anything from upholstery to antique furniture repairs.
She also lectured in Dutch language at the University of Kent and even gained a BA in her 60s in socio-linguistics.
They say she died peacefully at home on May 22 after several years of deteriorating health. She leaves her husband, Theo, 95, with whom she would have celebrated 73 years of marriage today (Thursday), son Nigel, daughters Kate and Marika, five grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. Daughter Marika said: “She was beautiful, intelligent, humourous and fearless ,as well as loving, loyal and caring to the end.”
“She will be greatly missed by her family who adored her,” she added.
The family hopes to hold a celebration of Margarete’s life when coronavirus lockdown restrictions are eased.
‘She was beautiful, intelligent, humourous and fearless as well as loving, loyal and caring to the end. She will be greatly missed by her family’