Airey Neave

Airey Neave (23 January 1916 – 30 March 1979) was a British politician who was murdered by Irish Terrorists.

In World War II he served in the British Army and escaped from Colditz Castle. After the war he became a Conservative Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons.

Neave was Margaret Thatcher's campaign manager when she successfully stood for the position of leader of the Conservative Party. He then became Shadow Northern Ireland secretary where he was considered a hard liner against Irish terrorists of both sides.

A few weeks before the Conservatives won the 1979 General Election (an event which would have seen Neave joining the Cabinet), he was murdered by a Terrorist organisation called the Irish National Liberation Army in a car-bomb attack at the House of Commons.

Margaret Thatcher said of Neave: "He was one of freedom's warriors. No one knew of the great man he was, how great a man he was, except those nearest to him. He was staunch, brave, true, strong; but he was very gentle and kind and loyal. It's a rare combination of qualities. There's no one else who can quite fill them. I, and so many other people, owe so much to him and now we must carry on for the things he fought for and not let the people who got him triumph."