Doreen Weatherhead was a formidable woman – who was proud of her Bajan heritage. She is a former Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Councillor who served her Pembridge Ward for 47 years. She was also my godmother.
My mother – Dorothy Burton (nee Boyce) – and Doreen met while taking their entrance exams for Queen’s College in 1941. They became life-long best friends and wrote and spoke to each other weekly. At school they were known as Do and Dor.
When we moved from Trinidad in 1970 and my father went to work for Shell in Nigeria – my sister, Susan and I went to boarding school in the UK. Doreen became our guardian. In fact Doreen was the go-to Bajan in London to many Bajans coming to the UK either to school or university or to train or for medical reasons.
My sister and I used to spend exeat weekends at Aunty Doreen’s flat at Clanricarde Gardens in Kensington – and if it happened to be election time, payback was we were out with a tick sheet leafleteering and electioneering.
Doreen’s spare room at Clanricarde Gardens in Kensington was used regularly by Bajan visitors to London and her hallway wardrobe held a rotating collection of coats left behind by grateful visitors.
Doreen’s parents were Major Cyril Weatherhead and Mrs. Inez Weatherhead who lived in Pine Gardens, St. Michael, Barbados. She had a younger brother Harold.
Doreen’s primary education in Barbados was at St. Ursula’s School (The Ursuline Convent) and then from age 11 her secondary school was Queen’s College.
Before and after World War II her father worked for SP Musson & Son. During the War her father was the Adjutant for the Barbados Regiment and during that time the family lived in the Garrison. After the war they returned to their own house Madron in Pine Gardens (the first three letters of Doreen and her brother Harold’s middle names!)
The War came to Barbados on Friday 11th September 1942 when German U-Boat 514 torpedoed the CNS Cornwallis moored in Carlisle Bay opposite the Royal Barbados Yacht Club.
That event might have been thwarted had the report that Doreen called in, was believed. She had seen U-514 surface a few hours earlier outside of the reef at Maxwell where she was staying with her Godparents Uncle B (Bertram deVere Grogan) and Aunty Doris (Doris Grogan). Her godfather’s father, was the Christ Church Parochial Treasurer and they lived at Hythe on the Maxwell Coast.
Doreen said while playing in the sea near Hythe on Friday 11th September 1942, there was a big swell and when she looked up there was German U-Boat 514 which had surfaced outside of the reef. She tells the story of how she clearly saw an officer in the conning tower, two sailors running across the deck and the markings on the conning tower.
Without rushing, in case it aroused the suspicions of the German sailors, Doreen got out of the sea. Once out of sight she rushed back to Hythe where Doreen immediately phoned her father at the Garrison.
Doreen’s story was not believed at the time because she was only ten years old, and nothing had been reported by the coastal lookout units along the coast to corroborate her story.
Doreen’s encounter with U-Boat 514 is described in Pat Callender’s book “Flight Paths & Missing Connections @ Barbados. A Memoir”. That was a story I had recounted to me many times over the years. The one thing Doreen was never able to understand was how nobody in Oistins or down the Maxwell Coast had not also seen the German U-Boat 514 when it surfaced!
Doreen’s mother Inez Weatherhead used to make the most magnificent Guava Cheese and Shaddock Rind which was sold in Bridgetown in the Women’s Self Help Store in little grease proof paper packages tied with fine string.
A pack of Mrs. Weatherhead’s Guava Cheese was sent annually to Queen Elizabeth ll.
The Queen had been introduced to Mrs. Weatherhead’s Guava Cheese after a dinner party held by the Governor General of Barbados Sir Arleigh Winston Scott for the Queen and Prince Philip during her Silver Jubilee tour of Barbados on 31st October 1977.
The Queen so enjoyed the Guava Cheese that the Governor General’s wife, Lady Rosita May Scott (née Hynam), gave the Queen two packets to take home – which was the start of a tradition. While Doreen’s mother was alive – Doreen used to deliver annually a package of Guava Cheese to the Royal Household at Buckingham Palace.
In 1950 Doreen came to Britain to train as a radiographer at St George’s Hospital qualifying as a State Registered Radiographer. In those days George’s was at Hyde Park Corner, where the Lanesborough Hotel is now located.
Doreen arrived in England in March 1950 by boat with a trunk and her bicycle. While training to be radiographer she lived in St. George’s accommodation at Lancaster Gate and used to cycle to George’s at Hyde Park Corner through the Park.
My mother went to McGill University. She so disliked her Home Economics course that in 1951 Dor joined Do in London at George’s where, she too trained as a Radiographer!
In 1951 Doreen joined the Young Conservatives as a way to meeting young people and held a number of active roles such as Branch Secretary and Chairman to Divisional Treasurer an Vice-Chairman.
In 1953 at Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation Do and Dor, between shifts, watched the procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace from the roof of St. George’s Hospital. The Royal procession following the Coronation of the Queen went from Westminster Abbey and proceeded along a five-mile route, passing through Whitehall, Pall Mall, St James’s Street, Piccadilly to Marble Arch along Oxford Street, Regent Street passing Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, along Haymarket through Admiralty Arch and then back to Buckingham Palace. St. George’s was perfectly positioned to see the procession as it came down Piccadilly and then headed up Park Lane to Marble Arch.
A lasting impression which both Do and Dor witnessed from the roof of St. George’s was seeing the towering monarch of Tonga, Queen Sālote Tupou III, who out of respect for the new Queen, rode in an open carriage in the pouring rain on her journey from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace. That too was a story that I had recounted to me many times over the years.
In the 1950s Doreen and my mother lived in South Paddington. From 1958 Doreen lived in Kensington initially at Lancaster Gate and then in a flat in Clanricharde Gardens. That was the place I and many Bajans associate with Doreen. There was the grand stairs up from the entrance with her bathroom and kitchen on the mezzanine floor with her flat on the first floor level with two bedrooms, and a lounge and a balcony above the entrance.
Doreen’s first foray into local politics was in 1962 when she stood unsuccessfully in St. Charles Ward to be a councillor.
Two years later in 1964 Doreen was elected to Kensington & Chelsea Borough Council for Pembridge Ward. A position she held until 1971. Between 1971 – 1974 Doreen was co-opted to the Health Committee. Doreen was then re-elected in 1974 and served the Pembridge Ward until May 2014 when she retired.
In 1979 – 1980 Doreen served as Deputy Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea serving Mayor Christopher Walford who was in 1994 elected as the Lord Mayor of London.
While Doreen was Deputy Mayor I was a student studying in London. During that time I would often get a call – “Peter, I need an escort tonight“. The RBK&C Mayor’s Rolls Royce would pick me up, a block or so from my Hall of Residence, and then return me home after the event having dropped Aunty Doreen back home.
In 1994 – 1995 in the same year that Sir Christopher Walford was Lord Mayor of London, Doreen was elected as Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. Her Deputy was Edward Hess who would himself be Mayor in 1997.
Doreen became the first non-English Major of the the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. Her mother Inez Weatherhead travelled to England to witness the event.
In an interview in October 1994 Doreen told Sunday Life journalist Sonji Philips: “I came to England to study and I was determined to finish. When I had finished I had made so many friends and I loved the hospital that I stayed there for five years. Then I came home for a vacation and I missed England so much I had to go back“.
In that same interview Doreen went on to say she became involved in politics in her adopted home of London because she saw it as a way of meeting young people especially West Indians.
Cllr. Richard Walker-Arnott who proposed Barbadian Doreen to be Mayor said of her: “In all her committee work she has been tireless in serving the interest of the Borough’s residents – the service has given to the residents of her ward was acknowledged when they retuned her to this Council Chamber with an increased share of the vote. Doreen is woman of strong conviction who rarely shrinks from expressing her views in forthright language and as new Mayor will fair and firm in her dealings“.
Cllr. Ernest Thomblin who seconded her nomination for Mayor said “her [Doreen’s] long service in public life is known throughout the Royal Borough. Her involvement with the Health Authorities, the Family Service Unit and the Police Liaison Groups has introduces her to the diverse character of Kensington & Chelsea. It is her remarkable ability to mix with all social and ethnic groups that will make her an ideal candidate for Mayor of this most prestigious Royal Borough“.
Over the years Doreen served on numerous committees and held many leadership roles within the council, including:
- Chair of the Libraries Committee (1970–1971)
- Chair of the Libraries and General Services Committee (1978–1980)
- Chair of the Works Committee (1984–1986)
- Chair of the Highways and Traffic Committee (1991–1993)
- Chair of the Regulation and Enforcement Review Committee (2001–2014)
Doreen’s work covered areas that shaped everyday life in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea — from libraries and public services to roads, regulation and community services. In recognition of this in July 2015 Doreen was made an Honorary Alderman of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.
Doreen Weatherhead’s service to the the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea lasted 47 years, from 1964 until 2014, making her one of the borough’s longest-serving councillors.
Beyond her council responsibilities, Doreen contributed significantly to external organisations. As a West Indian she was proud to serve as a trustee of the Pepper Pot Day Centre which is a charity based in Ladbroke Grove, West London, that supports elderly people from the African, Caribbean, and Black & Minority Ethnic communities.
Doreen’s dedication reflected a deep commitment to local democracy and community life. Over decades of change in Kensington & Chelsea, she remained a constant presence in civic life.
Doreen Weatherhead’s life represents several remarkable achievements:
- A Barbadian immigrant who built a life of public service in Britain.
- A pioneering Caribbean woman in local government in the UK.
- Nearly half a century of civic leadership.
- Service as both Deputy Mayor and as Mayor of a major London Borough.
Doreen’s career embodies public service, perseverance, and community dedication. For nearly half a century she gave her time, her energy and her heart to the people she served within the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. The Royal Borough was her UK family.
Tributes to the Former Mayor and Councillor, Honorary Alderman Miss. Doreen Weatherhead were made at the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Full Council Meeting on Wednesday 25th February 2026.
Tributes were made by the Mayor Cllr. Tom Bennett, Cllr. Joanna Gardner (who took over from Doreen as councillor for Pembridge Ward in 2014), Cllr. Linda Wade, Cllr. David Lindsay, Cllr. Mary Weale and Cllr. Dori Schmetterling.
Click on this link to see the live feed – note the full RBK&C meeting went on for over 3 hours. The Tributes to Doreen start at: 3 minutes and 28 seconds (208 seconds) and finish at: 16 minutes and 7 seconds (967 seconds).
Remembering Doreen Madolin Weatherhead
Doreen’s funeral and memorial service was held at St Mary Abbotts in Kensington on Tuesday 21st April 2026 at 2pm. It was led by Mthr. Emma Dinwiddy Smith, Vicar of the Parish.
In attendance at the funeral service was by the current Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, Cllr. Tom Bennett and the Mayoress Beatrice Bennett.
The Barbados High Commissioner HE Edmund Hinkson was unable to attend and was represented by Ms. Betty Lewis, Diaspora Attaché.
In addition to friends and family, current Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea officials, there were at least 12 past Mayors in attendance.
Following the service there were refreshments in the Mayor’s Parlour at the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.
At Doreen’s funeral eulogies and tributes were given by:
- Peter Burton – her Godson focusing on her life in Barbados.
- Lord Moylan for the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. Daniel Moylan worked with Doreen as a councillor at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea from 1986 until he stood down in 2018.
- Julie Mills representing Howard Jeffrey, the Chairman of the Pepperpot Club which was setup by his mother, the late Pansy Jeffrey in 1981. Doreen served on the board of trustees of the Pepper Pot Centre for nearly 16 years. Beyond her role as a long-serving councillor of 47 years and former Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea, Doreen contributed significantly to the centre as part of her community service.
Howard Jeffery was unable to attend in person as he and the Pepperpot Club staff and club members were travelling to Tenerife on 21st April 2026. - At the reception held in the Mayor’s Parlour after the funeral, past Mayor for the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (2005-2006) Warwick Lightfoot made a toast to the life of Doreen with Bajan Rum Punch shots. He thanked the Mayor for the use of the parlour, thanked everyone that was able to attend this celebration of the life of Doreen Weatherhead and reminisced about his time as a councillor working with Doreen.
Eulogy by Peter Burton
Thank you for coming to this celebration of the life of Doreen Weatherhead and for braving the London Tube Stike which started at noon today.
Today we remember a remarkable and formidable Bajan woman who was my Godmother. She served the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea for 47 years as councillor for Pembridge Ward and was Deputy Mayor in 1979 and Mayor in 1994.
Doreen and my mother first met as girls, sitting the entrance exams for Queen’s College in Barbados. Doreen was born on 5th November 1931. My mother was born on 6th November 1931. From that day on, they were inseparable “Do and Dor” – lifelong friends.
In 1950, Doreen came to Britain to train as a radiographer at St George’s Hospital. She arrived by boat with a trunk and a bicycle. As a student, she cycled daily through Hyde Park to St George’s Hospital.
A year later in 1951, my mother Dor – having decided McGill University in Canada was not for her – joined Do in London at St. George’s where she too trained as a Radiographer!
Doreen grew up in Pine Hill, St Michael, Barbados, the daughter of Cyril and Inez Weatherhead.
During World War II, Doreen’s father, Captain Weatherhead, served as Adjutant of the Barbados Regiment, and the family lived in quarters at the Garrison Barracks.
The War came to Barbados on Friday 11th September 1942 when German U-Boat 514 torpedoed the Canadian Steamer Cornwallis moored in Carlisle Bay at about 4.30pm in the afternoon.
A few hours prior to that attack Doreen had seen U-Boat 514 surface outside of the reef at Maxwell where she was staying with her Godparents. Doreen says she clearly saw an officer in the conning tower, two sailors running across the deck and the markings on the conning tower.
That event might have been thwarted, and, maybe, changed history, had the story that Doreen called in, been believed. It was rejected as Doreen was just 10 years old and nothing had been reported by the coastal look-out units to corroborate her story.
Doreen’s mother Inez Weatherhead was renowned for her guava cheese and shaddock rind which was sold in Bridgetown at the Women’s Self Help Store.
In 1977, during Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee visit to Barbados, Mrs. Weatherhead’s Guava Cheese was served at a dinner party held by Governor General, Sir Winston Scott.
The Queen so enjoyed the Guava Cheese that the Governor General’s wife, gave the Queen two packets of Mrs. Weather’s guava cheese to take home.
That was the start of a tradition. While Doreen’s mother was alive – each year Doreen personally deliver a package of Mrs. Weather’s Guava Cheese to the Royal Household at Buckinghan Palce.In 1958, Doreen moved to Clanricarde Gardens – her home for decades, and the place I will always associate with her.
In the 1970s, when my father worked in Nigeria, Doreen was guardian to my sister Susan and me. We would spend exeat weekends at her flat. And, if it happened to be election time, we earned our keep delivering election fliers.
Doreen was the go-to person for Bajans coming to England to either study or for medical treatment. Her spare room at Clanricarde Gardens was rarely empty, and her hallway wardrobe held a rotating collection of coats left behind by grateful visitors.
While Doreen was Deputy Mayor in 1979, I was a student studying in London. During that time I would often get a call: “Peter, I need an escort on such and such a night”. The official Rolls would pick me up a block or so from my Hall of Residence and then return me home after the event, having dropped Aunty Doreen back home.
Beyond these memories, what truly defined Doreen was her deep commitment to community, her sense of duty, and her belief in public service.
She gave her time, her energy, and her heart to the people she served.
Doreen was also deeply proud of her Barbadian heritage. She could make a mean rum punch. 1 of sour, 2 of sweet, 3 of strong, 4 of weak!
Today, we give thanks for a life lived with purpose, dignity, and dedication.
Rest in Peace, Aunty Doreen.
Eulogy by Lord Moylan
Daniel Moylan spoke from the heart with no notes so this is a precise of his eulogy.
He started by stating that Doreen was a formidable and terrifying person for young councillors.
He referred to first meeting her with the equally formidable Elizabeth Russell. He went on to detail how Doreen taught him and other young councillors the practicalities of being a councillor.
Once he got to know Doreen better he discovered she had a heart of gold.
One of Doreen’s early roles was to chair the Libraries committee, where she got the nickname Madame Bibliothèque.
He mentioned like Peter, how when she was Mayor she would engage him as her escort for the evening.
And to close he mentioned that he like Doreen was a heavy smoker. During that time it was allowable to smoke within the council chamber. The Borough was only able to ban smoking within the chamber following an Act of Parliament!
Daniel ended by recalling Doreen as a young woman set out to a new home in England on a great adventure and said that she was now embarking on a new adventure and heading to a new home.
Eulogy by Howard Jeffrey of The Pepperpot Club delivered in his absence by Julie Mills
This will be added soon…
Tribute and Toast to Doreen by Warwick Lightfoot
This will be added soon…
Doreen’s ashes are to be taken back to Barbados. It is hoped that they can be buried with her parents Major Cyril Weatherhead, Mrs Inez Weatherhead and her brother Harold in the Barbados Military cemetery.
