1997 in the United Kingdom

none October 2021 April 2012 1997 Countries of the United Kingdom England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Popular culture 1997 British Grand Prix 1997 English cricket season Football: England Scotland 1997 in British television 1997 in British music 1997 in British radio UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 Events from the year 1997 in the United Kingdom. This year is noted for a landslide general election victory for the Labour Party under Tony Blair; the handover of Hong Kong, the largest remaining British colony, to China, with Hong Kong become an administrative region of China; and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Incumbents Monarch – Elizabeth II Prime Minister John Major (Conservative) (until 2 May) Tony Blair (Labour) (starting 2 May) Events January 6 January – Allegations of a Conservative MP's extramarital affair appear in the News of the World newspaper a week after Conservative Prime Minister John Major put "the family" at the heart of his campaign. Jerry Hayes – married with two children – denies the allegations. 7 January – 2.5 million people take part in a phone-in vote as part of an ITV debate on the British monarchy. A 2-1 majority vote in favour of retaining the institution. 9 January – British yachtsman Tony Bullimore is rescued in the Southern Ocean five days after his boat capsized in freezing waters. 15 January Diana, Princess of Wales, calls for an international ban on landmines.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/15/newsid_2530000/2530603.stm Princess Diana sparks landmines row 10 February 2008 15 January 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307133016/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/15/newsid_2530000/2530603.stm 7 March 2008 live The strengthening economy is reflected in a national unemployment total of 1,884,700 for last December – the lowest level since January 1991. The Conservative government who are mired in allegations of sleaze are still behind Labour in the opinion polls as the general election looms. 16 January The Conservative Party government loses its majority in the House of Commons following the death of Iain Mills, MP for Meriden.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/background/pastelec/majorit.shtml How the Government's Majority Disappeared, BBC 26 September 2007 Chris Evans resigns from BBC Radio 1 after his request for a four-day week is refused. Since joining the station as a breakfast-time DJ in 1995 Evans had boosted audience numbers by 700,000. 17 January A jury at the Old Bailey rules that 86-year-old Szymon Serafinowicz is unfit to stand trial on charges of murdering Jews during The Holocaust. East 17 singer Brian Harvey is dismissed from the band after publicly commenting that the drug Ecstasy is safe. 20 January – Death of Labour Party MP Martin Redmond ends the government's minority. On the same day, the party promises not to raise income tax if, as seems likely, it wins the forthcoming general election.British Election Panel Study, 1992-97 30 January – An underground anti-road protest ends as the last protester, known as "Swampy" (Daniel Hooper), emerges from the network of tunnels beneath the A30 extension site in Devon. February 4 February – Moors Murderer Myra Hindley is informed by Home Secretary Michael Howard that she will never be released from prison. Hindley, who has now been in prison for more than 30 years, was issued with a whole life tariff in 1990 by the then Home Secretary David Waddington but not informed of the ruling until just over two years ago. 6 February – The Court of Appeal rules that Mrs Diane Blood of Leeds can be inseminated with her dead husband's sperm. Mrs Blood has been challenging for the right to use the sperm of her husband Stephen since just after his death two years ago.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/6/newsid_2536000/2536119.stm Widow allowed dead husband's baby 10 February 2008 6 February 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080208190051/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/6/newsid_2536000/2536119.stm 8 February 2008 live 12 February – A 23 year old British soldier is shot dead in Northern Ireland. Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick is shot by a sniper while manning a checkpoint in Bessbrook (County Armagh); he is the last British soldier to be killed by the Provisional IRA. 14 February – The Daily Mail newspaper names and accuses five young men of the murder of Stephen Lawrence on its front page the day after a coroner's inquest finds that the teenager had been unlawfully killed in an unprovoked racist attack by five white youths in April 1993. 15 February – Murder of Billie-Jo Jenkins, a 13 year old girl, in Hastings, East Sussex, who is beaten to death at the family home. Her stepfather Siôn Jenkins is convicted of her murder in 1998 but formally acquitted after a hung jury at a second retrial in 2006. 22 February – Scientists at the Roslin Institute announce the birth of a cloned sheep named Dolly seven months after the fact.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/22/newsid_4245000/4245877.stm Dolly the sheep is cloned 10 February 2008 22 February 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132931/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/22/newsid_4245000/4245877.stm 7 March 2008 live 24 February – At the Brit Awards 1997, Geri Halliwell wears her iconic Union Jack dress.2020-03-19 Ginger Spice on the Story Behind Her Iconic Union Jack Dress https://www.vogue.com/article/ginger-spice-union-jack-dress-story 2021-11-09 Vogue 27 February The government loses its Commons majority again after a Labour victory at the Wirral South by-election. The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997, together with the Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997 of 27 November, prohibit personal ownership of almost all handguns.Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 (c.5) as originally enacted; Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997 (c.64) as originally enacted. March 10 March – 160 vehicles are involved in a motorway pile up on the M42 motorway at Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. Three people are killed and 60 injured. 17 March – John Major announces that the general election will be held on 1 May. Despite the opinion polls having shown a double-digit Labour lead continuously since late 1992, Major is hoping for a unique fifth successive term of Conservative government by pinning his hopes on a strong economy and low unemployment – no incoming government since before the First World War has inherited economic statistics as strong as the ones that Labour will should they win the election. 18 March – The Sun newspaper, a traditional supporter of the Conservative Party, declares its support for Tony Blair and Labour, condemning the Conservatives as "tired, divided and rudderless" – a stark contrast to its support for them in the run-up to the 1992 election where it waged a high-profile campaign against the then Labour leader Neil Kinnock and following the Conservative victory, claimed responsibility for the result. 23 March – Unemployed continues to fall and now stands at just over 1,800,000 – its lowest level since December 1990. 30 March – Channel 5, Britain's fifth terrestrial television channel and its first new one since the launch of Channel 4 in November 1982, is launched. 31 March – BBC preschool children's television series Teletubbies first airs. April April – Nursery Education Voucher Scheme introduced, guaranteeing a government-funded contribution to the cost of preschool education for 4-year-olds.Department for Education and Employment Nursery Education Voucher Scheme: A Guide for Parents 1996 1 1 April – Following the handover of ScotRail to National Express, the final British Rail passenger service, the Caledonian Sleeper to Fort William, reaches its destination, ending the process of privatisation of passenger services brought about by the Railways Act 1993.Donegan Lawrence 1997-04-01 First and final BR man sees off its last train en-GB The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/1997/apr/01/transport.past 2023-04-15 0261-3077 8 April BBC journalist Martin Bell announces that he is to stand as an independent parliamentary candidate against Neil Hamilton in the Tatton constituency on an anti-corruption platform.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/8/newsid_3974000/3974425.stm BBC TV newsman turns politician 10 February 2008 8 April 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132922/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/8/newsid_3974000/3974425.stm 7 March 2008 live A MORI opinion poll shows Conservative support at a four-year high of 34%, but Labour still look set to win next month's general election as they have a 15-point lead.http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/poll.aspx?oItemId=103 https://web.archive.org/web/20120923031349/http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/poll.aspx?oItemId=103 dead 2012-09-23 Voting Intention in Great Britain: 1976-present Ipsos 29 April – The last MORI poll before the election tips Labour for a landslide victory as they gain 48% of the vote and a 20-point lead over the Conservatives.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8280050.stm Poll tracker: Interactive guide to the opinion polls Election 2010 29 September 2009 BBC News May 1 May – General election:https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/2/newsid_2480000/2480505.stm Labour routs Tories in historic election 10 February 2008 2 May 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132847/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/2/newsid_2480000/2480505.stm 7 March 2008 live The Labour Party under Tony Blair defeat the incumbent Conservative government under Prime Minister John Major in a landslide result, winning an all-time record for any party of 418 seats, with a swing of −10.23 points. Several high-profile Conservative MPs, including seven Cabinet ministers lose their seats, as do all Conservative MPs in Scotland and Wales. Michael Portillo, who was tipped by many to be the next leader of the Conservatives, is among those who lose their seats. The Conservatives fail to make any gains. A record 120 women enter parliament, including 101 female Labour MPs. Mohammad Sarwar, elected for Labour in Glasgow Govan, becomes the first ever Muslim MP. 2 May – Labour being the largest party holding a majority following the general election, Conservative John Major resigns and Tony Blair is appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by The Queen. 3 May – Katrina and the Waves win the Eurovision Song Contest (held in Dublin) with the song Love Shine a Light, the first time the UK has won the competition since 1981. 6 May – New Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown announces that the Bank of England, central bank of the UK, is to assume independent responsibility for UK monetary policy.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/6/newsid_3806000/3806313.stm Brown sets Bank of England free 10 February 2008 6 May 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132939/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/6/newsid_3806000/3806313.stm 7 March 2008 live 19 May – The new Labour government announces that it will prohibit tobacco sponsorship of sporting events.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/19/newsid_2511000/2511189.stm Labour to stub out tobacco sponsorship 10 February 2008 19 May 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307133001/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/19/newsid_2511000/2511189.stm 7 March 2008 live June June – Ford enters the growing compact coupe market with its Puma, which uses the same chassis as the Ka and Fiesta. 2 June – The Halifax Building Society floats on the London Stock Exchange. Over 7.5 million customers of the Society become shareholders of the new bank, the largest extension of shareholders in UK history. 12 June – Law Lords declare that former Home Secretary, Michael Howard, acted illegally in raising the minimum sentence of the two juveniles who committed the murder of James Bulger, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, to 15 years. They also strip the government of setting minimum terms for prisoners aged under 18 who had received life or indefinite prison sentences.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/12/newsid_2511000/2511579.stm Straw to reconsider Bulger killers' fate 10 February 2008 12 June 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132936/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/12/newsid_2511000/2511579.stm 7 March 2008 live 19 June The High Court of Justice delivers judgement, largely in favour of McDonald's, in the libel case of McDonald's Corporation v Steel & Morris ("the McLibel case"), the longest trial in English legal history, against two environmental campaigners.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/19/newsid_2516000/2516301.stm Victory for McDonald's – at a cost 10 February 2008 19 June 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307133038/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/19/newsid_2516000/2516301.stm 7 March 2008 live William Hague is elected as the leader of the Conservative Party. 23 June – Construction begins on the Millennium Dome in Greenwich.BBC News UK The Dome - from conception to birth https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/632785.stm 2022-11-02 news.bbc.co.uk 25 June – An auction of dresses owned by Diana, Princess of Wales, in Manhattan raises more than £2 million for charity. 26 June – Publication of J. K. Rowling's first Harry Potter fantasy novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in London by Bloomsbury Publishing, in an edition of 500 copies. 30 June - Essex band The Prodigy released The Fat of the Land which broke a Guinness World Record for the fastest selling dance album of all time. July 1 July – The UK transfers sovereignty over Hong Kong, the largest remaining British colony, to the People's Republic of China as the 99 years lease on the territory formally ends.Penguin Pocket On This Day Penguin Reference Library 0-14-102715-0 2006 This event is widely considered by historians and commentators to mark the end of the British Empire, the largest imperial endeavour in the history of mankind, with Hong Kong, now part of SAR.Niall Ferguson Niall Ferguson Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power New York Basic Books 2004 978-0-465-02329-5 https://archive.org/details/empire00nial 2 July – Chancellor Gordon Brown launches the first Labour budget for nearly 20 years, which includes a further £3billion for education and healthcare, as well as a £3.5billion scheme to get single mothers, under 25's and long term unemployed people back into work. 4 July – Russian carmaker Lada announces the end of exports to the United Kingdom after 23 years and some 350,000 sales of its low-priced, low-specification cars, which at their peak sold more than 30,000 cars a year but managed just over 6,000 sales last year.http://www.lada-owners-club.co.uk/lada_%20history_in_the_UK.htm Satra Motors Limited Lada Owners Club of Great Britain https://web.archive.org/web/20101021093957/http://www.lada-owners-club.co.uk/lada_%20history_in_the_UK.htm 2020-10-25 21 October 2010 6–11 July – 1997 nationalist riots in Northern Ireland: there is violence in nationalist areas after an Orange Order parade is allowed down the Garvaghy Road in Portadown by the Royal Ulster Constabulary as part of the Drumcree conflict. 19 July – The IRA declares a ceasefire.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/19/newsid_2450000/2450845.stm IRA declares ceasefire 10 February 2008 19 July 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132814/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/19/newsid_2450000/2450845.stm 7 March 2008 live 30 July – Sunderland's Stadium of Light, the largest football club stadium to be built in England since the 1920s, is opened by the Duke of York.https://www.safc.com/history/stadiums/stadium-of-light Stadiums: Stadium of Light Sunderland AFC 2020-10-25 31 July Education (Schools) Act abolishes the Assisted Places Scheme (free or publicly-subsidised places for qualifying children attending fee-paying independent schools). At the Uxbridge by-election, John Randall holds the seat for the Conservatives.https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/M16.pdf Factsheet M16: By-election results, 1997–2001 House of Commons Information Office September 2003 10 January 2020 August 2 August John Major's Prime Minister's Resignation Honours are announced.54850 y 8911–8914 2 August 1997 54851 y 8909–8910 2 August 1997 The comedy film Bean is released in movie theaters. 14 August – Derby County F.C. move into their new Pride Park stadium, but their inaugural match against Wimbledon in the FA Premier League is abandoned in the second half due to floodlight failure.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/278086.stm BBC News Three matches in floodlight probe 12 February 1999 21 August – The new Oasis album, Be Here Now, is released – selling a record of more than 350,000 copies on its first day. 27 August An international survey shows that British rail fares are the most expensive in the world and have risen by 12% since privatisation. Stoke City F.C. move into their new Britannia Stadium, which is officially opened by football legend Sir Stanley Matthews.http://www.stokecityfc.com/page/BritanniaStadium/0,,10310~1088723,00.html Stoke City Club Britannia Stadium Britannia Stadium Brit-10-Years 10 June 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120103005058/http://www.stokecityfc.com/page/BritanniaStadium/0,,10310~1088723,00.html 3 January 2012 dead 31 August – Reports emerge in the early hours of the morning that Diana, Princess of Wales, has been injured in a car crash in Paris which has claimed the life of Dodi Fayed, the Harrods heir. Within four hours, it is confirmed that Diana has died in hospital as a result of her injuries.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/31/newsid_2510000/2510615.stm Princess Diana dies in Paris crash 10 February 2008 31 August 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080124004738/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/31/newsid_2510000/2510615.stm#startcontent 24 January 2008 live September thumb|250px|The funeral cortege of Diana, Princess of Wales 1 September French investigators reveal that Diana's driver, Henri Paul, who was also killed, was over the drink-driving limit and had been travelling at speeds in excess of 100 mph before the crash that killed her. The only survivor of the crash is bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, who is seriously ill in hospital. Lawyers for Mohamed Al-Fayed, father of Dodi Al-Fayed, lay the blame on the paparazzi who were pursuing the vehicle.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/1/newsid_2493000/2493315.stm Diana driver was 'drunk and speeding' 10 February 2008 1 September 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080213142043/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/1/newsid_2493000/2493315.stm 13 February 2008 live A new style of fifty pence coin is introduced.http://www.royalmint.com/Corporate/BritishCoinage/CoinDesign/50pCoin.aspx Royal Mint, 50 p Coin Design 10 February 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080121140929/http://www.royalmint.com/Corporate/BritishCoinage/CoinDesign/50pCoin.aspx 21 January 2008 dead Reebok Stadium, the new home of Bolton Wanderers F.C., is opened by deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.http://www.bwfc.co.uk/page/StudentInformation/0,,1004~831376,00.html Bolton Wanderers Club Student Information Student Information The Reebok Stadium 10 June 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120617193111/http://www.bwfc.co.uk/page/StudentInformation/0,,1004~831376,00.html 17 June 2012 dead 2 September – 18 year old West Ham United footballer Rio Ferdinand is dropped from the England squad after being convicted of a drink-driving offence. 5 September – The Queen makes a nationwide broadcast in tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, following widespread criticism of the Royal Family's response to her death. 6 September – The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales takes place at Westminster Abbey, London followed by a private burial at the estate of the Earls Spencer in Althorp, Northamptonshire. The Earl Spencer, brother of Diana, attacks the Royal Family's and the media's treatment of Diana in his funeral eulogy. TV coverage of the funeral is hosted by both BBC 1 and ITV, attracting an audience of more than 32,000,000 which falls just short of the national TV audience record set by the England national football team's victorious World Cup final in 1966.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/6/newsid_2502000/2502307.stm Diana's funeral watched by millions 10 February 2008 6 September 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307133005/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/6/newsid_2502000/2502307.stm 7 March 2008 live 7 September – Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow (the "armadillo"), designed by Foster and Partners, is completed. 9 September – A 40-year-old woman from Bradford in West Yorkshire wins £14,000 damages after suing her ex-husband for rape in what is the first civil action of its kind in Britain. 11 September – Referendum in Scotland on the creation of a national Parliament with devolved powers takes place. On two separate questions, voters back the plans both for a national Parliament and for it to have limited tax raising powers.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/12/newsid_2515000/2515695.stm Scots say 'Yes' to home rule 10 February 2008 12 September 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132822/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/12/newsid_2515000/2515695.stm 7 March 2008 live 12 September – Newspapers report that an operation carried out in February by neurosurgeon Steve Gill during which a woman's head was temporarily detached from her spine has been a success 13 September – Release of Elton John's Candle in the Wind remade as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales. This will be the second best-selling single worldwide of all time.Guinness World Records 2007 187 http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/3315/guinness2007.pdf 3 March 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150319072130/http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/3315/guinness2007.pdf 19 March 2015 White Christmas was the first. 14 September – Conservative Party leader William Hague receives criticism for accusing Prime Minister Tony Blair of exploiting the recent death of Diana, Princess of Wales for political advantage. 15 September – The ITV detective drama series Prime Suspect which stars actress Helen Mirren wins the Emmy award in the US for best mini-series. 16 September – A bomb explodes outside an RUC station in Markethill, County Armagh a day after the start of Northern Ireland peace talks. The IRA deny responsibility. 17 September Police investigating the death of Diana, Princess of Wales reveal that the car in which she was travelling may have collided with a white Fiat Uno seconds before hitting a concrete pillar. The Ulster Unionists (the largest loyalist party in Northern Ireland) agree to take part in peace talks that involve Sinn Féin. 18 September Welsh devolution referendum on the creation of a national Assembly takes place. Voters in Wales narrowly back the plans. Opening of Sensation exhibition of Young British Artists from the collection of Charles Saatchi at the Royal Academy in London. A portrait of Moors murderer Myra Hindley created from children's handprints by artist Marcus Harvey is removed from display after vandal attacks. 19 September – Seven die and 139 are injured in the Southall rail crash when a passenger train passes a danger signal and collides with a freight train. 25 September A Saudi court sentences British nurse Lucille McLauchlan to eight years in prison and 500 lashes for being an accessory to the murder of Australian nurse Yvonne Gilford in December the previous year. Fellow British nurse Deborah Parry is charged with murder and could face the death penalty if found guilty. Ms Gilford's brother Frank, is reported to be willing to accept £750,000 in "blood money" for Ms Parry's life to be spared if she is found guilty. Foreign Secretary Robin Cook condemns the sentence of flogging against Ms McLauchlan as "wholly unacceptable in the modern world". RAF pilot Andy Green breaks the land speed record at Black Rock in the Nevada desert. His ThrustSSC jet car sets an average speed of 714 mph, 81 mph faster than the previous record. 29 September – British scientists state that they have found a link between Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and eating of BSE-infected meat.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/29/newsid_2542000/2542585.stm Scientists confirm brain diseases link 10 February 2008 29 September 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132831/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/29/newsid_2542000/2542585.stm 7 March 2008 live October 1 October – The final LTI FX4 London taxicab is produced after 39 years. 4 October – The BBC introduces its new corporate logo across the corporation, as well as new idents for BBC1 and BBC2. 15 October – Andy Green driving the ThrustSSC sets a new land speed record of 763.035 mph (1227.99 km/h), the first time the sound barrier is broken on land. 24 October – WPC Nina Mackay, 25, is stabbed to death in Stratford, London, when entering a flat to arrest a Somali asylum seeker who was due to be deported. November 4 November – BBC News launches a full-time online news service, having already created special websites for the 1995 budget as well as this year's general election and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/27/newsid_3032000/3032714.stm BBC News 1950: Television crosses the Channel 27 August 1950 28 September 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100830020923/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/27/newsid_3032000/3032714.stm 30 August 2010 live 6 November – Labour hold the Paisley South by-election despite a swing of 11.3% to the SNP. 9 November – BBC News 24 has launched at 5:30pm for the first night after the final closedown for BBC1. 12 November – Brazil's Supreme Court refuses to extradite the Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs to Britain.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/12/newsid_2518000/2518275.stm 'Great Train Robber' escapes extradition again 10 February 2008 12 November 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132927/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/12/newsid_2518000/2518275.stm 7 March 2008 live 17 November – Six Britons are among the 58 people killed by terrorists in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. 20 November The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. At the Winchester by-election, Mark Oaten holds the seat for the Liberal Democrats. 24 November – The British Library opens its first public reading room at its new London site on the Euston Road. December 3 December – Andrew Evans, who was convicted of the 1972 murder of 14-year-old Judith Roberts in Tamworth, Staffordshire, has his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal after the hearing is told he was being treated for depression when he confessed to the crime, and there is no other evidence against him.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/36649.stm Murder conviction quashed after 25 years BBC BBC News 3 December 1997 22 September 2012 10 December – John E. Walker wins the Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with Paul D. Boyer "for their elucidation of the enzymatic mechanism underlying the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)".http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1997/ The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1997 10 February 2008 11 December – The Royal Yacht Britannia is decommissioned after 44 years in service. 12 December – The official BBC website is launched.BBC - History of the BBC, BBC.co.uk is launched, 12 December 1997 29 September 2014 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p027m2k9 16 December – Beef Bones Regulations 1997 restrict the sale of beef on the bone in response to the UK bovine spongiform encephalopathy outbreak.SI 1997/2959. 18 December – The bill to establish the Scottish Parliament unveiled by Secretary of State for Scotland Donald Dewar.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/18/newsid_2538000/2538553.stm Dawn of Scottish parliament 10 February 2008 18 December 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307133107/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/18/newsid_2538000/2538553.stm 7 March 2008 live 19 December William Hague marries Ffion Jenkins.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/19/newsid_2538000/2538775.stm Tory leader weds 10 February 2008 19 December 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307133131/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/19/newsid_2538000/2538775.stm 7 March 2008 live Moors murderer Myra Hindley loses a High Court appeal against the whole life tariff which was imposed on her by Home Secretary David Waddington in 1990 and later confirmed by Waddington's successor Michael Howard. 22 December The government announces an independent inquiry into the BSE crisis.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/22/newsid_2539000/2539957.stm BSE inquiry to be 'far-reaching' 10 February 2008 22 December 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307133035/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/22/newsid_2539000/2539957.stm 7 March 2008 live Twelve people are arrested during protests by disabled people outside Downing Street. 23 December – Rover Group produces the final Rover 100 after 17 years. 24 December – Will Straw, son of Cabinet minister Jack Straw, is arrested on suspicion of supplying cannabis.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/24/newsid_2540000/2540417.stm Minister's son arrested in drug probe 10 February 2008 24 December 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132958/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/24/newsid_2540000/2540417.stm 7 March 2008 live 27 December – Ulster Loyalist leader Billy Wright is shot dead in the Maze Prison. Prisoners of the Irish National Liberation Army are believed to have been responsible for Wright's murder.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/27/newsid_2546000/2546009.stm 1997: Loyalist leader murdered in prison 10 February 2008 27 December 1997 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20080307133101/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/27/newsid_2546000/2546009.stm 7 March 2008 live 31 December – Singer Elton John and football legend Tom Finney are among the men receiving knighthoods in the New Year's Honours List. Undated The Weare prison ship is berthed in Portland Harbour as a temporary overflow facility. The WOW! Awards organization is founded. The Tenants' and Residents' Organisations of England organization is officially recognised. Publications Iain Banks' novel A Song of Stone. Ted Hughes' poetry Tales from Ovid. Ian McEwan's novel Enduring Love. Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel Jingo. Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials young-adult fantasy novel The Subtle Knife. J. K. Rowling's novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.Debut author and single mother sells children's book for £100,000 https://www.theguardian.com/books/1997/jul/08/booksforchildrenandteenagers.danglaister The Guardian 8 October 2022 en 8 July 1997 Births 135px|thumb|Izzy Brown 135px|thumb|Shaheen Jafargholi 135px|thumb|Asa Butterfield 135px|thumb|Maisie Williams 135px|thumb|Joe Gomez 135px|thumb|Mia McKenna-Bruce 135px|thumb|Tilly Keeper 135px|thumb|Alan Walker 135px|thumb|Mae Muller 135px|thumb|Claudia Fragapane 135px|thumb|Marcus Rashford 1 January – Charlie Fellows, gymnast 3 January Joe Morrell, footballer Jordan Thompson, footballer 7 January Izzy Brown, footballer Kyle Stanger, actor 11 January – Demetri Mitchell, footballer 23 January Sophie Hahn, Paralympic sprinter Shaheen Jafargholi, actor and singer Giorgio Rasulo, footballer 29 January – Olivia Morris, actress 2 February Ellie Bamber, actress Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, footballer Gabby George, footballer 3 February – Lewis Cook, footballer 5 February – Patrick Roberts, footballer 8 February Venus Angelic, singer and vlogger Dalton Smith, boxer Anton Walkes, footballer (died 2023) 10 February Adam Armstrong, footballer Lauren Mote, actress 12 February – Connor Mahoney, footballer 16 February – Charlie Green, singer 17 February – Josef Craig, Paralympic swimmer 18 February Bradley Collins, footballer Jonathan Haggerty, Muay Thai kickboxer and former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai and current ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Jack Rowan, actor 21 February – Arwel Robson, rugby union player 23 February – Luke Amos, footballer 2 March – Matt Weston, skeleton racer 4 March – Freddie Woodman, footballer 8 March – Kevin Nisbet, footballer 12 March – Dean Henderson, footballer 14 March – Brad Taylor, cricketer 15 March – Jonjoe Kenny, footballer 21 March – Nat Phillips, footballer 22 March – Harry Wilson, footballer 23 March – Aidan Davis, dancer 24 March – George Thomas, footballer 29 March – Leah Williamson, footballer 1 April Asa Butterfield, actor Cian Harries, footballer Olivia Smart, ice dancer 3 April – Mitchell Rao, cricketer 7 April – Laura van der Heijden, cellist 8 April – Keira Walsh, footballer 11 April Max Clegg, speedway racer Tully Kearney, swimmer 13 April – Kyle Walker-Peters, footballer 15 April – Maisie Williams, actress 6 May – Duncan Scott, swimmer 16 May – Cloe and Holly Mackie, actresses 19 May – Olivia Arben, model 23 May – Joe Gomez, footballer 11 June – Jorja Smith, singer 12 June – Gabrielle Jupp, artistic gymnast 19 June Sheyi Ojo, footballer Molly Windsor, actress 28 June – Connor Edwards, rugby union player 3 July – Mia McKenna-Bruce, actress 7 July – Viddal Riley, boxer 8 July David Brooks, footballer Lauran Hibberd, singer-songwriter 13 July – Shayon Harrison, footballer 18 July – Fionn Whitehead, actor 4 August – Mollie Green, footballer 5 August – Clara van Wel, singer-songwriter 8 August – Scott Wright, footballer 16 August – Tilly Keeper, actressMrDDyer Dyer, Danny Danny Dyer 765478372562665472 Happy birthday to the lovable sweet talented @tillykeeper last year of ya teens kid. Have a beautiful day babe. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ 16 August 2016 24 August – Alan Walker, English-Norwegian music producer and DJ 25 August – Holly Gibbs, actor 26 August – Mae Muller, singer-songwriter 29 August – Ainsley Maitland-Niles, footballer 30 August – Dael Fry, footballer 10 September – Paul Smyth, footballer 14 September – Dominic Solanke, footballer 16 September Amy-Leigh Hickman, actress Oscar Lloyd, actor 22 September – Jake Clarke-Salter, footballer 23 September Callum Connolly, footballer George Panayi, cricketer 24 September – Tosin Adarabioyo, footballer 28 September – Ben Green, cricketer 1 October Aimee Knight, politician and transgender activisthttps://candidates.democracyclub.org.uk/person/11832/aimee-challenor Aimee Knight - Candidate for St Michael's in Coventry local election Hamza Choudhury, footballer 2 October – Tammy Abraham, footballer 8 October Josh Kerr, Olympic middle-distance runner Ben White, footballer 10 October – Kieran Dowell, footballer 20 October – John Bell, Scottish actor 22 October – Joe Rodon, footballer 23 October Tallulah Greive, Australian-born Scottish actress Ezri Konsa, footballer 24 October Claudia Fragapane, gymnasthttp://results.glasgow2014.com/athlete/gymnastics_artistic/1026471/c_fragapane.html Glasgow 2014 – Claudia FRAGAPANE Profile 25 April 2015 22 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160822085254/http://results.glasgow2014.com/athlete/gymnastics_artistic/1026471/c_fragapane.html usurped Raye, pop singer-songwriter 26 October – Ryan Patel, cricketer 27 October Jess Carter, footballer Eden Taylor-Draper, actor 30 October – Sean Longstaff, footballer 31 October – Marcus Rashford, footballer 5 November Chris Mepham, footballer Greg Taylor, footballer 6 November – Hero Fiennes Tiffin, actor 9 November – Matthew Fisher, cricketer 10 November – Daniel James, footballer 14 November – Axel Tuanzebe, footballer 15 November Catie Munnings, rally driver Josh Tongue, cricketer 17 November – James Whitley, Paralympic skier 18 November – Ovie Ejaria, footballer 29 November – Michael-Joel David Stuart, actor 3 December – Hayley Okines, activist 5 December – Sophie Simnett, actresshttp://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2016/12/09/adultolescence/ Adultolescence 9 December 2016 Wonderland en 27 July 2019 27 July 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190727190500/https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2016/12/09/adultolescence/ live 9 December – Harvey Barnes, footballer 18 December – Max Holden, cricketer 30 December – Michael Newberry, footballer (died 2024) Deaths January 135px|thumb|Alexander R. Todd 135px|thumb|Myfanwy Piper 135px|thumb|Geoffrey Rippon 1 January Graham Kersey, cricketer (born 1971); died in a car crash Joan Rice, actress (born 1930) 5 January – V. C. Wynne-Edwards, zoologist (born 1906) 7 January Patricia McLaughlin, Northern Irish politician (born 1916) Christopher Mayhew, politician (born 1915) 8 January – Sir James Fraser, 2nd Baronet, Scottish surgeon (born 1924) 10 January Elspeth Huxley, author, journalist, broadcaster and government advisor (born 1907) Alexander R. Todd, Baron Todd, Scottish biochemist (born 1907)Alexander Robertus Todd, Baron Todd British biochemist https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-Robertus-Todd-Baron-Todd Encyclopedia Britannica 10 September 2021 en 11 January Rosalind Hill, historian (born 1908) Jill Summers, music hall performer and comic actress (born 1910) 16 January Iain Mills, politician (born 1940) Martin Redmond, politician (born 1937) Willie Yeadon, railway historian (born 1907) 18 January – Myfanwy Piper, art critic, opera librettist, and wife of John Piper (born 1911) 19 January – Richard E. Jennings, comic book artist (born 1921) 20 January Dennis Main Wilson, broadcast producer (born 1924) Edith Haisman, Titanic survivor (born 1896) 21 January – John Glyn-Jones, actor (born 1908) 22 January Billy Mackenzie, Scottish singer-songwriter (born 1957); suicide Wally Whyton, musician and television personality (born 1929) 23 January – David Waller, actor (born 1920) 27 January Cecil Arthur Lewis, author and last surviving air ace of World War I (born 1898) David Townsend, English cricketer (bonr 1912) 28 January – Geoffrey Rippon, Baron Rippon of Hexham, politician (born 1924) 30 January Henry Bentinck, 11th Earl of Portland, peer (born 1919) Nicholas Mallett, television director (born 1945) 31 January Raymond Coxon, artist (born 1896) Hans Tisdall, artist (born 1910, German Empire) February 2 February – Godfrey Baseley, radio executive, creator of The Archers (born 1904) 7 February – John Baker, musician and composer (born 1937) 9 February Brian Connolly, Scottish singer-songwriter (born 1945) Barry Evans, actor (born 1943) 12 February Nora Beloff, journalist and political writer (born 1919) James Cossins, actor (born 1923) 16 February – Jack Wilson, rower (born 1914) 17 February – Kenny Graham, jazz saxophonist and composer (born 1924) 18 February – Eric Fenby, pianist, organist, conductor, composer and music teacher, aide to Frederick Delius (born 1906) 21 February – Kenneth Rowntree, artist (born 1915) 23 February – Frank Launder, film director and producer (born 1906) 24 February Wolfgang Heinrich Johannes Fuchs, mathematician (born 1915, German Empire) Ernest C. Pollard, professor of physics and astrophysics (born 1908) 25 February Scott Forbes, actor and screenwriter (born 1920) Arthur Hewlett, actor (born 1907) 27 February – William Gear, Scottish painter (born 1915) March 135px|thumb|V. S. Pritchett 135px|thumb|Reverend W. Awdry 2 March Douglas Blackwood, publisher and World War II pilot (born 1909) Sir Horace Cutler, politician, Leader of the Greater London Council (1977–1981) (born 1912) 3 March – Eric Edwards, Baron Chelmer, solicitor (born 1914) 4 March – Joe Baker-Cresswell, Royal Navy officer and aide-de-camp to King George VI (born 1901) 6 March Rosalyn Boulter, actress (born 1917) Ursula Torday, novelist (born 1912) 9 March Terry Nation, Welsh screenwriter (born 1930) Dame Veronica Wedgwood, historian (born 1910) 11 March – Robert Browning, Byzantine historian (born 1914) 12 March – William Hare, 5th Earl of Listowel, peer and politician (born 1906) 13 March – Ronald Fraser, actor (born 1930) 16 March – John Montague Stow, colonial official (born 1911) 18 March – Erik de Mauny, journalist and author (born 1920) 20 March – V. S. Pritchett, writer and literary critic (born 1900) 21 March – Rev. W. V. Awdry, children's writer (born 1911) 25 March – C. J. F. Williams, philosopher (born 1930) 27 March – George Malcolm Brown, geologist (born 1925) 29 March George William Gregory Bird, physician (born 1916) Norman Pirie, biochemist (born 1907) Ellen Pollock, actress (born 1902) April 135px|thumb|Denis Compton 1 April – Norman Carr, English environmentalist and author (born 1912) 2 April – Reg Lewis, English footballer (born 1920) 4 April – Mike Raven, radio disc jockey, writer and sculptor (born 1924) 5 April – Richard Clifton-Dey, artist (born 1930) 6 April – David Keith-Lucas, aeronautical engineer (born 1911) 9 April – Sir Geoffrey Hardy-Roberts, Army officer, politician and courtier (born 1907) 10 April Alan Gibson, journalist, writer and broadcaster (born 1923) Glanville Williams, Welsh legal scholar (born 1911) 12 April – James Ross, Scottish surgeon (born 1911) 18 April – Edward Barker, cartoonist (born 1950) 22 April – Reg Gammon, English painter and illustrator (born 1894) 23 April Denis Compton, footballer and cricketer (born 1918) Nancy Seear, Baroness Seear, English politician (born 1913) 25 April – Dudley Pope, author (born 1925) 27 April Bunny Roger, couturier and socialite (born 1911) Peter Winch, philosopher (born 1926) 28 April – Peter Taylor, Baron Taylor of Gosforth, lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England (1992–1996) (born 1930) 29 April – Isabel Graham Bryce, public servant (born 1902) May 3 May Hughie Green, radio and television presenter and actor (born 1920) Sir John Junor, journalist (born 1919) 5 May – George Burns, Army officer (born 1911) 6 May – John Edwards Hill, mammologist (born 1928) 8 May Pat Hughes, tennis player (born 1902) Michael Shersby, politician (born 1933) 11 May – Genine Graham, actress (born 1926) 13 May – Laurie Lee, poet and author (born 1914) 17 May – Chris Julian, motorcycle racer (born 1937); gyrocopter accident 20 May – Don Parker, racing driver (born 1908) 23 May – Alison Adburgham, fashion journalist and author (born 1912) 25 May – Syd Bidwell, Labour politician (born 1917) June 135px|thumb|Ronnie Lane 2 June – Eddie Thomas, Welsh boxer (born 1925) 4 June – Ronnie Lane, musician and songwriter (born 1946) 6 June – Richard Neilson, diplomat (born 1937) 7 June – Paul Reade, composer (born 1943) 14 June – Helena Sanders, cultural activist, politician and poet (born 1911) 15 June Nicholas Danby, organist (born 1935) George Denholm, World War II air ace (born 1908) 19 June – Julia Smith, television producer (born 1927) 22 June – Don Henderson, actor (born 1931) 24 June – Leonard B. Strang, professor of paediatric sciences (born 1925) 26 June – Charlie Chester, radio and television presenter, comedian and writer (born 1914) 27 June W. O. G. Lofts, researcher and author (born 1923) Harrison Marks, glamour photographer (born 1926) 28 June – Hubert Lamb, climatologist (born 1913) 29 June – Marjorie Linklater, Scottish arts and environment campaigner (born 1909) 30 June – Dame Sylvia Crowe, landscape architect (born 1901) July 135px|thumb|Frank Farrell 4 July William Cadogan, 7th Earl Cadogan, peer and soldier (born 1914) Bevis Reid, Olympic athlete (born 1919) John Zachary Young, biologist (born 1907) 7 July – Royston Tickner, English actor (born 1922) 9 July – Sir David Pitblado, Private Secretary to the Prime Minister (1951–1956) (born 1912) 10 July – Ivor Allchurch, former footballer (born 1929) 11 July Felix Barker, drama critic and historian (born 1917) Alfred Mellows, rower (born 1922) 15 July Alan J. Charig, palaeontologist (born 1927) Rosamund Greenwood, actress (born 1907) 16 July – Ron Berry, Welsh novelist (born 1920) 17 July – Arthur Jepson, English cricketer and footballer (born 1915) 18 July – Sir James Goldsmith, financier and politician, founder of the Referendum Party (born 1933) 19 July – Frank Farrell, rock bassist (born 1947) 22 July Vincent Hanna, Northern Irish journalist (born 1939) Kevin Howley, football referee (born 1924) 24 July Brian Glover, actor (born 1934) Bill Shine, actor (born 1911) 25 July – Peter Carmichael, fighter pilot (born 1923) 27 July – Isabel Dean, actress (born 1918) 28 July – Rosalie Crutchley, actress (born 1920) 29 July – Jack Archer, former sprinter (born 1921) August 135px|thumb|John Kendrew 135px|thumb|Diana, Princess of Wales 2 August John Churcher, Army major-general (born 1905) Rhydwen Williams, novelist, poet and Baptist minister (born 1916) 4 August Dick Bush, cinematographer (born 1931) Tom Eckersley, poster artist and design teacher (born 1914) Alexander Young, Scottish musician (born 1938) 13 August Marjorie Lynette Sigley, artist, writer, actress, choreographer and theatre director (born 1928) Carel Weight, English painter (born 1908) 14 August John Elliot, author, screenwriter and television producer (born 1918) Charlie Fleming, Scottish footballer (born 1927) 18 August – Don Knight, actor (born 1933) 19 August – Robson Lowe, philatelist and stamp dealer (born 1905) 21 August – William Jopling, leprologist (born 1911, Italy) 22 August – Robin Skelton, academic, writer, poet and anthologist (born 1925) 23 August – John Kendrew, molecular biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (born 1917) 24 August – Louis Essen, physicist (born 1908) 31 August Dodi Fayed, Egyptian film producer and heir to Harrods department store (born 1955); died in Paris car crash Diana, Princess of Wales (born 1961); died in hospital after being seriously injured in the same crash September 4 September Jeffrey Bernard, journalist (born 1932) Belle Stewart, Scottish singer (born 1906) 6 September – P. H. Newby, novelist (born 1918) 7 September – Edwin Brock, poet (born 1927) 8 September – Derek Taylor, journalist and record producer (born 1932) 9 September – Rowland George, Olympic rower (born 1905) 12 September – Leonard Maguire, actor (born 1924) 14 September – Andrew Fountaine, far-right activist (born 1918) 16 September Terence Cooper, actor (born 1933) Gerry Turpin, cinematographer (born 1925) 17 September – Brian Hall, actor (born 1937) 19 September – Jack May, actor (born 1922) 21 September – Maurice Kaufmann, actor (born 1927) 22 September Ruth Picardie, journalist and editor (born 1964) George Thomas, 1st Viscount Tonypandy, politician, Speaker of the House of Commons (1976–1983) (born 1909) 25 September – Paul Bernard, television director (born 1929) 28 September – David Gill, film historian (born 1928) 30 September – Graeme MacDonald, television producer and executive (born 1930) October 135px|thumb|A. L. Rowse 3 October – A. L. Rowse, historian (born 1903) 4 October – Anne Strachan Robertson, Scottish archaeologist, numismatist and writer (born 1910) 5 October Andrew Keir, Scottish actor (born 1926) Debbie Linden, glamour model and actress (born 1961); heroin overdose 6 October – Adrienne Hill, actress (born 1937) 9 October – Michael Cummings, newspaper cartoonist (born 1919) 10 October – George Malcolm, pianist, organist, harpsichordist, composer and conductor (born 1917) 13 October Ian Stuart Black, novelist, playwright and screenwriter (born 1915) Richard Mason, British novelist (born 1919) William Staveley, Royal Navy officer (born 1928) 14 October George Forrest, classicist and academic (born 1925) Henry Pelling, historian (born 1920) 15 October – Macdonald Critchley, neurologist (born 1900) 19 October Harold French, actor, film director and screenwriter (born 1897) Arthur Ibbetson, cinematographer (born 1922) 20 October – Ron Tarr, actor (born 1936) 23 October – Kim Lim, sculptor and printmaker (born 1936, Singapore) 24 October – Michael Balfour, actor (born 1918) 29 October – Len Beurton, communist and Soviet spy (born 1914) 31 October – Wilfrid Oulton, Royal Air Force officer (born 1911) November 135px|thumb|Isaiah Berlin 2 November – Harold Plenderleith, Scottish art conservator and archaeologist (born 1898) 5 November Sir Isaiah Berlin, philosopher and sociologist (born 1909, Russian Empire) Philip Roberts, Army major-general (born 1906) 6 November Annie Llewelyn-Davies, Baroness Llewelyn-Davies of Hastoe, politician (born 1915) Epic Soundtracks, musician (born 1959); drug overdose 8 November – Michael Ward, actor (born 1909) 9 November – Leonard Matthews, publisher and editor (born 1914) 16 November – Roy Sheffield, English cricketer (born 1906) 17 November – Wilfred Josephs, composer (born 1927) 18 November Jean Conan Doyle, Women's Royal Air Force officer (born 1912) Joyce Wethered, Lady Heathcoat-Amory, golfer (born 1901) 19 November Mary Bernheim, biochemist (born 1902) Alfred Roome, film editor (born 1908) 21 November Jack Purvis, actor (born 1937) Robert Simpson, composer (born 1921) 23 November – Henry Wilson, Baron Wilson of Langside, Scottish lawyer and politician (born 1916) 25 November James H. Ellis, engineer and cryptographer (born 1924) Jon Silkin, poet (born 1930) 27 November – Eric Laithwaite, electrical engineer (born 1921) 30 November Glyn Dearman, actor (born 1939); accident Mary Fergusson, civil engineer (born 1914) December 135px|thumb|Eddie Chapman 135px|thumb|Tommy Price 2 December – Shirley Crabtree, "Big Daddy", wrestler (born 1930)Perrone Pierre Obituary: Big Daddy https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-big-daddy-1286571.html The Independent 3 December 1997 4 December – Richard Vernon, actor (born 1925) 5 December – Frederick Dainton, Baron Dainton, academic chemist (born 1914) 6 December George Chisholm, jazz trombonist (born 1915) Eddie Myers, World War II Army officer (born 1906) 7 December Billy Bremner, footballer and football manager (born 1942) Woodrow Wyatt, Baron Wyatt of Weeford, politician, author and journalist (born 1918) 8 December – Stephen Tredre, actor and writer (born 1963) 11 December Eddie Chapman, World War II spy (born 1914) Simon Jeffes, classical guitarist (born 1949) 13 December – Sir Alexander Oppenheim, mathematician (born 1903) 14 December Owen Barfield, author, poet, philosopher and critic (born 1898) Gerald Legge, 9th Earl of Dartmouth, peer (born 1924) 16 December – Richard Warwick, actor (born 1945) 17 December – Peter Taylor, film editor (born 1922) 18 December – Geoff Campion, comic book artist (born 1916) 20 December – Hugh McMahon, Scottish footballer (born 1906) 21 December – Bruce Woodcock, boxer (born 1920) 25 December Yvonne Cormeau, World War II spy (born 1909) Kenneth Spring, Army lieutenant-colonel and artist (born 1921) 26 December John Hinde, photographer (born 1916) Tommy Price, speedway rider (born 1911) 27 December Buxton Orr, composer (born 1924) Billy Wright, Northern Irish loyalist leader (born 1960); murdered in prison 28 December – James Lees-Milne, writer and architectural historian (born 1908) 29 December – Robert Walter Steel, geographer (born 1915) See also List of British films of 1997 References 1997 Category:Years of the 20th century in the United Kingdom United Kingdom