Beatrice Bolam

Beatrice Bolam (née Patterson; August 1919 – 2 January 2013) was an English politician and councillor for Jarrow, County Durham.

Early life Bolam was born and raised in Jarrow, the eldest of four children of a boilermaker who worked for Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company. She grew up during the Great Depression and her family struggled after her father lost his job in Palmer's collapse. Educated at Jarrow Grammar School, she then attended Skerry's College in Newcastle until 1937, training for a career in the civil service.

In 1942, she married Oswald James Bolam, a bookkeeper in the shipyards, and took the name Bolam. She also received an award for being one of the longest-serving members of the Conservative Party in the UK.