Louise London, a dedicated human rights solicitor, historian, and volunteer for asylum seekers, has passed away from cancer at the age of 78. Her unwavering commitment to justice was evident throughout her multifaceted career.
Pioneering Work in Immigration Law
London developed a profound expertise in immigration law while representing Tamil refugees fleeing the civil war in Sri Lanka. She worked at Camden and Hackney law centres, focusing on housing and eviction cases, including the notable Huntley Street squatters in 1978. Later, at a legal aid firm, she continued to advocate for the disadvantaged.
Historical Contributions
Her acclaimed book, Whitehall and the Jews, 1933-1948 (2000), remains a seminal work on British governmental responses to the refugee crisis and the Holocaust. Historian Tony Kushner described it as "the standard book" on the subject. London earned her PhD at Queen Mary University of London in 1992, winning the Ernst Fraenkel prize, and later taught at several institutions including the Oxford Centre for Postgraduate Hebrew and Jewish Studies.
Background and Family
Born to Jewish refugee parents who fled Nazism in the 1930s, London's father, Heinz, was a physicist at Harwell, and her mother, Lucie, a piano teacher. She grew up in Oxford with three siblings. After attending Oxford High School, she studied English at Newnham College, Cambridge, graduating in 1970, and completed a law conversion course.
Later Career and Volunteering
From 2000 to 2010, London worked as a casework lawyer at the Ministry of Justice's Criminal Appeal Office. She then focused on historical research, publishing articles on post-Holocaust refugee policies. She volunteered as a solicitor for the Zacchaeus 2000 Trust and became an honorary research fellow at the Birkbeck Institute for the Study of Antisemitism in 2017.
Personal Life
London married Andrew McDonald in 1992; they adopted a daughter, Ju, from China. The couple divorced in 2017 but remained close, with London caring for McDonald before his death in 2021. She is survived by Ju and her siblings.
Known for her loyalty, generosity, and humour, London pursued all her endeavours with passion and integrity. She was also a member of the Barts choir and a graphic artist whose work was selected for the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition.
