Marianna Clark obituary

Other lives: Doctor, magistrate and Liberal councillor in Bath who had escaped from Germany in 1939

My mother, Marianna Clark, who has died aged 98, was a doctor, magistrate, councillor and early campaigner against pollution, who arrived in the UK in 1939 from Germany and threw herself into community life in the city of Bath.

She was born in Stolberg, the daughter of Henryk Goldmann, a chemical engineer who was a Polish Jew, and his German wife, Irene (nee Peltzer). They left Germany in 1939 to escape from the Nazis and came to Hornchurch, Essex. Marianna finished her schooling at Romford county high school for girls.

She studied medicine at the Polish School of Medicine in Edinburgh, set up to educate Polish soldiers who had escaped to the UK. She spoke little Polish at the time, but always made light of being thrown into the deep end of higher education in another foreign language.

Through a student friend she met Stephen Clark, who worked for the family company C & J Clark (widely known as Clarks, the shoe company) in Street, Somerset. They married in 1944 and she became a British citizen, so was able to transfer to the University of Edinburgh to complete her studies, graduating in 1947. They moved to Bath in 1952. She never worked full-time as a doctor, but was locum for practices in Bath on a regular basis.

Marianna threw herself into Bath life. In the 1950s she was an early member of the (now defunct) Everyman club, which met regularly for lectures and presentations on cultural subjects. She was a frequent concert-goer and supporter of the official Bath festivals and local music groups.

Involved in many charitable projects, Marianna volunteered at the Nearly New Shop, which sold secondhand clothes in aid of the Bath Council for Voluntary Service. She was also trustee of St John’s Hospital, the independent living foundation.

In 1962 Marianna became a magistrate, and she was elected a Liberal city councillor in 1969. From this platform she launched a campaign to try to control air pollution in the city. People were encouraged to report lorries to the businesses that owned them, by filling in forms stating where they had witnessed some egregious spewing out of fumes.

In 1978, with others, she founded what became the Museum of Bath at Work, based on the workshops, equipment and stock of JB Bowler’s mineral water factory. This now displays how the city’s workers have served residents and visitors with goods and services.

Marianna was an active, lively, resilient woman. In all her activities, she pulled up her sleeves and did the physical work as well as contributing to meetings. For years she made soup at home for the volunteers at the museum.

She retired in the 80s but continued with her voluntary work in Bath and travelled a lot in Europe. Her house was full of guide books.

Stephen died in 2011. She is survived by her children, Lydia, Alice, Henry and me, and by 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Harriet Hall

The GuardianTramp

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