Description:Barbara Lewis contested the 1945 General Election as a Liberal. Her biography here tells us that Lewis was born in Smethwick and educated at Birmingham University. She had been widowed during the war and had a three year old son. She had done welfare work in Industry and was also in the Women's Land Army. She had since then returned to Birmingham University where she was a Tutor in Social Studies.
Lewis had an uphill battle to win the Handsworth seat against strong candidates. The seat had been Conservative for decades and the Independent candidate was Norman Tiptaft - local councillor and an attempted MP for Handsworth on many occasions.