Jump to content

Mary Soames: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m v2.05 - Fix errors for CW project (Link equal to linktext)
 
(26 intermediate revisions by 15 users not shown)
Line 2: Line 2:
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2018}}
{{redirect|Mary Churchill|the duchess|Mary Montagu, Duchess of Montagu (1689–1751)}}
{{Infobox noble
{{Infobox noble
|honorific_prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
|honorific_prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
Line 8: Line 9:
|image = Mary Soames (1965).jpg
|image = Mary Soames (1965).jpg
|caption = Soames in 1965
|caption = Soames in 1965
|birth_name = Mary Spencer-Churchill
|birth_name = Mary Spencer Churchill
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1922|09|15|df=y}}
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1922|09|15|df=y}}
|birth_place = London, England
|birth_place = London, England
Line 15: Line 16:
|death_cause =
|death_cause =
|resting_place = [[St Martin's Church, Bladon]]
|resting_place = [[St Martin's Church, Bladon]]
|nationality = English
|nationality = British
|spouse = {{marriage|[[Christopher Soames, Baron Soames]]|1947|1987|end=died}}
|spouse = {{marriage|[[Christopher Soames, Baron Soames]]|1947|1987|end=died}}
|children =
|children =
Line 21: Line 22:
|issue={{hlist|[[Nicholas Soames|Nicholas]]|[[Emma Soames|Emma]]|Jeremy|Charlotte|[[Rupert Soames|Rupert]]}}|mother=[[Clementine Churchill|Clementine Hozier]]|father=[[Winston Churchill]]|noble family=[[Spencer-Churchill family|Spencer-Churchill]]}}
|issue={{hlist|[[Nicholas Soames|Nicholas]]|[[Emma Soames|Emma]]|Jeremy|Charlotte|[[Rupert Soames|Rupert]]}}|mother=[[Clementine Churchill|Clementine Hozier]]|father=[[Winston Churchill]]|noble family=[[Spencer-Churchill family|Spencer-Churchill]]}}


'''Mary Soames, Baroness Soames''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|LG|DBE|FRSL}} ({{née |'''Spencer-Churchill'''}}; 15 September 1922{{snd}} 31 May 2014) was an English author. The youngest of the five children of [[Winston Churchill]] and his wife, [[Clementine Churchill|Clementine]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Lady Mary Soames, Winston Churchill's daughter, dies |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27655894 |access-date=31 December 2020 |work=BBC News |date=1 June 2014}}</ref> she worked for public organisations including the [[Red Cross]] and the [[Women's Voluntary Service]] from 1939 to 1941, and joined the [[Auxiliary Territorial Service]] in 1941. She was the wife of Conservative politician [[Christopher Soames]].
'''Mary Soames, Baroness Soames''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|LG|DBE|FRSL}} ({{née |'''Spencer Churchill'''}}; 15 September 1922{{snd}} 31 May 2014) was an English author. The youngest of the five children of [[Winston Churchill]] and his wife, [[Clementine Churchill|Clementine]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Lady Mary Soames, Winston Churchill's daughter, dies |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27655894 |access-date=31 December 2020 |work=BBC News |date=1 June 2014}}</ref> she worked for public organisations including the [[Red Cross]] and the [[Women's Voluntary Service]] from 1939 to 1941, and joined the [[Auxiliary Territorial Service]] in 1941. She was the wife of Conservative politician [[Christopher Soames]].


==Biography==
==Biography==
Line 27: Line 28:
[[File:British Victory Parade in Berlin BU9088.jpg|thumb|left|Junior commander Mary Churchill at the [[1945 British Berlin Victory Parade|British Victory Parade]] in Berlin, 21 July 1945]]
[[File:British Victory Parade in Berlin BU9088.jpg|thumb|left|Junior commander Mary Churchill at the [[1945 British Berlin Victory Parade|British Victory Parade]] in Berlin, 21 July 1945]]


Mary Spencer-Churchill was born in London, in the same week as her father, [[Winston Churchill]], purchased [[Chartwell]], a country house in Kent; she was brought up there, attending local schools.<ref name="Wrigley" /> She worked for the [[Red Cross]] and the [[Women's Voluntary Service]] from 1939 to 1941, and joined the [[Auxiliary Territorial Service]] in 1941<ref name="Wrigley">{{cite book|author=Wrigley, Chris.|title=Winston Churchill: A biographical companion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HBUslUOGOgkC&pg=PA123|year=2002|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara|isbn=978-0-87436-990-8|pages=123–125}}</ref> with which she served in [[Slades Hill army camp|London]], Belgium and Germany in mixed anti-aircraft batteries, rising to the rank of Junior Commander (equivalent to [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|Captain]]). She accompanied her father as [[aide-de-camp]] on several of his overseas journeys, including his post-[[Victory in Europe Day|VE]] trip to [[Potsdam]], where he met [[Harry S. Truman]] and [[Joseph Stalin]]. In 1945, she was appointed a [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE), in recognition of meritorious military services.<ref name="MBE">{{London Gazette |issue= 37025|date= 6 April 1945|page=1903|supp= y}}</ref>
Mary Spencer Churchill was born in London, in the same week as her father, [[Winston Churchill]], purchased [[Chartwell]], a country house in Kent; she was brought up there, attending local schools.<ref name="Wrigley" /> She worked for the [[Red Cross]] and the [[Women's Voluntary Service]] from 1939 to 1941, and joined the [[Auxiliary Territorial Service]] in 1941<ref name="Wrigley">{{cite book|author=Wrigley, Chris.|title=Winston Churchill: A biographical companion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HBUslUOGOgkC&pg=PA123|year=2002|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara|isbn=978-0-87436-990-8|pages=123–125}}</ref> with which she served in [[Slades Hill army camp|London]], Belgium and Germany in mixed anti-aircraft batteries, rising to the rank of Junior Commander (equivalent to [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|Captain]]). She accompanied her father as [[aide-de-camp]] on several of his overseas journeys, including his post-[[Victory in Europe Day|VE]] trip to [[Potsdam]], where he met [[Harry S. Truman]] and [[Joseph Stalin]]. In 1945, she was appointed a [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE), in recognition of meritorious military services.<ref name="MBE">{{London Gazette |issue= 37025|date= 6 April 1945|page=1903|supp= y}}</ref>


She served many public organisations, such as the International Churchill Society, as a Patron; [[Church Army]] and Churchill Houses; and chaired the [[Royal National Theatre]] Board of Trustees between 1989 and 1995.<ref name="Reynolds">David Reynolds [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jun/01/mary-soames Obituary: Lady Soames], ''The Guardian'', 1 June 2014</ref> She was Patron of the [[National Benevolent Fund for the Aged]].
She served many public organisations, such as the International Churchill Society, as a Patron; [[Church Army]] and Churchill Houses; and chaired the [[Royal National Theatre]] Board of Trustees between 1989 and 1995.<ref name="Reynolds">David Reynolds [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jun/01/mary-soames Obituary: Lady Soames], ''The Guardian'', 1 June 2014</ref> She was Patron of the [[National Benevolent Fund for the Aged]].


She accompanied her husband, [[Christopher Soames]], on his foreign postings as an Ambassador and/or Governor: to Paris (during 1968-1972) where she resided at [[Hôtel de Charost|Hotel de Charost]], ranking alongside [[Lady Diana Cooper|Diana Cooper]] in the annals of keen ambassadresses, and to [[Rhodesia]].
She accompanied her husband, [[Christopher Soames]], on his foreign postings as an Ambassador and/or Governor: to Paris (during 1968–1972) where she resided at [[Hôtel de Charost|Hotel de Charost]], and to [[Rhodesia]].

⚫
A successful author, Lady Soames wrote an acclaimed biography of her mother, ''Clementine Churchill'', in 1979. She offered insights into the Churchill family to various biographers, prominently including [[Martin Gilbert|Sir Martin Gilbert]], who became the authorised biographer of Sir Winston Churchill after the death of Churchill's son, [[Randolph Churchill|Randolph]], in 1968. Additionally, she published a book of letters between Sir Winston and Lady Churchill, editing the letters as well as providing bridging material that placed the letters in personal, family, and historical context.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rbooks.co.uk/author.aspx?id=26995|title=Mary Soames: biography|publisher=Random House Group|access-date=19 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318224653/http://www.rbooks.co.uk/author.aspx?id=26995|archive-date=18 March 2012}}</ref> In 2012, her memoirs, based upon her diaries from childhood up to the time of her marriage, were published under the title ''A Daughter's Tale.''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Soames |first1=Mary |title=A Daughter's Tale: The Memoir of Winston Churchill's Youngest Child |date=2012 |publisher=Random House |location=New York |isbn=978-0679645184 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JFbUYlktH5cC |access-date=18 June 2021}}</ref>


In 1980, Lady Soames was promoted to [[Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (DBE) for her public service, particularly in Rhodesia.<ref name="DBE">{{London Gazette |issue= 48212|date= 13 June 1980|page=8|supp= y}}</ref>
In 1980, Lady Soames was promoted to [[Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (DBE) for her public service, particularly in Rhodesia.<ref name="DBE">{{London Gazette |issue= 48212|date= 13 June 1980|page=8|supp= y}}</ref>


In 1992, Soames appeared on BBC Radio 4's ''[[Desert Island Discs]]''. Her chosen book was ''Memoirs from Beyond the Grave'' by [[Chateaubriand]] and her luxury item was a supply of fine [[Havana cigars]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0093y56|title=BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Lady Soames|publisher=BBC|language=en-GB|access-date=29 February 2020}}</ref> She chose as her favourite record a movement from Beethoven's [[Symphony No. 6 (Beethoven)|Pastoral Symphony]], which evoked the joy of returning to the countryside for her, a devoted countrywoman.
In 1992, Soames appeared on BBC Radio 4's ''[[Desert Island Discs]]''. Her chosen book was ''[[Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe|Memoirs from Beyond the Grave]]'' by [[Chateaubriand]] and her luxury item was a supply of fine [[Havana cigars]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0093y56|title=BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Lady Soames|publisher=BBC|language=en-GB|access-date=29 February 2020}}</ref> She chose as her favourite record a movement from Beethoven's [[Symphony No. 6 (Beethoven)|Pastoral Symphony]], which evoked the joy of returning to the countryside for her, a devoted countrywoman.


One of her more notable public appearances came on 29 April 2002 when she dined with [[Elizabeth II|the Queen]] at [[Downing Street]] as part of the [[Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Golden Jubilee]] celebrations, alongside Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]], and the four surviving former prime ministers at the time, as well as several relatives of other deceased prime ministers.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1957292.stm | work=BBC News | title=Queen dines with her prime ministers | date=29 April 2002}}</ref>
On 29 April 2002 she dined with [[Elizabeth II|the Queen]] at [[Downing Street]] as part of the [[Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Golden Jubilee]] celebrations, alongside Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]], and the four surviving former prime ministers at the time, as well as several relatives of other deceased prime ministers.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1957292.stm | work=BBC News | title=Queen dines with her prime ministers | date=29 April 2002}}</ref>


She was made a [[Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter]] (LG) on 23 April 2005,<ref name="LG">{{London Gazette |issue= 57622|date= 25 April 2005|page=5363}}</ref> and was invested on 13 June at [[Windsor Castle]].<ref>"The Queen [...] today held a Chapter of the Most Noble Order of the Garter [...] Her Majesty invested the Baroness Soames with the Insignia of a Lady Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter." [[Court Circular|The Court Circular]] 13 June 2005.</ref> She used the insignia worn by her father, Winston Churchill, who was made a [[Order of the Garter|Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter]] in 1953.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}
She was made a [[Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter]] (LG) on 23 April 2005,<ref name="LG">{{London Gazette |issue= 57622|date= 25 April 2005|page=5363}}</ref> and was invested on 13 June at [[Windsor Castle]].<ref>"The Queen [...] today held a Chapter of the Most Noble Order of the Garter [...] Her Majesty invested the Baroness Soames with the Insignia of a Lady Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter." [[Court Circular|The Court Circular]] 13 June 2005.</ref> She used the insignia worn by her father, Winston Churchill, who was made a [[Order of the Garter|Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter]] in 1953.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

==Literary works==
⚫
A successful author, Lady Soames wrote an acclaimed biography of her mother, ''Clementine Churchill'', in 1979. She offered insights into the Churchill family to various biographers, prominently including [[Martin Gilbert|Sir Martin Gilbert]], who became the authorised biographer of Sir Winston Churchill after the death of Churchill's son, [[Randolph Churchill|Randolph]], in 1968. Additionally, she published a book of letters between Sir Winston and Lady Churchill, editing the letters as well as providing bridging material that placed the letters in personal, family, and historical context.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rbooks.co.uk/author.aspx?id=26995|title=Mary Soames: biography|publisher=Random House Group|access-date=19 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318224653/http://www.rbooks.co.uk/author.aspx?id=26995|archive-date=18 March 2012}}</ref> In 2012, her memoirs, based upon her diaries from childhood up to the time of her marriage, were published under the title ''A Daughter's Tale.''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Soames |first1=Mary |title=A Daughter's Tale: The Memoir of Winston Churchill's Youngest Child |date=2012 |publisher=Random House |location=New York |isbn=978-0679645184 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JFbUYlktH5cC |access-date=18 June 2021}}</ref>


==Family==
==Family==
Line 57: Line 59:
==Death==
==Death==
[[File:Bladon, Oxfordshire - St Martin's Church - churchyard, grave of Prime Minister Churchill's daughters.jpg|thumb|upright|Christopher and Mary Soames' grave at [[St Martin's Church, Bladon]], in 2015]]
[[File:Bladon, Oxfordshire - St Martin's Church - churchyard, grave of Prime Minister Churchill's daughters.jpg|thumb|upright|Christopher and Mary Soames' grave at [[St Martin's Church, Bladon]], in 2015]]
On 31 May 2014, Lady Soames died at her home in London at the age of 91 following a short illness.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/mary-soames-daughter-of-winston-churchill-dies-at-91/2014/06/01/cec0f4a0-e9b6-11e3-93d2-edd4be1f5d9e_story.html Mary Soames, daughter of Winston Churchill, dies at 91 - The Washington Post]</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Lady Soames, Winston Churchill's last surviving child, dies aged 91|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10868042/Lady-Soames-Winston-Churchills-last-surviving-child-dies-aged-91.html|access-date=1 June 2014|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=1 June 2014}}</ref> Her ashes are buried next to those of her husband within the Churchill plot at [[St Martin's Church, Bladon]], near [[Woodstock, Oxfordshire]]. Since 24 September 1982, with the death of her sister [[Sarah Churchill (actress)|Sarah]], she had been the last surviving child of Winston Churchill.
On 31 May 2014, Lady Mary Soames died at her home in London at the age of 91 following a short illness.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/mary-soames-daughter-of-winston-churchill-dies-at-91/2014/06/01/cec0f4a0-e9b6-11e3-93d2-edd4be1f5d9e_story.html|title=Mary Soames, daughter of Winston Churchill, dies at 91 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Lady Soames, Winston Churchill's last surviving child, dies aged 91|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10868042/Lady-Soames-Winston-Churchills-last-surviving-child-dies-aged-91.html|access-date=1 June 2014|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=1 June 2014}}</ref> Her ashes are buried next to those of her husband within the Churchill plot at [[St Martin's Church, Bladon]], near [[Woodstock, Oxfordshire]]. Since 24 September 1982, with the death of her sister [[Sarah Churchill (actress)|Sarah]], she had been the last surviving child of Winston Churchill.


Six months after her death, on 17 December 2014, [[Sotheby's]] London auctioned 255 items out of her collection on behalf of her heirs, including paintings by and memorabilia attached to her father. According to Sotheby's, the sale "realised an outstanding total of £15,441,822, well above pre-sale expectations of £3.6-5.5 million."<ref>{{cite web|title=Auction Results: Daughter of History: Mary Soames and the Legacy of Churchill|url=http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2014/daughter-history-mary-soames-legacy-churchill-l14316.html|publisher=Sotheby's|access-date=27 November 2016|date=17 December 2014}}</ref>
Six months after her death, on 17 December 2014, [[Sotheby's]] London auctioned 255 items out of her collection on behalf of her heirs, including paintings by and memorabilia attached to her father. According to Sotheby's, the sale "realised an outstanding total of £15,441,822, well above pre-sale expectations of £3.6-5.5 million."<ref>{{cite web|title=Auction Results: Daughter of History: Mary Soames and the Legacy of Churchill|url=http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2014/daughter-history-mary-soames-legacy-churchill-l14316.html|publisher=Sotheby's|access-date=27 November 2016|date=17 December 2014}}</ref>


==Arms==
== Honours ==
{|
|+Ribbon rack of Lady Soames<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=the-saleroom.com |date=2009-12-02 |title=Lady Mary Soames, nee Churchill, D.B.E., M.B.E., daughter of Sir Winston Churchill Ribbons mounte |url=https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/dix-noonan-webb/catalogue-id-2782179/lot-8098631 |access-date=2024-05-25 |website=www.the-saleroom.com |language=en-gb}}</ref>
|[[File:Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon.svg|70x70px]]
|[[File:39-45 Star BAR.svg|70x70px]]
|[[File:France and Germany Star BAR.svg|70x70px]]
|-
|[[File:Defence Medal 1945.png|70x70px]]
|[[File:War Medal 39-45 BAR.svg|70x70px]]
|[[File:Zimbabwean Independence Medal ribbon.png|73x73px]]
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Country
!Appointment
!Ribbon
!Post-nominal letters
!Notes
|-
|[[United Kingdom]]
|[[Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter]]
|[[File:Order of the Garter, ribbon bar (colour from 1950 onwards).svg|70x70px]]
|LG
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Rt Hon. The Lady Soames, LG, DBE {{!}} Personajes |url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/the-rt-hon-the-lady-soames-lg-dbe--474215035741927762/ |access-date=2024-05-25 |website=Pinterest |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|[[United Kingdom]]
|[[Order of the British Empire|Member of the Order of the British Empire]]
|[[File:Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon.svg|70x70px]]
|MBE
|<ref name=":0" /> Also a Dame Commander in the Civil Division
|-
|[[United Kingdom]]
|[[Order of the British Empire|Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
|[[File:Order_of_the_British_Empire_(Civil)_Ribbon.svg|70x70px]]
|DBE
|<ref name=":0" /> Also a Member in the Military Division
|-
|[[United Kingdom]]
|[[1939–1945 Star]]
|[[File:39-45 Star BAR.svg|70x70px]]
|
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|[[United Kingdom]]
|[[France and Germany Star]]
|[[File:France and Germany Star BAR.svg|70x70px]]
|
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|[[United Kingdom]]
|[[Defence Medal (United Kingdom)|Defence Medal]]
|[[File:Defence Medal 1945.png|70x70px]]
|
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|[[United Kingdom]]
|[[War Medal 1939–1945]]
|[[File:War Medal 39-45 BAR.svg|70x70px]]
|
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|[[Zimbabwe]]
|[[Zimbabwean Independence Medal, 1980]]
|[[File:Zimbabwean Independence Medal ribbon.png|73x73px]]
|
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|[[France]]
|[[Order of Liberation]]
|[[File:Ordre de la Liberation 2nd ribbon.svg|73x73px]]
|
|<ref name=":0" />
|}

== Arms ==
{{Infobox COA wide
{{Infobox COA wide
|image = Coat of Arms of Mary, Baroness Soames.svg
|image = File:Coat of Arms of Mary, Baroness Soames.svg
|imagesize = 250px
|banner = Lady Soames's [[Order of the Garter|Garter]] banner at [[St Martin's Church, Bladon]]
|banner = Lady Soames's [[Order of the Garter|Garter]] banner at [[St Martin's Church, Bladon]]
|bannerimage = Bladon, Oxfordshire - St Martin's Church - Garter banner of Mary Soames, Baroness Soames.jpg
|bannerimage = Bladon, Oxfordshire - St Martin's Church - Garter banner of Mary Soames, Baroness Soames.jpg
|badgeimage =
|badgeimage =
|notes = Lady of the [[Order of the Garter|Garter]] since 2005
|notes = Lady Companion of the [[Order of the Garter|Garter]] from 2005 to 2014
|adopted =
|adopted =
|coronet =A [[Coronet|coronet of a Baroness]]
|coronet =A [[Coronet|coronet of a Baroness]]
Line 75: Line 151:
|compartment =
|compartment =
|motto = FIEL PERO DESDICHADO<br /> [[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''Faithful but Unfortunate''
|motto = FIEL PERO DESDICHADO<br /> [[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''Faithful but Unfortunate''
|orders =The Order of the Garter circlet.<br />The [[Order of the British Empire]] Commander's neck badge (Civil).<ref>''The Heraldry Gazette''. New Series 105 (September 2007), pp.1-2. ISSN 0437-2980</ref>}}
|orders = The [[Order of the Garter]] circlet.<br />The [[Order of the British Empire]] Commander's neck badge (Civil).<ref>''The Heraldry Gazette''. New Series 105 (September 2007), pp.1-2. ISSN 0437-2980</ref>}}


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
Line 105: Line 181:
[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century English biographers]]
⚫
[[Category:21st-century English memoirists]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century English women writers]]
⚫
[[Category:21st-century English women writers]]
[[Category:Spencer family|Mary Soames, Baroness Soames]]
[[Category:Spencer family|Mary Soames, Baroness Soames]]
[[Category:Winston Churchill]]
[[Category:Family of Winston Churchill|Mary]]
[[Category:British baronesses]]
[[Category:British baronesses]]
[[Category:Children of prime ministers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Children of prime ministers of the United Kingdom]]
Line 113: Line 193:
[[Category:Auxiliary Territorial Service officers]]
[[Category:Auxiliary Territorial Service officers]]
[[Category:Ladies Companion of the Garter]]
[[Category:Ladies Companion of the Garter]]
⚫
[[Category:English biographers]]
⚫
[[Category:English memoirists]]
[[Category:English people of American descent]]
[[Category:English people of American descent]]
[[Category:British women memoirists]]
[[Category:English women memoirists]]
[[Category:Women biographers]]
[[Category:English women biographers]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century British women writers]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century British non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Burials at St Martin's Church, Bladon]]
[[Category:Burials at St Martin's Church, Bladon]]
[[Category:Daughters of life peers]]
[[Category:Daughters of life peers]]
[[Category:Spouses of life peers]]
[[Category:Spouses of life peers]]
[[Category:Wives of knights]]
[[Category:Wives of knights]]
[[Category:Writers from London]]
[[Category:Wolfson History Prize winners]]

Latest revision as of 21:27, 12 December 2024

"Mary Churchill" redirects here. For the duchess, see Mary Montagu, Duchess of Montagu (1689–1751).
The Right Honourable

The Lady Soames

LG DBE FRSL
Soames in 1965
BornMary Spencer Churchill
(1922-09-15)15 September 1922
London, England
Died31 May 2014(2014-05-31) (aged 91)
London, England
BuriedSt Martin's Church, Bladon
NationalityBritish
Noble familySpencer-Churchill
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1947; died 1987)​
Issue
FatherWinston Churchill
MotherClementine Hozier

Mary Soames, Baroness Soames, LG, DBE, FRSL (née Spencer Churchill; 15 September 1922 – 31 May 2014) was an English author. The youngest of the five children of Winston Churchill and his wife, Clementine,[1] she worked for public organisations including the Red Cross and the Women's Voluntary Service from 1939 to 1941, and joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1941. She was the wife of Conservative politician Christopher Soames.

Biography

[edit]
With her father at the Potsdam Conference, 1945
Junior commander Mary Churchill at the British Victory Parade in Berlin, 21 July 1945

Mary Spencer Churchill was born in London, in the same week as her father, Winston Churchill, purchased Chartwell, a country house in Kent; she was brought up there, attending local schools.[2] She worked for the Red Cross and the Women's Voluntary Service from 1939 to 1941, and joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1941[2] with which she served in London, Belgium and Germany in mixed anti-aircraft batteries, rising to the rank of Junior Commander (equivalent to Captain). She accompanied her father as aide-de-camp on several of his overseas journeys, including his post-VE trip to Potsdam, where he met Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin. In 1945, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), in recognition of meritorious military services.[3]

She served many public organisations, such as the International Churchill Society, as a Patron; Church Army and Churchill Houses; and chaired the Royal National Theatre Board of Trustees between 1989 and 1995.[4] She was Patron of the National Benevolent Fund for the Aged.

She accompanied her husband, Christopher Soames, on his foreign postings as an Ambassador and/or Governor: to Paris (during 1968–1972) where she resided at Hotel de Charost, and to Rhodesia.

In 1980, Lady Soames was promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her public service, particularly in Rhodesia.[5]

In 1992, Soames appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. Her chosen book was Memoirs from Beyond the Grave by Chateaubriand and her luxury item was a supply of fine Havana cigars.[6] She chose as her favourite record a movement from Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony, which evoked the joy of returning to the countryside for her, a devoted countrywoman.

On 29 April 2002 she dined with the Queen at Downing Street as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations, alongside Prime Minister Tony Blair, and the four surviving former prime ministers at the time, as well as several relatives of other deceased prime ministers.[7]

She was made a Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter (LG) on 23 April 2005,[8] and was invested on 13 June at Windsor Castle.[9] She used the insignia worn by her father, Winston Churchill, who was made a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter in 1953.[citation needed]

Literary works

[edit]

A successful author, Lady Soames wrote an acclaimed biography of her mother, Clementine Churchill, in 1979. She offered insights into the Churchill family to various biographers, prominently including Sir Martin Gilbert, who became the authorised biographer of Sir Winston Churchill after the death of Churchill's son, Randolph, in 1968. Additionally, she published a book of letters between Sir Winston and Lady Churchill, editing the letters as well as providing bridging material that placed the letters in personal, family, and historical context.[10] In 2012, her memoirs, based upon her diaries from childhood up to the time of her marriage, were published under the title A Daughter's Tale.[11]

Family

[edit]
Christopher and Mary Soames in Lenzerheide, February 1947

Mary married the Conservative politician Christopher Soames (later created Baron Soames) in 1947 and they had five children:[12]

Death

[edit]
Christopher and Mary Soames' grave at St Martin's Church, Bladon, in 2015

On 31 May 2014, Lady Mary Soames died at her home in London at the age of 91 following a short illness.[13][14] Her ashes are buried next to those of her husband within the Churchill plot at St Martin's Church, Bladon, near Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Since 24 September 1982, with the death of her sister Sarah, she had been the last surviving child of Winston Churchill.

Six months after her death, on 17 December 2014, Sotheby's London auctioned 255 items out of her collection on behalf of her heirs, including paintings by and memorabilia attached to her father. According to Sotheby's, the sale "realised an outstanding total of £15,441,822, well above pre-sale expectations of £3.6-5.5 million."[15]

Honours

[edit]
Ribbon rack of Lady Soames[16]
Country Appointment Ribbon Post-nominal letters Notes
United Kingdom Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter LG [17]
United Kingdom Member of the Order of the British Empire MBE [16] Also a Dame Commander in the Civil Division
United Kingdom Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire DBE [16] Also a Member in the Military Division
United Kingdom 1939–1945 Star [16]
United Kingdom France and Germany Star [16]
United Kingdom Defence Medal [16]
United Kingdom War Medal 1939–1945 [16]
Zimbabwe Zimbabwean Independence Medal, 1980 [16]
France Order of Liberation [16]

Arms

[edit]
Coat of arms of Mary Soames
Notes
Lady Companion of the Garter from 2005 to 2014
Coronet
A coronet of a Baroness
Escutcheon
Gules, a chevron Or, between in chief two hammers of the last and in base two wings Argent; impaled with quarterly, first and fourth Sable a Lion rampant Argent, overall on a quarter of the last a cross Gules; second and third grandquarterly 1st and 4th Argent 2nd and 3rd Gules a fret Or overall a bend Sable charged with three escallops Argent; in chief an escutcheon Argent a cross Gules thereon an inescutcheon Azure three fleurs-de-lys Or.
Supporters
Dexter: A winged lion Argent gorged Gules. Sinister: a falcon Or holding a cord Gules and Argent.
Motto
FIEL PERO DESDICHADO
Spanish: Faithful but Unfortunate
Orders
The Order of the Garter circlet.
The Order of the British Empire Commander's neck badge (Civil).[18]
Banner
Lady Soames's Garter banner at St Martin's Church, Bladon

Bibliography

[edit]

Books written by Mary Soames (titles may vary between UK and US editions):

  • Clementine Churchill: The Biography of a Marriage (1979)
  • Family Album: A Personal Selection from Four Generations of Churchills (1982)
  • The Profligate Duke: George Spencer Churchill, Fifth Duke of Marlborough, and His Duchess (1987)[19]
  • Winston Churchill: His Life as a Painter (1990)
  • Speaking For Themselves: The Private Letters of Sir Winston and Lady Churchill (1999)
  • Clementine Churchill: The Revised and Updated Biography (2005)
  • A Daughter's Tale: The Memoir of Winston and Clementine Churchill's Youngest Child (2012)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Lady Mary Soames, Winston Churchill's daughter, dies". BBC News. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b Wrigley, Chris. (2002). Winston Churchill: A biographical companion. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. pp. 123–125. ISBN 978-0-87436-990-8.
  3. ^ "No. 37025". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 April 1945. p. 1903.
  4. ^ David Reynolds Obituary: Lady Soames, The Guardian, 1 June 2014
  5. ^ "No. 48212". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 1980. p. 8.
  6. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Lady Soames". BBC. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Queen dines with her prime ministers". BBC News. 29 April 2002.
  8. ^ "No. 57622". The London Gazette. 25 April 2005. p. 5363.
  9. ^ "The Queen [...] today held a Chapter of the Most Noble Order of the Garter [...] Her Majesty invested the Baroness Soames with the Insignia of a Lady Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter." The Court Circular 13 June 2005.
  10. ^ "Mary Soames: biography". Random House Group. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
  11. ^ Soames, Mary (2012). A Daughter's Tale: The Memoir of Winston Churchill's Youngest Child. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0679645184. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  12. ^ Reynolds, David (2018). "Soames [née Spencer Churchill], Mary, Lady Soames (1922–2014), author and public servant". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.109451. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Mary Soames, daughter of Winston Churchill, dies at 91". The Washington Post.
  14. ^ "Lady Soames, Winston Churchill's last surviving child, dies aged 91". The Daily Telegraph. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  15. ^ "Auction Results: Daughter of History: Mary Soames and the Legacy of Churchill". Sotheby's. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i the-saleroom.com (2 December 2009). "Lady Mary Soames, nee Churchill, D.B.E., M.B.E., daughter of Sir Winston Churchill Ribbons mounte". www.the-saleroom.com. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  17. ^ "The Rt Hon. The Lady Soames, LG, DBE | Personajes". Pinterest. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  18. ^ The Heraldry Gazette. New Series 105 (September 2007), pp.1-2. ISSN 0437-2980
  19. ^ This book engages itself with the gardens in Blenheim and Whiteknights.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mary Soames, Lady Soames.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Mary_Soames&oldid=1262724769"