Talk:Violet Bonham Carter

Biography: Peerage and Baronetage / Politics and Government

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Winston Churchill

There was a story in the papers a year or two ago that she was actually desperately in love with Churchill and made an attention-seeking suicide attempt when he announced his engagement to Clementine Hozier. Might make a nice addition if it appears in a reputable book.Paulturtle (talk) 11:07, 15 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]

In her book Winston Churchill as I knew him she talks about meeting him and her on separate occasions in 1906 and referred to them both as her friends before they married in 1908. She goes into detail about her particularly close friendship with him but not in that sort of way. There is no reference to any suicide attempt. Graemp (talk) 11:31, 15 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Well, sure, but that was written over fifty years ago, when Clementine was still alive and Lady Violet was a respected public figure. Just found it still online here. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2237607/Herbert-Asquiths-daughter-Violet-jumped-cliff-ditched-Churchill.html It's in a book with the rather silly title of "Young Titan" about WSC's early life. Slight caveat as I've found a review of the book by Andrew Roberts which points out that although Violet and Winston were very close and her clifftop adventure was a matter of press report at the time, there isn't a great deal of other evidence. Have added the story and tried to distinguish between documented fact and Shelden's speculation.Paulturtle (talk) 13:45, 15 April 2015 (UTC) Ann de Courcy's recent book about Margot Asquith - admittedly starting in 1912 - mentions that Violet "adored" Churchill and that Clementine (who comes out of the story of those years rather badly, behaving hysterically towards the Asquiths when WSC was demoted from the Admiralty) was understandably miffed when her husband went on holiday with the Asquiths, including Violet, on board HMS Enchantress. But no further details. I doubt WSC was having an affair with her, just that there may have been some lingering connection there.Paulturtle (talk) 17:28, 25 April 2015 (UTC) Also Sonia Purnell's recent book about Clementine, in the shops at the moment, mentions most of this, including the alleged suicide attempt, along with some comment attributed to Violet about how she intended to gain Churchill's attention. After that, Violet's parents became concerned at her unhinged behaviour for a few months until she calmed down. It also stresses how Violet stayed in touch with WSC and was distraught during WW1 when he was away at the Front and she had no means of seeing him or keeping in regular touch - and mentions that examination of letters and diaries of the time shows that Violet was clearly in love with Churchill, whatever she later pretended.Paulturtle (talk) 16:05, 21 May 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Just returning to this old comment. Am just reading Christopher Bell's book on Churchill and the Dardanelles at the moment (recommended). As everybody who has ever studied WSC knows, in 1914-15 he was in the habit of saying how much he was enjoying the war, how "delicious" it was, etc etc. An examination of one such comment as it appears in V B-C's diaries (published in 1998) shows that she sanitised the version which she printed in her 1965 memoir of Churchill. A little tangential I know, but more evidence that Violet's book about Churchill, like most memoirs of that kind, needs to be read with caution.Paulturtle (talk) 23:21, 14 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]