The Mitford Sisters: Six Aristocratic Lives Divided by Fascism, Communism, and Satire
The six Mitford sisters and their brother Tom were raised in Oxfordshire and London by their parents, David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale, and Sydney, with governesses providing their education. Their diverse political beliefs often led to tensions within the family. Nancy, born in 1904, emerged as a satirist, authoring The Pursuit of Love (1945) and Love in a Cold Climate; she relocated to Paris in 1946 and passed away in 1973. Diana, who was born six years later, wed Oswald Mosley in Berlin in 1936; Nancy alerted MI5 about her in 1940, resulting in Diana's arrest. Unity, born in 1914, pursued Hitler and tragically shot herself after Britain declared war on September 3, 1939, dying in 1948. Jessica, born in 1917, wed civil rights attorney Bob Treuhaft and wrote The American Way of Death (1963). Deborah, born in 1920, became the Duchess of Devonshire. Tom, born in 1909, lost his life in Burma in 1945.
Key facts
- The Mitford sisters were the six daughters of David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale, and Sydney Mitford.
- Nancy Mitford, born 1904, wrote The Pursuit of Love (1945) and moved to Paris in 1946, dying in 1973.
- Diana Mitford married Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 in Joseph Goebbels's Berlin drawing room with Adolf Hitler in attendance.
- Nancy Mitford reported Diana to MI5 in 1940, resulting in Diana's three-year imprisonment alongside Mosley.
- Unity Mitford shot herself in Munich on September 3, 1939, hours after Britain declared war on Germany, and died nine years later aged 33.
- Jessica Mitford eloped with Esmond Romilly, later joined the Communist Party USA, and published The American Way of Death in 1963.
- Deborah Mitford became Duchess of Devonshire and managed Chatsworth House in Derbyshire.
- Tom Mitford, the only son, was killed in action in Burma in 1945.
Entities
Artists
- Nancy Mitford
- Pamela Mitford
- Diana Mitford
- Unity Mitford
- Jessica Mitford
- Deborah Mitford
- Tom Mitford
- David Freeman-Mitford
- Sydney Mitford
- Evelyn Waugh
- Peter Rodd
- Gaston Palewski
- Oswald Mosley
- Bryan Guinness
- Adolf Hitler
- Joseph Goebbels
- Julius Streicher
- Eva Braun
- Esmond Romilly
- Winston Churchill
- Bob Treuhaft
- Maya Angelou
- Derek Jackson
- Andrew Cavendish
- Vladimir Lenin
- Lord Redesdale
- Lady Redesdale
- Sir Oswald Mosley
- Charles de Gaulle
- Anthony Eden
- Richard Wagner
- Mary Lovell
- Lord Andrew Cavendish
- Lady Cynthia Curzon
Institutions
- British Union of Fascists
- MI5
- BBC
- Der Stürmer
- Daily Worker
- Communist Party of the United States of America
- National Portrait Gallery
- Chatsworth House
- The Sketch
- News of the World
- The Collector
- Queen's Gate School
- St Margaret's School
- House of Lords
- Labour Party
- BBC Radio 4
- Desert Island Discs
- International Brigades
- Canadian Air Force
- US Office of Price Administration
- Communist Party of the USA
- House Un-American Activities Committee
- Heywood Hill bookshop
- Chatsworth
Locations
- Oxfordshire
- England
- United Kingdom
- London
- Paris
- France
- Versailles
- Berlin
- Germany
- Munich
- Nuremberg
- Ontario
- Canada
- Swastika
- Spain
- Burma
- Myanmar
- Derbyshire
- East End
- Belgravia
- Kensington
- Hertfordshire
- Austria
- Italy
- Inch Kenneth
- Scotland
- Washington D.C.
- United States
- Oakland
- California
- Switzerland
- English Garden