Mary Soames, Baroness Soames, (; 15 September 1922 31 May 2014) was an English author. The youngest of the five children of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

and his wife,

Clementine A clementine (''Citrus × clementina'') is a tangor, a citrus fruit hybrid between a willowleaf mandarin orange ( ''C.'' × ''deliciosa'') and a sweet orange (''C. × sinensis''), named in honor of Clément Rodier, a French missionary who fir ...

, she worked for public organisations including the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

and the

Women's Voluntary Service The Royal Voluntary Service (known as the Women's Voluntary Services (WVS) from 1938 to 1966; Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) from 1966 to 2004 and WRVS from 2004 to 2013) is a voluntary organisation concerned with helping people in need ...

from 1939 to 1941, and joined the

Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existed until 1 Februa ...

in 1941. She was the wife of Conservative politician

Christopher Soames Arthur Christopher John Soames, Baron Soames, (12 October 1920 – 16 September 1987) was a British Conservative politician who served as a European Commissioner and the last Governor of Southern Rhodesia. He was previously Member of Parliame ...

Biography

Mary Spencer-Churchill was born in London, in the same week as her father,

, purchased

Chartwell Chartwell is a country house near Westerham, Kent, in South East England. For over forty years it was the home of Winston Churchill. He bought the property in September 1922 and lived there until shortly before his death in January 1965. In th ...

, a country house in Kent; she was brought up there, attending local schools. She worked for the

and the

from 1939 to 1941, and joined the

in 1941 with which she served in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Belgium and Germany in mixed anti-aircraft batteries, rising to the rank of Junior Commander (equivalent to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

). She accompanied her father as aide-de-camp on several of his overseas journeys, including his post- VE trip to

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

, where he met

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

and

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

. In 1945, she was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE), in recognition of meritorious military services. She served many public organisations, such as the International Churchill Society, as a Patron;

Church Army The Church Army is an evangelistic organisation and mission community founded in 1882 in association with the Church of England and now operating internationally in many parts of the Anglican Communion. History The Church Army was founded in E ...

and Churchill Houses; and chaired the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

Board of Trustees between 1989 and 1995.David Reynold
Obituary: Lady Soames
''The Guardian'', 1 June 2014 She was Patron of the

National Benevolent Fund for the Aged The National Benevolent Fund for the Aged was registered as a charity in 1957 and became NBFA Assisting the Elderly in 2012. Working across the United Kingdom it provided support for isolated, marginalised and lonely older people on low incomes un ...

. She accompanied her husband,

, on his foreign postings as an Ambassador and/or Governor: to Paris (during 1968-1972) where she resided at Hotel de Charost, ranking alongside Diana Cooper in the annals of keen ambassadresses, and to

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

. 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 Sir Martin John Gilbert (25 October 1936 – 3 February 2015) was a British historian and honorary Fellow of Merton College, Oxford. He was the author of eighty-eight books, including works on Winston Churchill, the 20th century, and Jewish h ...

, who became the authorised biographer of Sir Winston Churchill after the death of Churchill's son,

Randolph Randolph may refer to: Places In the United States * Randolph, Alabama, an unincorporated community * Randolph, Arizona, a populated place * Randolph, California, a village merged into the city of Brea * Randolph, Illinois, an unincorporated commun ...

, 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. 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.'' In 1980, Lady Soames was promoted to

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(DBE) for her public service, particularly in Rhodesia. 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 Habanos S.A. is a Cuban manufacturing company of tobacco that controls the promotion, distribution, and export of premium cigars and other tobacco products for Cuba worldwide. It was established in 1994. Ownership of Habanos S.A. is split equal ...

. She chose as her favourite record a movement from Beethoven's

Pastoral Symphony The Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, also known as the ''Pastoral Symphony'' (German: ''Pastorale''), is a symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven and completed in 1808. One of Beethoven's few works containing explicitly programmatic cont ...

, 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

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

Downing Street Downing Street is a street in Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Situated off Whitehall, it is long, and a few minutes' walk ...

as part of the

Golden Jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...

celebrations, alongside Prime Minister

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...

, and the four surviving former prime ministers at the time, as well as several relatives of other deceased prime ministers. She was made a

Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George Cr ...

(LG) on 23 April 2005, and was invested on 13 June at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

. She used the insignia worn by her father, Winston Churchill, who was made a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter in 1953.

Family

Mary married the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

politician

(later created Baron Soames) in 1947 and they had five children:

Death

On 31 May 2014, Lady Soames died at her home in London at the age of 91 following a short illness. Her ashes are buried next to those of her husband within the Churchill plot at

St Martin's Church, Bladon St Martin's Church in Bladon near Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, is the Church of England parish church of Bladon-with-Woodstock. It is also the mother church of St Mary Magdalene at Woodstock, which was originally a chapel of ease. It is bes ...

, near

Woodstock, Oxfordshire Woodstock is a market town and civil parish, north-west of Oxford in West Oxfordshire in the county of Oxfordshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 3,100. Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is next to Wo ...

. Since 24 September 1982, with the death of her sister

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a piou ...

, she had been the last surviving child of Winston Churchill. Six months after her death, on 17 December 2014,

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...

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."

Arms

Bibliography

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)This book engages itself with the gardens in Blenheim and

Whiteknights Whiteknights Park, or the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading, is the principal campus of that university. The park covers the area of the manor of Earley Whiteknights, also known as Earley St Nicholas and Earley Regis. Whit ...

. *''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

External links

* *
''Booknotes'' interview with Soames on ''Winston & Clementine: The Personal Letters of the Churchills'', 2 May 1999.
*
The Papers of Lady Soames
held at

Churchill Archives Centre The Churchill Archives Centre (CAC) at Churchill College at the University of Cambridge is one of the largest repositories in the United Kingdom for the preservation and study of modern personal papers. It is best known for housing the papers of ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soames, Mary 1922 births 2014 deaths

Mary Soames, Baroness Soames Mary Soames, Baroness Soames, (; 15 September 1922 31 May 2014) was an English author. The youngest of the five children of Winston Churchill and his wife, Clementine, she worked for public organisations including the Red Cross and the Women's ...

Winston Churchill British baronesses Children of prime ministers of the United Kingdom Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Auxiliary Territorial Service officers Ladies Companion of the Garter English biographers English memoirists English people of American descent British women memoirists Women biographers 20th-century British women writers 20th-century British non-fiction writers Burials at St Martin's Church, Bladon Daughters of life peers Spouses of life peers Wives of knights