Lady Angela Forbes
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Lady Angela Selina Bianca Forbes (née St Clair-Erskine; 11 June 1876 – 22 October 1950) was a British socialite and novelist who was known as a
forces sweetheart Forces Sweetheart (or Forces' Sweetheart) is an accolade given to entertainers, actors and singers originally in the United Kingdom who have become a favourite of soldiers in the British Armed Forces, though the term is used in other countries ...
for organising soldiers' canteens in France during the First World War. She reverted to her maiden name in 1929.


Early life

Forbes was born at 8 Grafton Street, Mayfair, the youngest daughter of
Robert St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of Rosslyn The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
and Blanche Adeliza FitzRoy. Her sisters were
Millicent Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, The Duchess of Sutherland RRC (née Lady Millicent Fanny St. Clair-Erskine, 20 October 1867 – 20 August 1955) was a British society hostess, social reformer, author, editor, journalist, and playwright, ...
and
Sybil Fane, Countess of Westmorland Sibyls were oracular women believed to possess prophetic powers in ancient Greece. Sybil or Sibyl may also refer to: Films * ''Sybil'' (1921 film) * ''Sybil'' (1976 film), a film starring Sally Field * ''Sybil'' (2007 film), a remake of the 19 ...
, and her brothers were the 5th Earl of Rosslyn and Alexander FitzRoy St Clair-Erskine. She was also a half-sister of Frances Maynard, who became
Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick Frances Evelyn "Daisy" Greville, Countess of Warwick (''née'' Maynard; 10 December 1861 – 26 July 1938) was a British socialite and philanthropist. Although embedded in late- Victorian British high society, she was also a campaigning sociali ...
,Clayre Percy, "Forbes ée St Clair-Erskine Lady Angela Selina Bianca (1876–1950)" in ''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'' (OUP, 2007)
and of Blanche Maynard, who married Lord Algernon Charles Gordon-Lennox and was the mother of Ivy Gordon-Lennox, later Duchess of Portland. The 5th Duke of Sutherland, the 14th Earl of Westmorland, and the 6th Earl of Warwick were her nephews. Forbes grew up at
Dysart, Fife Dysart ( ; gd, Dìseart) is a former town and royal burgh located on the south-east coast between Kirkcaldy and West Wemyss in Fife. The town is now considered to be a suburb of Kirkcaldy. Dysart was once part of a wider estate owned by the St ...
, near
Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; sco, Kirkcaldy; gd, Cair Chaladain) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, ...
, and at Lady Anne's House near
Stamford, Lincolnshire Stamford is a town and civil parish in the South Kesteven District of Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 19,701 and estimated at 20,645 in 2019. The town has 17th- and 18th-century stone buildings, older timber-framed ...
, now Lady Anne's Hotel. She was educated by German governesses. She grew to a height of almost six feet and was considered vivacious rather than pretty, unlike her sisters. She resisted finishing her education in Germany, explaining that she had no wish to see Germany, having only just "escaped from German governesses", so she was sent back to the schoolroom in Scotland. Forbes spent much of her life fox-hunting and shooting, and she was depicted riding side-saddle at a meeting of the Quorn in a ''Vanity Fair'' magazine chromolithograph by Cuthbert Bradley. In her memoirs, she reveals that she was considered an ''
enfant terrible ''Enfant terrible'' (; ; "terrible child") is a French expression, traditionally referring to a child who is terrifyingly candid by saying embarrassing things to parents or others. However, the expression has drawn multiple usage in careers of ...
'' and that
Elinor Glyn Elinor Glyn ( Sutherland; 17 October 1864 – 23 September 1943) was a British novelist and scriptwriter who specialised in romantic fiction, which was considered scandalous for its time, although her works are relatively tame by modern stand ...
used her as the prototype of Elizabeth in her book ''Visits of Elizabeth'' (1900).


Career


Married life and after

On 28 April 1896, Lady Angela married James Stewart Forbes (1872–1957), an officer of the
Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but su ...
, with the use of Stafford House for the occasion, and they went on to have two daughters, Marigold (born 1897) and Flavia (born 1902). In 1907 they were divorced. Between 1910 and 1912, Forbes published four novels, mainly because she was hard up and needed to make some money. ''The Publisher'' magazine said of her novel ''The Other Woman's Shadow'' (1912) About 1912, she became the mistress of
Lord Elcho Earl of Wemyss ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1633. The Scottish Wemyss family had possessed the lands of Wemyss in Fife since the 12th century. Since 1823 the earldom has been held with the Earldom of March, created in ...
, due to a vacancy caused by the death of the Duchess of Leinster, and thus joined the social circle known as
the Souls The Souls was a small loosely-knit but distinctive elite social and intellectual group in the United Kingdom from 1885 to the turn of the century. Many of the most distinguished British politicians and intellectuals of the time were members. Th ...
. Forbes was then living either in her own house at
Le Touquet Le Touquet-Paris-Plage (; pcd, Ech Toutchet-Paris-Plache; vls, 't Oekske, older nl, Het Hoekske), commonly referred to as Le Touquet (), is a commune near Étaples, in the Pas-de-Calais department, northern France. It has a population of 4, ...
or in Elcho's country house in East Lothian. She has been called "a tough, vibrant personality whose language would make a trooper blush". The writer
Edith Sitwell Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell (7 September 1887 – 9 December 1964) was a British poet and critic and the eldest of the three literary Sitwells. She reacted badly to her eccentric, unloving parents and lived much of her life with her governess ...
(after Forbes had feuded with her brother Sacheverell) later described her as "an elderly gorilla afflicted with sex appeal".


World War I

At the outbreak of the First World War, Lady Angela went as a volunteer to Dr Haden Guest's hospital in Paris, where she took notes for the surgeons. A few weeks later she was in
Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...
and saw trains of wounded soldiers coming in, and was surprised that they were left on the quay for hours with no food or drink. In November 1914 she started a canteen for the soldiers in the station waiting-room. This turned into a string of canteens, formally known as the British Soldiers' Buffets, less formally as "Angelinas". Every train of wounded men was met by Lady Angela and her volunteers, largely friends and relations. At first, the supplies needed were funded by appeals in the newspapers, but in 1915, both the Red Cross and the British Soldiers' Buffets began to charge for their food and drink. In 1916, Lady Angela opened other canteens in
Étaples Étaples or Étaples-sur-Mer (; vls, Stapel, lang; pcd, Étape) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is a fishing and leisure port on the Canche river. History Étaples takes its name from having been a medieval ...
, the main depôt and transit camp for the British Expeditionary Force in France, to which wounded men returned. One canteen was for the workmen building the British army camp there, another for the British soldiers who were drilled there, and a third in the railway station, feeding men on their way to the front. These canteens were often open all night as well as all day.Lady Angela Forbes, ''Memories and Base Details'' (New York: G. H. Doran & Co., 1921) From the profits of her canteens, Forbes built fourteen recreational huts for the soldiers. However, senior officers found her abrasive, and
Sir Douglas Haig Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, (; 19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928) was a senior officer of the British Army. During the First World War, he commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until ...
, Commander of the British Expeditionary Force, was hostile to her. A few days after the
Étaples mutiny The Étaples mutiny was a series of mutinies in September 1917 by British Army and British Imperial soldiers at a training camp in the coastal port of Étaples in Northern France during World War I. Background Before the war, Étaples, sou ...
of September 1917, she was ordered to leave the base, without any explanation, at which she protested, to no avail. On 5 February 1918 the case was raised in the House of Lords by her former lover Lord Ribblesdale, and Lord Wemyss (previously Lord Elcho) spoke at length in her defence.
Lord Derby Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869, known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley) was a British statesman, three-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ...
, the War Secretary, replied on behalf of the government, recognising Lady Angela's valuable work and her "zeal and ability". It later transpired that the main accusations against her were that she had used the word "damn!" and had washed her hair in a canteen.


Later life

After the war, Forbes started a short-lived training scheme for disabled soldiers, then a dress shop, and also tried to run Lord Wemyss's
Gosford House Gosford House is a neoclassical country house around northeast of Longniddry in East Lothian, Scotland, on the A198 Aberlady Road, in of parkland and coast. It is the family seat of the Charteris family, the Earls of Wemyss and March. It was t ...
as a hotel. In 1921 she published her first book of memoirs, ''Memories and Base Details''. She reverted to her maiden name by
deed poll A deed poll (plural: deeds poll) is a legal document binding on a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an intention or create an obligation. It is a deed, and not a contract because it binds only one party (law), party. Et ...
in 1929. After travelling widely, she wrote about her travels in ''Fore and Aft'' (1932). Lady Angela Forbes died on the island of
Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...
and was buried at
Rosslyn Chapel Rosslyn Chapel, formerly known as the Collegiate Chapel of St Matthew, is a 15th-century chapel located in the village of Roslin, Midlothian, Scotland. Rosslyn Chapel was founded on a small hill above Roslin Glen as a Catholic collegiate churc ...
, Midlothian, on 2 November 1950.Evangeline Holland
Lady Angela Forbes on her debut in society
dated October 18, 2012, at edwardianpromenade.com, accessed 12 October 2018
In March 2023, she was one of a number of notable women with a connection to
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
honoured by
South Kesteven District Council South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
.


Descendants

With her husband, who was a grandson of Sir Charles Forbes, 3rd baronet, Forbes had two daughters: *Marigold Forbes (26 August 1897 — 11 February 1975), who in 1918 married
Sir Archibald Sinclair Archibald Henry Macdonald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso, (22 October 1890 – 15 June 1970), known as Sir Archibald Sinclair between 1912 and 1952, and often as Archie Sinclair, was a British politician and leader of the Liberal Party. Backgr ...
, of
Thurso Castle Thurso Castle (alternatively, Castrum De Thorsa, Castle of Ormly, and Castle of Ormlie) is a ruined 19th-century castle, located in Thurso, Caithness, in the Scottish Highlands. Situated in Thurso East, off Castletown Road, east of the River Thur ...
, later leader of the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
. In 1952 he was created
Viscount Thurso Viscount Thurso, of Ulbster in the County of Caithness, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 11 June 1952 for the Scottish Liberal politician and former Secretary of State for Air, Sir Archibald Sinclair, 4th Baron ...
. They had four children, including
Robin Sinclair, 2nd Viscount Thurso Robin Macdonald Sinclair, 2nd Viscount Thurso, JP (24 December 1922 – 29 April 1995), was a Scottish landowner, businessman and Liberal Party politician. He was Lord Lieutenant of Caithness from 1973 until his death. Background Sinclair was ...
. Her grandson
John Thurso John Archibald Sinclair, 3rd Viscount Thurso (born 10 September 1953), known also as John Thurso, is a Scottish businessman, Liberal Democrat politician and hereditary peer who is notable for having served in the House of Lords both before and a ...
remains a member of the
House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
.''Burke's Peerage'', volume 3 (2003), p. 340 *Flavia Forbes (18 December 1902 — 13 October 1959), who in 1923 married firstly
Lionel Heald Sir Lionel Frederick Heald, QC, PC (7 August 1897 – 8 November 1981) was a British barrister and Conservative Party politician. Early life Heald was born in Parrs Wood, Didsbury, Lancashire. He was educated at Charterhouse, then served ...
; he divorced her in June 1928. She married secondly in 1933 Colonel Lionel Herbert de Pinto (divorced 1938). In 1939 she married thirdly
Sir Alexander Hay Seton, 10th Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...
(divorced 1958); with Sir Lionel Heald she had a daughter, Susan Heald and a son Michael Arthur Rufus Heald.


In popular culture

Lady Angela appears as a character in the BBC television production ''
The Monocled Mutineer ''The Monocled Mutineer'' is a 1986 BBC television drama series starring Paul McGann about the Étaples mutiny in 1917 during the First World War. The four-part serial, which was the first historical screenplay written by Alan Bleasdale, dramat ...
'' (1986), played by
Penelope Wilton Dame Penelope Alice Wilton (born 3 June 1946), styled Penelope, Lady Holm between 1998 and 2001, is an English actress. She is known for starring opposite Richard Briers in the BBC sitcom ''Ever Decreasing Circles'' (1984–1989); playing Hom ...
.Emma Hanna, ''The Great War on the Small Screen: Representing the First World War in Contemporary Britain'' (Edinburgh University Press, 2009), p. 124


References


External links


Memories and Base Details
(1921), full text online at archive.org
Lady Angela Selina Bianca Forbes
images at
National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes, Angela 1876 births 1950 deaths Daughters of British earls British women novelists Fox hunters British women in World War I Angela