Violet Helen Attlee, Countess Attlee (; 20 November 1895 – 7 June 1964) was the wife of British politician and

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Clement Attlee Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. He was Deputy Prime Mini ...

Early life and education

Violet Helen Millar was born in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

as the tenth child and youngest daughter of Henry Edward Millar, a prosperous businessman. She had a twin sister, Olive Christine. Her early education took place in Hampstead before she went to

Saint Felix School Saint Felix School is a 2–18 mixed, independent, day and boarding school in Reydon, Southwold, Suffolk, England. The school was founded in 1897 as a school for girls but is now co-educational. History The school was founded in 1897 as a gir ...

, a boarding school in

Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the English North Sea coast in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is a ...

, and she worked as a VAD throughout the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In the summer of 1921, she went with her mother to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

; joining them on the trip were her brother Cedric and a former

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

friend, Clement Attlee. Within a few weeks of their return, Violet and Clement became engaged and were married at

Christ Church, Hampstead Christ Church, Hampstead, is a Church of England church in Hampstead, London. It is a church with particular connections to the old village of Hampstead and the Heath. Former Prime Minister Clement Attlee was married to his wife, Violet Attlee, ...

on 10 January 1922. Theirs would be a devoted marriage. Their four children were: *Lady Janet Helen (1923–2019) *Lady Felicity Ann (1925–2007) * Martin Richard (1927–1991) *Lady Alison Elizabeth (1930–2016) Violet joined the Labour Party shortly after her marriage to Clement.

Later life

A kind, unassuming woman who was not, by her own admission, "a political wife", Violet Attlee assisted in personal matters, for instance arranging annual

Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

parties at

Chequers Chequers ( ), or Chequers Court, is the country house of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. A 16th-century manor house in origin, it is located near the village of Ellesborough, halfway between Princes Risborough and Wendover in Bucking ...

for the children of her husband's ministerial colleagues. She was constantly at Clement's side at party conferences, at innumerable gatherings overseas, and in the detailed chores of his political career. She acted as his regular driver during postwar elections. In August 1950, she joined London's

Civil Defence Corps The Civil Defence Corps (CDC) was a civilian volunteer organisation established in Great Britain in 1949 to mobilise and take local control of the affected area in the aftermath of a major national emergency, principally envisaged as being a Col ...

. Since 1915, she had had considerable experience with the

British Red Cross Society The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more ...

, having led a detachment for a number of years. Frequently in poor health, Violet Attlee took ill suddenly, and was admitted to Amersham Hospital on 7 June 1964. Seven hours later, she died of a

cerebral haemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

. With her were her husband, son, second daughter, and the latter's husband. Having been married to her for 42 years, Clement Attlee outlived his wife by three years.

Shorthand titles

* Miss Violet Millar (20 November 1895 – 10 January 1922) * Mrs Clement Attlee (10 January 1922 – 16 December 1955) *

The Rt Hon ''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...

The Countess Attlee (16 December 1955 – 7 June 1964)

References

Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Attlee, Violet 1895 births 1964 deaths Spouses of prime ministers of the United Kingdom British countesses People from Hampstead Clement Attlee People educated at Saint Felix School