Wanda Holden ( – 30 October 1956) was an English socialite, included in ''

The Book of Beauty ''The Book of Beauty'' by Cecil Beaton was his first published book of photographs. In his concept of beauty, Beaton, with sketches and photographs, highlights actresses such as Tallulah Bankhead and Anna May Wong but also modernist literary figu ...

'' by Cecil Beaton.

Biography

She was born circa 1911 to parents Emily Marion Holden and financier Major Norman Holden OBE, son of the Liberal politician Sir Edward Holden.Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003 On 17 July 1929 Wanda Holden married Charles Baillie-Hamilton. She was described in the press as "one of the most admired débutantes of the last season, with a vivacious personality", and "one of the most popular figures in society". From 1929 to 1931 her husband held the office of Member of Parliament (MP) for

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

. They were divorced in November 1932 in an uncontested claim of her adultery with the actor John Loder. In 1933 she was included in ''The Book of Beauty'' by Cecil Beaton, who described her as "a wild-eyed

bacchante In Greek mythology, maenads (; grc, μαινάδες ) were the female followers of Dionysus and the most significant members of the Thiasus, the god's retinue. Their name literally translates as "raving ones". Maenads were known as Bassarids, ...

". On 6 November 1936 she married

Frank Ormond Soden Frank Ormond "Mongoose" Soden DFC & Bar (3 November 1895 – 12 February 1961) was a First World War flying ace and RAF commander during the Second World War. He served initially in the British Army as an infantry officer, before joining t ...

and moved to Kenya. She died on 30 October 1956, at Chateau Shauri, Timau, near Nanyuki, Kenya, and is buried at Nanyuki War Cemetery, Kenya.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holden, Wanda 1910s births 1956 deaths 20th-century English women 20th-century English people British debutantes British expatriates in Kenya English socialites