Violet Douglas-Pennant
Encyclopedia
Commandant Violet Blanche Douglas-Pennant (31 January 1869 – 12 October 1945) was a British philanthropist
and supporter of local government who served as the first commandant of the Women's Royal Air Force
(WRAF) until her dismissal in August 1918.
Born into the aristocracy, Douglas-Pennant became interested in youth clubs for girls which led her to charity work with the unemployed and with disabled children. Working with the Workers' Educational Association
led her to become involved in the establishment and reform of local government, and she eventually became a member of the London County Council
Education Committee.
After the establishment of the WRAF in 1918 she was suggested as a potential Commandant due to her experience in reform and management. She agreed to spend a month "looking round" the camp, and was so unhappy that she repeatedly tried to resign. Following her dismissal on 28 August 1918 by Lord Weir she wrote to several important political figures such as Winston Churchill
asking for a judicial inquiry into her dismissal, claiming that it was part of an attempt by other senior WRAF officers to "cover up rife immorality" at WRAF bases. Lord Stanhope
proposed establishing the Select Committee of the House of Lords on the Women's Royal Air Force
to investigate any immorality. His proposal passed, and the Committee began its work on 14 October 1918.
The Committee found that there was no evidence to back up Douglas-Pennant's accusations, and she was later sued for libel by two of the senior WRAF officers for comments she had made before and during the Select Committee's hearings. Douglas-Pennant was never again employed by the government, and spent the following decades attempting to clear her name before her death on 12 October 1945.
s, which led her into working with the poor, unemployed, uneducated and disabled in London. As a result of her work with the uneducated and unemployed she served on the board of governors for various schools, and eventually became a member of the Borough of Finsbury
unemployment committee. Her involvement with the Workers' Educational Association
led her to work on other local government committees and eventually the London County Council
Education Committee.
She also served as a governor of the University College of South Wales and a member of the Conservative and Unionist Women's Franchise Association
(although she was not a suffragette
herself). In 1911 she was made National Health Insurance Commissioner for South Wales, and became a Lady-in-Waiting
to Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
. As National Insurance Commissioner she was paid £1000 a year; a massive amount for a woman, and the highest salary of any woman in Britain at the time. In 1914 she helped fund a 500-bed hospital in Belgium, and as a Lady-in-Waiting accompanied Louise on visits to Red Cross facilities during the First World War. She helped organise the Scottish Women's Hospital Unit, although she was not one of the 81 women sent to Russia
to assist Serbian soldiers.
Douglas-Pennant had previously done work for Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps and the Women's Royal Naval Service
; as such she was a natural choice for Commandant of the WRAF
when it was formed in 1918. She agreed to spend a month "looking round" the WRAF, and her experiences during that month led her to decline the appointment. She found that although she was responsible for 14,000 WRAF members in 500 camps there were only 70 officers, and the existing training facilities were only managing to train 25 new officers every three weeks. There were also problems with shortages of various pieces of equipment, including uniforms and medical tools, and many of the WRAF members were living in poor quality accommodation.
There were also various small personal problems, which irritated and frustrated her. Her office was a small, dark room on the top floor of the Hotel Cecil
next to a men's lavatory, and there was so little furniture that she was forced to keep her papers and files on the floor. In addition she was not given an Air Ministry
pass, meaning that every time she entered the building she was forced to fill in a form before being escorted to her office "presumably to call on myself". As a result of these difficulties she officially declined the appointment in a letter to Godfrey Paine
on 11 June 1918, saying that "I am very sorry to be obliged to decline the appointment of Commandant", Despite this she was convinced to stay on, and her appointment was confirmed on 18 June.
The situation did not improve, however; there were still problems with training and equipment, five of her secretaries resigned, and her deputies all left at once. Despite these problems she attempted to improve the WRAF, recruiting friends to help with the paperwork and using her contacts from her time in local government to "borrow" Eltham Teacher Training College during the summer holiday, where she trained 450 new officers. In protest at the irregularities and problems she tried to resign twice; both of these resignations were blocked by Godfrey Paine
, who assured her that she had his full support.
By this point the Air Ministry
were getting frustrated with the WRAF, and Sir William Weir commissioned Lady Margaret Rhondda
to write a full report on the state of the WRAF. The report was highly critical of Douglas-Pennant's performance as Commandant, and Weir ordered Paine's replacement, Sefton Brancker
, to remove Douglas-Pennant. She was dismissed without prior warning on 28 August 1918 and replaced by Helen Gwynne-Vaughan
. Her dismissal was looked upon unfavourably by politicians and trade unionists, and Lord Ampthill, Jimmy Thomas
and Mary Reid Macarthur wrote a letter to The Daily Telegraph
complaining about Weir's conduct.
asking for a judicial enquiry, and when this request was turned down Lord Stanhope
proposed a government enquiry in the House of Lords
, saying that the government had turned down Douglas-Pennant's request for a judicial enquiry because "His Majesty's Government fear the scandals which will come to light when this inquiry is held", and that her dismissal was contrary to the law.
Stanhope's proposal passed, and the five-member Select Committee of the House of Lords on the Women's Royal Air Force
was formed. The Committee was led by Lord Wrenbury
, with the other four members being the Earl of Kintore
, the Earl of Denbigh
, Lord Methuen
and Lord Farrer
.
The Committee began its work on 14 October 1918, and sat for three weeks. Douglas-Pennant was represented by John Hawke
KC and Stewart Bevan KC, while the Air Ministry
was represented by the Attorney General
, Lord Hewart
, and Rigby Swift
KC. Colonel Bersey was represented by Patrick Hastings
KC and Colonel Janson by Henry Curtis-Bennett
KC.
Douglas-Pennant was unable to produce any evidence of the "rife immorality" that she had accused several officers of, and after three weeks the committee dismissed all witnesses. The final report was produced in December 1919, and found that Douglas-Pennant had been completely unable to substantiate her claims and was deserving "of the gravest censure".
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
and supporter of local government who served as the first commandant of the Women's Royal Air Force
Women's Royal Air Force
The Women's Royal Air Force was a women's branch of the Royal Air Force which existed in two separate incarnations.The first WRAF was an auxiliary organization of the Royal Air Force which was founded in 1918. The original intent of the WRAF was to provide female mechanics in order to free up men...
(WRAF) until her dismissal in August 1918.
Born into the aristocracy, Douglas-Pennant became interested in youth clubs for girls which led her to charity work with the unemployed and with disabled children. Working with the Workers' Educational Association
Workers' Educational Association
The Workers’ Educational Association seeks to provide access to education and lifelong learning for adults from all backgrounds, and in particular those who have previously missed out on education. The International Federation of Workers Education Associations has consultative status to UNESCO...
led her to become involved in the establishment and reform of local government, and she eventually became a member of the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
Education Committee.
After the establishment of the WRAF in 1918 she was suggested as a potential Commandant due to her experience in reform and management. She agreed to spend a month "looking round" the camp, and was so unhappy that she repeatedly tried to resign. Following her dismissal on 28 August 1918 by Lord Weir she wrote to several important political figures such as Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
asking for a judicial inquiry into her dismissal, claiming that it was part of an attempt by other senior WRAF officers to "cover up rife immorality" at WRAF bases. Lord Stanhope
James Stanhope, 7th Earl Stanhope
James Richard Stanhope, 13th Earl of Chesterfield and 7th Earl Stanhope KG, DSO, MC, PC , styled Viscount Mahon until 1905, and known as The Earl Stanhope from 1905 until 1967, was a British Conservative politician.-Background:Stanhope was the eldest son of Arthur Stanhope, 6th Earl Stanhope, and...
proposed establishing the Select Committee of the House of Lords on the Women's Royal Air Force
Select Committee of the House of Lords on the Women's Royal Air Force
The Select Committee of the House of Lords on the Women's Royal Air Force was a Select Committee of the House of Lords created to investigate a complaint by Violet Douglas-Pennant that she had been fired in an attempt by several senior Women's Royal Air Force officers to cover up "rife immorality"...
to investigate any immorality. His proposal passed, and the Committee began its work on 14 October 1918.
The Committee found that there was no evidence to back up Douglas-Pennant's accusations, and she was later sued for libel by two of the senior WRAF officers for comments she had made before and during the Select Committee's hearings. Douglas-Pennant was never again employed by the government, and spent the following decades attempting to clear her name before her death on 12 October 1945.
Early life and work
Violet Douglas-Pennant was the sixth child of George Douglas-Pennant, 2nd Baron Penrhyn and his first wife Penella Blanche, who died five days after Violet's birth. After a normal upbringing she became involved in philanthropic work with girls youth clubYouth club
A youth club or youth social club is a place where young people can meet and enjoy activities such as football, soccer, basketball, table tennis, or video games, and other religious, sports activities are frequently sponsored by a community center....
s, which led her into working with the poor, unemployed, uneducated and disabled in London. As a result of her work with the uneducated and unemployed she served on the board of governors for various schools, and eventually became a member of the Borough of Finsbury
Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury
The Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury was a Metropolitan borough within the County of London from 1900 to 1965, when it was amalgamated with the Metropolitan Borough of Islington to form the London Borough of Islington.- Boundaries :...
unemployment committee. Her involvement with the Workers' Educational Association
Workers' Educational Association
The Workers’ Educational Association seeks to provide access to education and lifelong learning for adults from all backgrounds, and in particular those who have previously missed out on education. The International Federation of Workers Education Associations has consultative status to UNESCO...
led her to work on other local government committees and eventually the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
Education Committee.
She also served as a governor of the University College of South Wales and a member of the Conservative and Unionist Women's Franchise Association
Conservative and Unionist Women's Franchise Association
The Conservative and Unionist Women's Franchise Association was a British women's suffrage organisation open to members of the Conservative and Unionist Party...
(although she was not a suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
herself). In 1911 she was made National Health Insurance Commissioner for South Wales, and became a Lady-in-Waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
to Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
The Princess Louise was a member of the British Royal Family, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, Prince Consort.Louise's early life was spent moving between the various royal residences in the...
. As National Insurance Commissioner she was paid £1000 a year; a massive amount for a woman, and the highest salary of any woman in Britain at the time. In 1914 she helped fund a 500-bed hospital in Belgium, and as a Lady-in-Waiting accompanied Louise on visits to Red Cross facilities during the First World War. She helped organise the Scottish Women's Hospital Unit, although she was not one of the 81 women sent to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to assist Serbian soldiers.
WRAF
Women's Royal Naval Service
The Women's Royal Naval Service was the women's branch of the Royal Navy.Members included cooks, clerks, wireless telegraphists, radar plotters, weapons analysts, range assessors, electricians and air mechanics...
; as such she was a natural choice for Commandant of the WRAF
Women's Royal Air Force
The Women's Royal Air Force was a women's branch of the Royal Air Force which existed in two separate incarnations.The first WRAF was an auxiliary organization of the Royal Air Force which was founded in 1918. The original intent of the WRAF was to provide female mechanics in order to free up men...
when it was formed in 1918. She agreed to spend a month "looking round" the WRAF, and her experiences during that month led her to decline the appointment. She found that although she was responsible for 14,000 WRAF members in 500 camps there were only 70 officers, and the existing training facilities were only managing to train 25 new officers every three weeks. There were also problems with shortages of various pieces of equipment, including uniforms and medical tools, and many of the WRAF members were living in poor quality accommodation.
There were also various small personal problems, which irritated and frustrated her. Her office was a small, dark room on the top floor of the Hotel Cecil
Hotel Cecil (London)
The Hotel Cecil was a grand hotel built 1890–96 between the Thames Embankment and the Strand in London, England. It was named after Cecil House , a mansion belonging to the Cecil family, which occupied the site in the 17th century.Designed by architects Perry & Reed in a "Wrenaissance" style, the...
next to a men's lavatory, and there was so little furniture that she was forced to keep her papers and files on the floor. In addition she was not given an Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
pass, meaning that every time she entered the building she was forced to fill in a form before being escorted to her office "presumably to call on myself". As a result of these difficulties she officially declined the appointment in a letter to Godfrey Paine
Godfrey Paine
Rear Admiral Sir Godfrey Marshall Paine KCB MVO was a senior commander in the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Air Force in the early part of the 20th century...
on 11 June 1918, saying that "I am very sorry to be obliged to decline the appointment of Commandant", Despite this she was convinced to stay on, and her appointment was confirmed on 18 June.
The situation did not improve, however; there were still problems with training and equipment, five of her secretaries resigned, and her deputies all left at once. Despite these problems she attempted to improve the WRAF, recruiting friends to help with the paperwork and using her contacts from her time in local government to "borrow" Eltham Teacher Training College during the summer holiday, where she trained 450 new officers. In protest at the irregularities and problems she tried to resign twice; both of these resignations were blocked by Godfrey Paine
Godfrey Paine
Rear Admiral Sir Godfrey Marshall Paine KCB MVO was a senior commander in the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Air Force in the early part of the 20th century...
, who assured her that she had his full support.
By this point the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
were getting frustrated with the WRAF, and Sir William Weir commissioned Lady Margaret Rhondda
Margaret Mackworth, 2nd Viscountess Rhondda
Margaret Haig Mackworth, 2nd Viscountess Rhondda was a Welsh peeress and active suffragette.In 1908 she joined the Women's Social and Political Union , and became secretary of the WSPU's Newport branch...
to write a full report on the state of the WRAF. The report was highly critical of Douglas-Pennant's performance as Commandant, and Weir ordered Paine's replacement, Sefton Brancker
Sefton Brancker
Air Vice-Marshal Sir William Sefton Brancker KCB AFC , commonly known as Sir Sefton Brancker, was a pioneer in British civil and military aviation.-Early life:...
, to remove Douglas-Pennant. She was dismissed without prior warning on 28 August 1918 and replaced by Helen Gwynne-Vaughan
Helen Gwynne-Vaughan
Dame Helen Charlotte Isabella Gwynne-Vaughan, GBE , née Fraser, was a prominent British botanist and mycologist....
. Her dismissal was looked upon unfavourably by politicians and trade unionists, and Lord Ampthill, Jimmy Thomas
James Henry Thomas
James Henry "Jimmy" Thomas was a British trade unionist and Labour politician. He was involved in a political scandal involving budget leaks.-Early career and Trade Union activities:...
and Mary Reid Macarthur wrote a letter to The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
complaining about Weir's conduct.
Select Committee
Douglas-Pennant claimed she had been dismissed in an attempt by several senior officers, including Colonel Bersey, the commander of the WRAF supplies unit, General Livingston, the deputy head of the personnel department and Mrs Beatty, the Assistant Commandant of the WRAF, to cover up "rife immorality" in WRAF camps by getting rid of the only officer "too straight for them to work with". She claimed that this immorality had been occurring particularly at a motor training camp called Hurst Park, where the camp commander Colonel Sam Janson had been discovered sleeping with one of the WRAF officers. Following her dismissal, Douglas-Pennant wrote to several important politicians including Winston ChurchillWinston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
asking for a judicial enquiry, and when this request was turned down Lord Stanhope
James Stanhope, 7th Earl Stanhope
James Richard Stanhope, 13th Earl of Chesterfield and 7th Earl Stanhope KG, DSO, MC, PC , styled Viscount Mahon until 1905, and known as The Earl Stanhope from 1905 until 1967, was a British Conservative politician.-Background:Stanhope was the eldest son of Arthur Stanhope, 6th Earl Stanhope, and...
proposed a government enquiry in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, saying that the government had turned down Douglas-Pennant's request for a judicial enquiry because "His Majesty's Government fear the scandals which will come to light when this inquiry is held", and that her dismissal was contrary to the law.
Stanhope's proposal passed, and the five-member Select Committee of the House of Lords on the Women's Royal Air Force
Select Committee of the House of Lords on the Women's Royal Air Force
The Select Committee of the House of Lords on the Women's Royal Air Force was a Select Committee of the House of Lords created to investigate a complaint by Violet Douglas-Pennant that she had been fired in an attempt by several senior Women's Royal Air Force officers to cover up "rife immorality"...
was formed. The Committee was led by Lord Wrenbury
Henry Burton Buckley, 1st Baron Wrenbury
Henry Burton Buckley, 1st Baron Wrenbury PC, QC Henry Burton Buckley, 1st Baron Wrenbury PC, QC Henry Burton Buckley, 1st Baron Wrenbury PC, QC (15 September 1845 - 27 October 1935, was a British barrister and judge.Buckley was the fourth son of Reverend John Wall Buckley and his wife Elizabeth...
, with the other four members being the Earl of Kintore
Algernon Keith-Falconer, 9th Earl of Kintore
Algernon Hawkins Thogond Keith-Falconer, 9th Earl of Kintore PC, GCMG, was a British politician and colonial governor.-Biography:...
, the Earl of Denbigh
Rudolph Feilding, 9th Earl of Denbigh
Rudolph Robert Basil Aloysius Augustine Feilding, 9th Earl of Denbigh, 8th Earl of Desmond GCVO TD DL JP , styled Viscount Feilding from 1865 to 1892, was the eldest son of the 8th Earl of Denbigh and Mary Berkeley, the daughter of Robert Berkeley and Henrietta Benfield.Feilding was an artillery...
, Lord Methuen
Paul Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen
Field Marshal Paul Sanford Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen GCB, GCMG, GCVO was a British military commander.-Early life:...
and Lord Farrer
Thomas Farrer, 2nd Baron Farrer
Thomas Cecil Farrer, 2nd Baron Farrer, 2nd Baronet was the second Baron Farrer. He was the eldest son of Thomas Farrer, 1st Baron Farrer and his first wife Frances Erskine....
.
The Committee began its work on 14 October 1918, and sat for three weeks. Douglas-Pennant was represented by John Hawke
John Hawke
John Anthony Hawke was a Conservative Party politician in England who served in the 1920s as Member of Parliament for St Ives in Cornwall, before becoming a High Court judge....
KC and Stewart Bevan KC, while the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
was represented by the Attorney General
Attorney General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...
, Lord Hewart
Gordon Hewart, 1st Viscount Hewart
Gordon Hewart, 1st Viscount Hewart, PC was a politician and judge in the United Kingdom.-Background and education:...
, and Rigby Swift
Rigby Swift
Sir Rigby Philip Watson Swift KC was a British barrister, Member of Parliament and judge. Born into a family of solicitors and barristers, Swift was educated at Parkfield School before taking up a place in his father's chambers and at the same time studying for his LLB at the University of London...
KC. Colonel Bersey was represented by Patrick Hastings
Patrick Hastings
Sir Patrick Gardiner Hastings KC was a British barrister and politician noted for his long and highly successful career as a barrister and his short stint as Attorney General. He was educated at Charterhouse School until 1896, when his family moved to continental Europe...
KC and Colonel Janson by Henry Curtis-Bennett
Henry Curtis-Bennett
Sir Henry Honywood Curtis-Bennett was an English barrister and Member of Parliament....
KC.
Douglas-Pennant was unable to produce any evidence of the "rife immorality" that she had accused several officers of, and after three weeks the committee dismissed all witnesses. The final report was produced in December 1919, and found that Douglas-Pennant had been completely unable to substantiate her claims and was deserving "of the gravest censure".