Suffragettes . . . and all that

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32540, 25 February 1971, Page 6

Suffragettes . . . and all that

“I remember when they arrested Christobel Pankhurst she conducted her own defence at the trial. They said that had she been allowed to practise law. she would have made a wonderful lawyer.”

Women’s suffrage; Lloyd George and his liberal legislation; the “black Ascot” when racegoers were dressed in mourning for King Edward VII; seeing Nijinsky and Pavlova dance together in Paris ... Mrs Lillian Mansel Lewis remembers it all very well.

At 75 she has lived through the evolution of a society. Her connections, family, and friends, read like a British “Who’s Who.”

Her grandfather, Lord Demontelt, was a lord-in-waiting to Queen Victoria—"almost impossibly respectable.” Lady Caernarvon, wife of the then Earl of Caernarvon, was one of her mother’s best friends. Young Lillian often went with her mother to stay at one of their residences, Highclere Castle, and to the nearby Newmarket race meetings. Her older brother, Edward, who later became Sir Edward Warner and commanded the Scots Guards, was A.D.C. and assistant private secretary to Lord Aberdeen, then LordLieutenant of Ireland.

She often stayed with her brother at Dublin Castle, and greatly admired Lady Aberdeen, who organised maternity nursing services in Ireland, and was concerned with the treatment of tuberculosis. A DEBUTANTE

She enjoyed being a debutante, even if the enormous balls were rather frightening. At 18, she “came out” at a dance at Stafford House, the home of the Duke of Sutherland. Later, her mother held a ball for her in their London home. For an hour she stood beside her mother, receiving the guests. Mrs Mansel Lewis should have been a traditionalist, a right-thinking conservative. But her father. Sir Courtenay Warner, must have been

something of a radical. Born! into a family of Conservatives, he was the Liberal member of Parliament for the Lichfield division of Staffordshire for more than 30 years. “He wasn’t for women’s suffrage, but the rest of us were,” remembers Mrs Mansel Lewis. She accompanied him on three campaigns, absorbing the Liberal creed. Along with her four brothers and sister she sat up on the platform listening to her father address three meetings an evening. BENEFITS “They were very peaceful campaigns. Everyone, though, was very enthusiastic about ail the Lloyd George legislation. For years the maternity benefit was known as ‘Lloyd George money,’ and there were tremendous cheers over the old age pensions.” Often Mrs Mansel Lewis watched proceedings in the House of Commons from the Ladies’ Gallery—“We were behind bars then. Sometimes I’d have tea on the terrace with my father, and Lloyd George would go by with members of his Cabinet.”

Few of her friends agreed with her “progressive” ideas. “I was for social services, free trade, and abolishing the House of Lords veto.” Would she have liked to have been a suffragette? “Oh, I would never have been allowed,” she replied. “I thought it was a pity they were so violent, but I was certainly in favour of their aims.”

Although her political upbringing was more radical than that of her friends, her education was not. When she was 17 Lillian Warner went the way of many genteel young ladies—to Paris to polish up her French. BALLET STARS

For six months she lived with a French family, and has retained her fluency in the language. It was an exciting time. Nijinski and Pavlova were in Paris, dancing out-

side Russia for the first time “The Parisians were rather bowled over by it all,” she said. “They led the company which always danced for the Tsar. Apparently the Tsar was getting rather tired of them, so he let them come to Paris.” Mrs Mansel Lewis remembers Nijinski being as aweinspiring as his legend. “He would leap qn to the stage, springing up about three times his height, take a few steps in the air, and then float down again. Oh yes, all they say about him is quite true.” In Paris, too she saw the legendary actress, Sarah Bernhardt, then “a great age.” “But when you saw her on stage it took only five minutes to forget her age she was so wonderfully youthful.” ‘BLACK ASCOT’ The following year, 1910, was quite a year for Lillian Warner. At the beginning of the London season she was introduced into society. Then in May, King Edward VII idled, and the season came to I a premature end. “But Ascot was run, for the sake of racing,” she said. “The meeting became known i as the ‘black Ascot.’ Everyone went in black. I wore a black ; dress, down to my ankles. I ; can remember looking up at the huge stand, a mass of I black. Ascot is usually not like that at all.” With the outbreak of World War I in 1914 Mrs i Mansel Lewis, anxious “to ■ do something useful”, joined ; the home nursing and firstaid classes. In 1915 she married, and was widowed a year later. For the duration of the ' war she worked dispensing ; medicines at a London hos- • pital. In 1925. after a trip to [ India, she remarried. Her son. 1 David, who now lives in the ; family home. Stradey Castle, " in Llanelly, South Wales, was . bom in 1927.

The plight of the Welsh miners and steel workers, “who suffered so much during the long periods of unemployment” intensified Mrs: Mansel Lewis’s interest in so-! cial welfare. WELFARE WORK She joined many social welfare organisations. It was through her work in one such organisation that she met the then Prince of Wales. “It was, I think, one of his last public appearances before the abdication. He was very sympathetic about the unemployment, and came to see conditions for himself. He spoke to us about our work, and the state of things, saying ‘something must be done.’ He was, most certainly a most handsome and charming man.” Mrs Mansel Lewis still belongs to welfare organisations. “But there's so much less need for them now. Things are so much better today, with the welfare state. I’m all in favour of it.” Mrs Mansel Lewis is having an extended holiday in New Zealand, and is visiting friends and distant relatives in Christchurch.