MA R GO T ASQU ITH AN AU TO BIO GRA P H Y VO L U ME S TH REE AND FO U R - W ITH TW E NTY TH R E E IL L U STRATIO N S A ND N U M ER O U S RE P RODU CTIO NS O F L ETTER S A ND DRAW INGS P BIBE SCO W IFE OF TH M I RINCESS , E RU AN AN MINISTER AT W ASHINGTON MAR GO T ASQUITH AN AUTo gLQG RAP HY VOL UME FOU R NEW YORK GEORGE H s DORAN COMPANY 937886A RI H COP Y G T, 1 922 , BY GEORGE H . DORAN COMP ANY MARGO ASQUITH Z AU N BIOGRAP HY VOL U ME FOUR . I T AN , f P RINTED IN THE U NITED STATES OF AMERICA CONTENTS OF VOL UME FOUR CH AP TER I P GE — A E VE Q R EMP I W AR OF THE GREAT WAR AS UITH WA NS RE OF , J 29 1914—V TO M EM B —K ULY , ISIT THE GER AN ASSY ITCHENER M IM— D 4 AS ARGOT KNE W H WAR ECLARED AUG . CH AP TER II — SCENES IN THE H OUSE OF COMM O NS GR AVE NE W S FROM FR ANCE — KITCHENER THE A U TOC R A P O RDE R S TO SIR JOHN FR ENCH — V ISIT To BELGIAN FRONT CH AP TER III —~ - INFLUENCE OF THE P RESS MARGOT SHUNNED AS P R O GERMAN — THE COALITION ; LLO YD GEORG E AND SH ELLS DUP LICITY OF — SIR JOHN FRENCH P ORTRAI T OF LORD READING CH AP TER IV — — CABINET INTRI GUES P RESSURE ON THE P RE MIE R ASQUITH R E — SIGNS ; LLOYD GEORGE SUCCEEDS H IM EP ISODE AT A TEA P ARTY ; HARSH TREATMENT OF ALIENS CH AP TER V — ’ — GERMAN P EACE OVERTU RES LORD LANSDOW NE S LE TTER THE — — MAURICE LE TTER FOCH AS GENERALISSIM O H OUSE OF COM MONS DE BATE ON M AUR ICE CHARGE CH AP TER V I — ARMISTICE D AY IN LO NDON SC ENE AT BUCK INGHAM P ALACE ’ ST P —P P D —T AND . AUL S ORTRAIT OF RESI ENT WILSON HE KHA KI ELECTIONS AND DEFEAT OF THE LIBERALS EP I LOGU E AFTERMATH OF THE WAR IND E! COMP LE TE INDE ! OF V OLUMES ONE To FOUR IN CLUSIVE IL L USTRATIONS OF VOL UME FOUR P R C S BIBE SCO W I U M IA MIN I ER IN ES , FE OF THE R AN N ST INGTON V ISCOUNT G'RE Y OF FALLODO N M L IT M . ETTER To RS . ASQU H FROM R JOHN REDMOND TH E RIGHT HONOURABLE WINSTON CH URCHILL LE TO M . Q M L K C E 19 U G TTER RS AS UITH FRO ORD IT HEN R, A UST, 1914 L AS I’I‘H L 6 P M B 909 TO MRS . QU M O 1 ETTER FRO RD FISHER, SE TE ER, L TT To P IM M M L K 14 P 1915 E ER R E INISTER FRO ORD ITCHENER, A RIL, L ORD MORL E Y . L To M S U I M VI C U M L 9 G 1914 . Q A ETTER RS A TH FRO S O NT OR EY, U UST, LORD READ ING T MRS . ASQUI H P M IR . THE RIME INISTER AND S JOHN FRENCH AT G . H . Q 1914 FRANCE , ” H I MR. ASQUITH AND S SO N ANTHONY AT THE WHARE MAR SHAL FOCH P RESIDENT WILSON M . S QU I H E R R BABY P RIS CILLA BIBE SCO RS A TH AND G AND , MAR GOT ASQUITH AN AUTO BIO GRAPH Y MARGO T ASQU ITH A N A U TO BIO G R A P H Y CHAPTER I — EVE OF TH E GREAT WAR ASQU IT H WARNS E M P IRE O J U LY 29 1 914— V S T TO TH E E MAN F WAR , , I I G R — — E M BASSY KITC H ENER W AR DECLARED AU GU ST 4 10 D n re ul 91 4 owni S t et J 1 . g , y, T is not my purpose to write a history o fthe o r o fan o the c m its I war ; y f a p aign , either in successes or failures . These have been fully dealt with by most o fthe great Generals and many co m But m petent amateurs . from y diaries and notes taken often o n the same day I shall give a true and simple account o fwhat I saw and heard from t 4th 1 91 4 un we ee Aug us the , , til left Downing Str t 1 91 6 in December , . The London season of 1 91 4 had been a disap o ne me not o ne pointing for , and an amusing for l was E izabeth , and as I anxious that she should have a little fun I sent her alone on the 25th of [ 1 1 ] MAR GOT ASQUITH J . r uly to stay with Mrs Geo ge Keppel , who had taken a house in Holland . Alice Keppel is a woman of almost historical no t interest , only from her friendship with King E w d ard , but from her happy personality, and her knowledge o fsociety and of the men o fthe day . o f adven She is a plucky woman fashion ; human , turons , and gay , who in spite of doing what she all . H liked her life , has never made an enemy er o f native wit and Wits cover a certain lack culture , but her desire to please has never diminished her sincerity . When we had to leave Downing Street without — a roof over o ur heads in 1 91 6 as our house in — Cavendish Square was let to Lady Cunard she - put her o wn bedroom and sitting room at my dis posal and insisted upon living o n an upper storey herself . To be a Liberal in high society is rare : indeed I often wonder in what society they are to be found . not I do meet them among golfers , soldiers , sailors , o r servants ; nor have I seen much Liberalism in o r l c the Church , the Court , the City ; but A i e Kep pel was born in Scotland and has remained a true Liberal . [ 12] AN AUTOBIOGR AP HY King E dward asked me once if I had ever known o r a woman of kinder sweeter nature than hers , and I could truthfully answer that I had not . When Elizabeth went to Holland o n the 25th ! July) Foreign affairs were not causing uneasiness to any o fthe people that I had seen . But a feeling o fapprehension made me telegraph to her a few days after her departure to tell her to return . She arrived o n the 1 st o fAug ust accompanied by Lord Castlero ss e and other young men who had been summoned to j oin their regiments . She told me she would never have been allowed to travel had she not dined early and in a serge dress , and that no one in Holland felt the slightest anxiety over the Europ ean situation . m re So e weeks after she had been with me , I l c ceived the following letter from A i e Keppel , which I have kept and shall always value . — Margot dearest yo u must get stronger ; the time is coming when we shall all have to keep a stiff uppe r lip . Your heart is too large ; you feel other ’ u o wn people s sorrows as much as yo r , but the grit yo u have always had is ever the re . I think you are right when you say that there has been a lack of [ 13] MAR GOT ASQUITH feeling in the last few years . What struck me was the want o freal gaiety about everything ; but an fond I feel the British people are as sensible and - n straight thinki g as they ever were , and believe we ie shall come o ut of this better and strong er? Eliza ’ beth s visit has been a real j oy ; she is a delightful i 1 7! ch ld , only with such a quick bright brain and o — a heart fgold . We all including servants w loved her, and her ish to help in every way in the house I found charming. When the war news ‘ grew black all she said was I mus t go back or ’ Mother will ro w over for me ! You have a darling — — g irl , Margot , clever and better than that loving, unselfish and good affec Your always . “ L CE A I K . The apprehension I felt was shared by no one in a 29th Ju London society , and as l te as the ! ly), when the Ar chbishop o f Canterbury and Lord ’ D Aberno n w were lunching in Do ning Street , they were amazed when I told them I had stopped my ! I had mentioned in my letter of thanks to her the cruelties of Su ff s ff i o f a the ragette , and the indi erence shown over the drown ng friend o fours at a supper party on the Th ames ; also a general lack o freverence am ong the young intellectuals that had been growing up In England and wondered i f the re was not some be tter reas on to fo r account the situation .