Lady Angela Forbes: Novelist, Humanitarian, and Wartime Heroine
- Bart Forbes
- May 4
- 4 min read
By Jonathan Forbes, Viscount Forbes
Lady Angela Forbes (1876–1950), was born to the St Clair-Erskine family, daughter of the 4th Earl of Rosslyn.
In 1896, she married Charles John Forbes, a grandson of Sir Charles Forbes, 3rd Baronet of Newe. The couple had two daughters (Burke, 2003, p. 340). Eventually Lady Angela and John Forbes got divorced (Percy, 2007). At the time, divorce was a significant social stigma, nonetheless Lady Angela continued to play an active role in British society.
Lady Angela was a Lady of her time. The 20th century brought waves of change. The suffrage movement was gaining traction, and women were beginning to push against societal constraints. These shifting dynamics came to a head during the First World War (1914–1918), which upended traditional gender roles. As men went to the front, women stepped into roles once deemed unsuitable for them — in factories, hospitals, and even in administrative and logistical support for the armed forces (Hume, 2016).
It was in this landscape — of upheaval, opportunity, and transformation — that Lady Angela Forbes emerged as a figure of strength and action. It seems she had great admirers and detractors. Her character was so strong that Edith Sitwell felt the need to put pen to paper and describe her as "an elderly gorilla afflicted with sex appeal” (Sitwell, 1964). Personally, I believe this says more about Edith Sitwell than it does about Lady Angela. Another person, more diplomatically, describes Lady Angela as “a tough, vibrant personality whose language would make a trooper blush…” (Perkin , 2002, p. 109). Either way Lady Angela’s vibrant character would prove to be an asset to the war effort.
Wartime Service: The "Angelinas"
Lady Angela focused her efforts on charitable causes and eventually turning her attention to the needs of soldiers during World War I. Initially she volunteered with the French Red Cross and later worked in hospitals. However, she soon recognised that the soldiers were in need of sustenance and support during the long, grueling journeys they took to and from the front line (House of Lords, 1918). Angela established a series of canteens at key railway stations in France, where initially she fed the British soldiers with produce from Fortnums and Masons. Eventually the canteens served more modest produce and became known as the "Angelinas," provided soldiers with food, hot drinks, and a small measure of comfort before heading to the front lines or returning home (https://youtu.be/qjRU1WuCOT4?si=55kbo9xOEPB8AtFO&t=767).
These canteens played an important role in maintaining the morale of soldiers during the war. They were especially valued by the men who passed through Étaples, a key military base in northern France where Angela focused her efforts. As The Earl of Wemyss noted “Only the other day the railway transport officer there, the man who is in command of the station, said that before Lady Angela came there with her canteen he used to lose men every day; since she had come there, he had not lost a single man” (House of Lords, 1918)
Her work was not without challenges. In 1917, after conflicts with military authorities, Angela was removed from her post at Étaples. Apparently the main accusations against her were that she had used the word "damn!" and had washed her hair in a canteen (Percy, 2007). In her defence, during a Lords debate, Ribblesdale and Wemyss had moved to defend her. They highlighted Lady Angela Forbes’s canteen and huts, which have served 4.5 million soldiers since the war’s start. They also emphasised the need to dispel negative rumours surrounding the canteen’s takeover by the War Office, stating it was likely due to military expediency. Lord Wemyss, the canteen’s treasurer, praised Lady Angela’s work, including providing food and shelter for wounded soldiers and stranded troops, and emphasised the need to protect her reputation from slander. Despite the controversy surrounding her dismissal, her contributions were widely acknowledged, particularly by the soldiers who benefited from her support (House of Lords, 1918)
Post-War Contributions and Writing
After the war, Angela’s life took a quieter turn. She turned her attention to writing, drawing on her experiences during the conflict. She published memoirs and novels that reflected both her wartime service and the broader societal changes of the period. Through her writing, she provided insight into the conditions of British soldiers during the war and the experiences of the aristocracy in the early 20th century. Her literary work offered a glimpse into the complexities of life during one of Britain’s most tumultuous periods. In her writings, Angela presented a candid account of the roles women played in the war effort and the changes in British society during and after the conflict (Forbes, 1921)
Lady Angela appears as a character in the BBC television production The Monocled Mutineer (1986), played by Penelope Wilton (Hanna, 2009, p.124). She has also been included in a short film by Grantham and South Kesteven Council celebrating 'Inspirational Women' for International Women's Day
Bibliography
Burke's Peerage, volume 3 (2003), p. 3
Clayre Percy, "Forbes [née St Clair-Erskine], Lady Angela Selina Bianca (1876–1950)" in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (OUP, 2007)
Hume, Leslie (2016). The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies 1897–1914. Routledge. p. 281. ISBN 978-1-317-21326-0.
Sitwell, Edith (1964). Taken Care Of: An Autobiography. Atheneum. ISBN 9781448201747.
Joan Perkin, Women and Marriage in Nineteenth-Century England (2002), p. 109
House of Lords debate on 05 February 1918 at parliament.uk, accessed 13 October 2018
"Council officially launches film celebrating 'Inspirational Women' from Grantham and South Kesteven on International Women's Day". Grantham Journal. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
Lady Angela Forbes, Memories and Base Details, London: Hutchinson, 1921.
Emma Hanna, The Great War on the Small Screen: Representing the First World War in Contemporary Britain (Edinburgh University Press, 2009), p. 124
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Angela_Forbes#cite_ref-17
ChatGPT prompt “Are there any Forbes female family members who achieved notable deeds”
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