“Daughters of Britannia: The Lives and Times of Diplomatic Wives”, by Katie Hickman

352 pages, William Morrow and Co., ISBN-13: 978-0060188627

“English ambassadresses are usually on the dotty side”, according to Nancy Mitford as quoted by Katie Hickman in the introduction to her account of the not-so-glamorous side of embassy life, but the women depicted in Daughters of Britannia: The Lives and Times of Diplomatic Wives were a hardy lot: many of the stories related in her book brought forth the visions of the proper Englishman dressing for dinner each night in the jungle, attended by an equally resplendent lady by his side (Hickman’s insights are all the more compelling as she grew up in the diplomatic service and displays much affection and admiration for these unsung ladies). The letters and diary excerpts are interesting, sometimes poignant reminders of how isolated and far from home the ladies were. Hickman calls primarily on the journals and letters of some remarkable ladies (whether dotty or not) who followed their husbands to posts, ranging from Constantinople in the 17^th Century to Slovakia in the 20^th. Some, like Emma Hamilton (Naples), Isabel Burton (Brazil and Syria), and Vita Sackville-West (Persia) are well known in their own right; most, like Catherine Macartney and Ella Sykes (posted to the Chinese-Russian border), claimed their places in this history because of their voluminous correspondence.

This, perhaps, explains the book’s peculiar organization, as it is arranged by ambassadorial duties and not by dates or individuals. While interesting in itself, ultimately I found this annoying and difficult to follow: we first meet a lady on page 6 and do not hear of her again until page 200; or it skips between the 17^th and 20^th Centuries and back within a couple of paragraphs. Consequently, I had never had a clear idea of who they were and when their stories were taking place. Also, Hickman – perhaps reflecting her diplomatic upbringing – is almost too discreet in most circumstances, and several of the incidents related in her book beg for clarification; while I didn’t expect a tell-all tabloid style, neither did I expect an almost Victorian reticence. The author clearly had done a great deal of research and took advantage of her own and her mother’s recollections, but was in great need of a good editor.

For all that, Daughters of Britannia makes for an interesting read: many of the wives within were driven to letter-writing by loneliness and hardship, but they managed to convey the thrill and challenge of their exotic surroundings; other wives corresponded about the opulence and romance of their assignments (one, in particular, was greatly impressed by the coronation of Czar Nicholas I). Whatever the circumstances, the roles of Foreign Office wives were, until recently, precisely outlined: calling for the ambassadress to be hostess, helpmate and manager, sometimes cook, gardener, nurse and even den mother to the wives of underlings in the embassy or consulate. The protocols were maintained in spite of revolution, famine, drought and anti-British sentiment (as noted in Mary Fraser’s reports from China in the 19^th Century). Not the least of the burdens was separation from their children, who were often sent off to British boarding schools thousands of miles from their parents. An excellent insight into a rarely recorded and, now, long-lost world.