Unity Mitford comes to her senses

1940 Unity Mitford (1914 - 1948), a British aristocrat who was friends with Adolph Hitler, arrived back in England from Germany on a stretcher after shooting herself when Britain declared war on Nazi Germany. After having sent a farewell letter to Hitler, she had shot herself in the head in the English Garden, in Munich.

She had become a devoted member of Hitler's entourage and a passionate though naive supporter of National Socialism, along with her sister Diana Mitford, who married the British fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley.

Mentally damaged, she spent the rest of her life on the island of Inchkenneth. Doctors had decided it was too dangerous to remove the bullet, and she eventually died of meningitis caused by the cerebral swelling around the lodged bullet.

Other famous Mitford sisters include the authors Jessica Mitford and Nancy Mitford.

Tagged: uk, germany, biography, wwII, history