Hon. Esyllt Priscilla "Pip" Scott-Ellis (15 November 1916 – 8 March 1983) was a British diarist. She was one of only two women who volunteered to be nurses for the

Nationalists Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, Id ...

during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

Life

Ellis was born in

Seaford House Seaford House, previously Sefton House, is a former aristocratic mansion and the largest of the detached town houses sited on each corner of Belgrave Square, London, England. A magnolia stucco building with four main storeys, it is most famed ...

Belgravia Belgravia () is a district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' during the Tudor Period, and became a dangerous pla ...

in 1916. She was the daughter of Margherita (born van Raalte) and

Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden Thomas Evelyn Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden, 4th Baron Seaford (9 May 1880 – 5 November 1946) was an English peer, landowner, writer and patron of the arts. Howard de Walden was also a powerboat racer who competed for Great Brita ...

. She was educated at

Queen's College, London Queen's College is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school for girls aged 11–18 with an adjoining prep school for girls aged 4–11 located in the City of Westminster, London. It was founded in 1848 by theologian and social ...

, privately, at

Benenden School Benenden School is a private boarding school for girls in Kent, England, in Hemsted Park at Benenden, between Cranbrook and Tenterden. Benenden has a boarding population of over 550 girls aged 11 to 18, as well as a limited number of day s ...

and at a finishing school in Paris. Her siblings were Elisabeth Gwendolen (later Robinson) (1914–1976), Hon. Bronwen Mary (later Lindsay) (1912–2003) and

John Scott-Ellis, 9th Baron Howard de Walden John Osmael Scott-Ellis, 9th Baron Howard de Walden, 5th Baron Seaford (27 November 1912 – 10 July 1999), was a British hereditary peer, landowner, and a Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. Life He was the son of Margarita Dorothy van ...

(1912–1999). Scott-Ellis children including Pip in 1923

It is said that her parents gave her only a small amount of their time and attention and she described as eager to please. She was obsessed with Prince Ataúlfo de Orleans who was a closet homosexual. He volunteered to be sent from Nazi Germany in the

Condor Legion The Condor Legion () was a unit of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany’s Wehrmacht which served with the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War. The legion developed methods of strategic bombing that were ...

to support the Nationalist forces in Spain. Ellis wanted to be close to him. In 1937 she found out that her friend had volunteered to serve as a nurse to support the Nationalist forces during the

. She decided that she would do the same and after basic training she was in Spain in October 1937. While she was working as a nurse she wrote a diary noting the wounds, the screaming and the casual approach to sterilisation. She met diplomat José Luis de Vilallonga y Cabeza de Vaca, 9th Marquess of Castellbell, in January 1944 and they married at

Sanlúcar de Barrameda Sanlúcar may refer to: * Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a city in the Province of Cádiz, Spain * Sanlúcar de Guadiana, a village in the Province of Huelva, Spain * Sanlúcar la Mayor, a city in the Province of Seville, Spain *Sanlúcar de Albaida, forme ...

on 20 September 1945 (''see''

Marquess of Castellbell Marquess of Castellbell () is a hereditary title in the Spanish nobility, Peerage of Spain accompanied by the dignity of Grandee, granted in 1702 by Philip V of Spain, Philip V to José de Amat, a Catalonia, Catalan nobleman who was Lord of Castel ...

). She married José Luis de Vilallonga y Cabeza de Vaca, 9th Marquess of Castellbell, on 27 September 1945 (''see''

). Her family did not approve and none of them could attend the wedding. Jose's father-in-law was so unimpressed by him that he had his will changed in the faint hope of protecting his daughter's inheritance. After their marriage her husband left the Spanish diplomatic service and they lived abroad. She married, secondly, Ian Hanson, a young opera singer from

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, in 1972.

Death and legacy

Ellis died in 1983 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Her diary which she had started to edit for publication in 1939 became ''The Chances of Death''. This book was published in 1995 after it was edited by the historian Sir

Raymond Carr Sir Albert Raymond Maillard Carr (11 April 1919 – 19 April 2015) was an English historian specialising in the history of Spain, Latin America, and Sweden. From 1968 to 1987, he was Warden of St Antony's College, Oxford. Early life Carr was ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott-Ellis, Priscilla 1916 births 1983 deaths British anti-communists British women nurses People from Belgravia

Priscilla Priscilla is an English female given name adopted from Latin '' Prisca'', derived from ''priscus''. There is a theory that this biblical character was the author of the Letter to the Hebrews. The name first appears in the New Testament either ...

People educated at Queen's College, London 20th-century British diarists Foreign volunteers in the Spanish Civil War (National faction)