Dola
Frances Dunsmuir Cavendish (September 25, 1903 – December 9, 1966) was a
Canadian socialite, rumored to have been
Tallulah Bankhead's
long lasting companion. Queer Places:
Hatley Park National Historic Site, 2005 Sooke Rd, Victoria, BC V9B 5Y2, Canada
Dola
Frances Dunsmuir Cavendish (September 25, 1903 – December 9, 1966) was a
Canadian socialite, rumored to have been
Tallulah Bankhead's
long lasting companion.
Dola Frances Dunsmuir was born on September 25, 1903, the youngest daughter of James Dunsmuir, British Columbian industrialist and politician, and Laura Miller Surles. She grew up at Hatley Castle.[1]
While in London on a long vacation, Dunsmuir met Tallulah Bankhead, with whom she formed a long lasting friendship.[1]
On August 11, 1928, she married Lieutenant-Commander Henry James Francis Cavendish (1893-1956). They divorced in 1934.[2][1]
Dunsmuir returned to Victoria, British Columbia, at the outbreak of World War II in 1939. She built a house between Hatley and Fort Rodd Hill Park, "Dolaura", where she lived while she was not following Bankhead on tour. When her sister Kathleen was killed in the Blitz in London in 1941, Dunsmuir moved permanently to Dolaura to take care of her sisters' youngest teenage daughters.[1]
Bankhead continued to visit often, and they held notorious parties until 1966, when Dola Dunsmuir Cavendish died of cirrhosis of the liver.[1]
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