She grew up in Hatley Castle in Colwood.
She was married briefly to Lieutenant Commander Henry James Frances Cavendish whom she married in Christ Church Cathedral on Aug 11, 1928.
She built a house between Hatley Castle and Fort Rodd Hill called Dolaura and lived there on and off until her death in 1966.
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.
While in London on a long vacation, Dunsmuir met Tallulah Bankhead, with whom she formed a long lasting friendship.
On August 11, 1928, she married Lieutenant-Commander Henry James Francis Cavendish (1893-1956). They divorced in 1934.
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.
Bankhead continued to visit often, and they held notorious parties until 1966, when Dola Dunsmuir Cavendish died of cirrhosis of the liver.
She grew up in Hatley Castle in Colwood.
She was married briefly to Lieutenant Commander Henry James Frances Cavendish whom she married in Christ Church Cathedral on Aug 11, 1928.
She built a house between Hatley Castle and Fort Rodd Hill called Dolaura and lived there on and off until her death in 1966.
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.
While in London on a long vacation, Dunsmuir met Tallulah Bankhead, with whom she formed a long lasting friendship.
On August 11, 1928, she married Lieutenant-Commander Henry James Francis Cavendish (1893-1956). They divorced in 1934.
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.
Bankhead continued to visit often, and they held notorious parties until 1966, when Dola Dunsmuir Cavendish died of cirrhosis of the liver.
Family Members
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Robert William "Robin" Dunsmuir
1877–1929
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Sarah Byrd "Byrdie" Dunsmuir Audain
1878–1925
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Joan Olive White Dunsmuir
1880–1884
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Elizabeth Maude "Bessie" Dunsmuir Hope
1882–1962
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Laura Mary Dunsmuir Bromley
1884–1958
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Alexander Lee Dunsmuir
1886–1887
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Emily Elinor Dunsmuir
1887–1938
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Kathleen Euphemia Dunsmuir Humphreys
1891–1941
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Lieut James A. "Boy" Dunsmuir Jr
1894–1915
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