ROMANCE WITH A TITLED GIRL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 5, 29 September 1937, Page 8

ROMANCE WITH A TITLED GIRL

Our Own Correspondent.)

Mollison's Frank Disclosure in Book "PLAYBOY OF THE AIR"

(From

LONDON, Aug. 26. Marriage with Lady Diana Welles-* ley- (now Lady Dixon), great granddaughter of the • Duke of Wellington, was contemplated by Mr. James Mollison, well-known airman. before he married Miss Amy Johnson, from- whom he is now estranged. This is among a number of intimate disclosures which. are made by Mr. Mollison in his book "Playboy of the Air. ' ' He adds: "I could have oifered her adventure eipjugh to satisfy ' the blood of the . great Wellington. ' ' But Lady "Diana Welletley's mother, Coiintess Cowley, disapproved of the prdposed marriage. "As a flying compttnion I would still choose Amy. but, unfortunately, the woman you pick for a dangerous entef■prise is not always the one you get along with afterwards," says Mr. Mollison. The "Fatal Luncheon." The airman discloses that before the ' "fatal luncheon" at which he proposed to his wife neither had considered marrying the other. He says his engagement followed the breaking off of a year's trial engagement with Lady Diana Wellesley, then aged 18 yeare, to which Countess Cowley was resolutely opposed, The countess belidved that her daughter was too young and inexperienced to decide. Mr. Mollison adds: "Looking back, who ean blame her for her attitude when considering me as a prospective son-in-law?" • The airman declares that he was nauseated by the countess 's catechism about his prospects. "Nevertheless," he adds, "but for the f act that I married Amy I thihk my wife's name would probably have been Diana. ' ' Mr. Mollison admits that he has been / ' scared stifl!" on certain occasions, but he overcame his fe'ar sometimes by ' ' drinking alcohol in a -big way. ' ' He refers to the mutual intolerance which occurred in the early months of his marriage. He adds: "It was humiliating to be semi-publicly catechised for my late hours and belated appearances."

Reply By Countess Cowley. Eeplying to the comments by Mr. Mollison about her daughter and herself, Countess Cowley, in an interview .published in the Daily Mail, said: "I was not, being snobbish. Any mother in my position would have done the same. "Diana and Mr. Mollison lived in two entirely different worlds. I did not want hers to be wrecked. I was not disagreeable and nasty to Mr. Mollison. I was prepared to give them a chance, and told them to wait a ycar,

meet each' othv's friends, and then, if they loved each other, I could hai^dly hold out. Now, thank heaven, Diana is happily and comfortably married. Lady Diana married a Guardsman, Mr. Daniel Dixon, in July, 1923. ' Mr. Hixon is now aide-de-camp. to 'the gen: eral commanding Northern Ir eland.