Dolgorouky, Sofka, 1907-1994

Sofka Skipwith (née Dolgorouky) was born 1907, in St. Petersburg, Russia, the daughter of Prince Peter Alexandrovitch Dolgorouky of St. Petersburg, Russia. Her grandfather, Prince Dolgorouky was Grand Marshal of the Imperial Court and a descendant of the founders of Moscow. As an ex-Russian refugee, she lived both in England and France with her husband Leo Zinovieff, who was from another exiled Russian family. They had two sons, Peter and Ian. In 1937 Sofka divorced her husband and married Grey Skipwith, an Englishman, who was killed in 1942 on active service with the Royal Air Force. Their son, Patrick, was born in 1939.

When the French army was defeated in June 1940, Sofka was in Paris; she was arrested by the Germans in November 1940, together with other British citizens who were now enemy aliens. At first they were all imprisoned in barracks in Besançon, a civilian internee camp. In May 1941, all the British subjects, numbering 400, were sent to Vittel detention camp. Sofka was released in July 1944, in the exchange of prisoners between Britain and Germany.

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