Violet Dickson facts for kids

Hajjiyah Dame Violet Penelope Dickson (born Violet Lucas-Calcraft; September 3, 1896 – January 4, 1991) was an amazing British woman. She lived in Kuwait for 61 years, which is more than half her life! She was married to a British diplomat named H. R. P. Dickson. Violet wrote several books about Kuwait and was very interested in plants. A desert plant, Horwoodia dicksoniae, was even named after her. She was also given a special award called the Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).

Her Life Story

Violet Penelope Lucas-Calcraft was born in Gautby, Lincolnshire, England. Her father, Neville Lucas-Calcraft, managed land for others. When she was young, her family lived in a house called Moat House.

She met her future husband, Harold Dickson, in Marseilles, France, after World War I. She was working at a bank there. She then traveled to India to marry him. Soon after, they moved to Iraq.

Harold Dickson worked as a British representative, called a Political Agent, in different countries. He worked in Bahrain from 1919 to 1920 and also in Persia (now Iran). In 1929, he became the British Political Agent in Kuwait and stayed there until 1936. He briefly returned to this role in 1941.

Violet went with him on all these trips. She quickly learned to speak Arabic very well. After Harold stopped working for the government, he worked for the Kuwait Oil Company. Violet loved plants and wrote a book about the wild flowers of Bahrain and Kuwait in 1955. She often sent collections of wild flowers to the famous Kew Gardens in London. The desert plant she found, Horwoodia dicksoniae, was named in her honor. In Arabic, this plant is called khuzama.

Violet wrote her life story, called Forty Years in Kuwait. She was encouraged to write it by Ian Fleming, who wrote the James Bond books. He visited Kuwait in 1960 and interviewed her for a book he was writing.

As the wife of a British government official, Violet helped her husband with his duties. This included attending social events and traveling with him. Because of this, she met many important leaders in the region. These included King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia, who once gave her an oryx (a type of antelope) as a pet! She also met King Faisal of Iraq and many leaders from Kuwait. She often talked with diplomats from Western countries. Even after her husband passed away, her deep knowledge of Kuwait was very helpful. British ambassadors and visiting diplomats often relied on her advice. In 1976, her 80th birthday party was a big event for the British people living in Kuwait.

Violet Dickson had a son, Hanmer Yorke Warrington Saud Dickson, who was also a diplomat. She also had a daughter, Zahra Freeth, who wrote books about the Middle East.

Special Names

Dame Violet was given special names by the people of Kuwait. They called her Umm Saud, which means "Mother of Saud" in Arabic. She was also known as Umm Kuwait, meaning "Mother of Kuwait." She was also given the name Hajjiyah. This is a respectful title for a woman who has completed the Hajj, a special trip to Mecca. This was unusual because non-Muslims are usually not allowed to go on the Hajj.

Her Awards

Violet Dickson received several important awards from the British Empire. She was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1942. Later, she became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1964. In 1976, she received the highest honor, becoming a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).

In 1960, she also received the Lawrence of Arabia Memorial Medal. This award was given to her for her work with the Bedouin women of Arabia. It also recognized her studies of the plants and animals in the desert.

Her Final Years

The British Political Agency in Kuwait was in a house built in 1870. The Dicksons moved into this house in 1929. Harold Dickson lived there until he passed away in 1959. Violet continued to live there until the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. She was unwillingly taken to Britain for safety. She wanted to return to her home in Kuwait City. However, she passed away on January 4, 1991, at the age of 94.

During the invasion, her house was badly damaged. But the Kuwaiti National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters later fixed it. Now, it is a popular place for tourists to visit. It is one of the few remaining examples of 19th-century Kuwaiti buildings. It has thirty rooms spread over two floors.

Scholarship in Her Name

The British Council in Kuwait offers the Dame Violet Dickson Scholarship. This special scholarship helps Kuwaiti women continue their studies in the UK. It is known as a very important award for women in Kuwait. This shows how much Violet Dickson was respected.

Her Writings

Violet Dickson wrote several books and articles:

• "A visit to Maskan and Auha Islands in the Persian Gulf off Kuwait, May 7th, 1942", Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 43, pp. 258–264. (1942)
• The Wild Flowers of Kuwait and Bahrain London: George Allen & Unwin (1955)
• Forty Years in Kuwait London: George Allen & Unwin (1971), ISBN: 978-0049200326
• She also wrote an introduction for Kuwait's Natural History: An Introduction (edited by David Clayton), Kuwait: Kuwait Oil Company (1983).

Images for kids

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  A nature reserve, similar to the wild areas Violet Dickson loved to explore.