The Dennis Wheatley 'Museum'

Nancy : DW's First Wife

Nancy

Part of a long, five page letter to Nancy

For a transcript of this page click here

The menu for the wedding breakfast when DW married Nancy Robinson in 1922, not long after Eric Gordon Tombe's disappearance.
If you look carefully, you can see that Dennis's name is mis-spelt on the card, which was autographed in pencil by some of his friends.

Reproduced with the permission of Special Collections, Leeds University Library (MS1942)

Click on the images to enlarge


To enlarge the inscription on the bookplate click here

Nancy's first Christmas present to DW

Nancy knew what to give DW - a book !
Like various other books in his library,
it was used as a source for his novels.

With Nancy, it was love at first sight.

They met in November 1921 when DW's parents threw a dinner party and he sat next to her at dinner. Within a week they were engaged to be married.

The wedding took place 17th June 1922, not long after Gordon Tombe's disappearance, and some eighteen months later DW's only child was born - his son Anthony.

While the marriage began well, over time their interests diverged and they drifted apart. DW started seeing other women, including Gwen (see the next exhibit). DW and Nancy finally parted company in 1930 and they were divorced in 1931.

Nevertheless DW later talked of "having been married (to Nancy) for nine years, most of which had been very happy ones".

References : 'The Young Man Said' page 37.
'Officer and Temporary Gentleman' pp 229,244.
'Drink and Ink' pp 40-7,50-2,54,57,59,61,73,76-9,84,86,90,92,98,99,100,109-10,128,237.
Phil Baker pp 175-6, 198,203,204,210,212,217,218,227,229,230,231,233,
234,242,246,248,249,256,257,261,263,265,272,274,277,278.

Provenance:

Photograph - 'Drink and Ink'
Letter and book - Private Collections

The Dennis Wheatley 'Museum' - The Women in DW's life

Nancy : DW's First Wife