Vincent William Soltau

VINCENT WILLIAM SOLTAU was the son of HENRY VINCENT CALMADY SOLTAU, and his wife FRANCES MARGARET ELIZA SOLTAU (nee JESSOP). He was born on 22 April 1903.

Family records suggest that VINCENT contracted a first marriage, and that they were subsequently divorced. Searches of marriage records have not found any trace of such a marriage.

On 23 December 1939 VINCENT married Lady MYRA IDINA HALDEMAN (nee SACKVILLE), daughter of GILBERT GEORGE REGINALD SACKVILLE, 8th EARL DE LA WARR, (222 March 1869 – 16 December 1915) and his wife the Hon MURIEL AGNES (nee BRASSEY), (1872 – 8 August 1930) second daughter of the 1st BARON BRASSEY. This was Lady IDINA’s fifth marriage. She was born on 26 February 189 at Buckhurst / Withyam in Sussex. She married: 1. Captain Rt. Hon. DAVID EUAN WALLACE, MC, MP, and they had two sons. Married on 26 November 1913. They had two sons, both of whom died in the Second World War. He divorced her in 1919. 2. Captain CHARLES GORDON. They were married on 27 March 1919. This marriage was dissolved in 1923. 3. JOSSLYN VICTOR HAY, who became the 22nd EARL OF ERROLL. They were married on 22 September 1923. They had one daughter, Lady DIANA DENIS HAY, born on 5 January 1926, and she was the heir to the Earldom of Erroll at the time of her father’s and mother’s divorce, in 1930. 4. DONALD CARMICHAEL HALDEMAN. They were married on 22 November 1930. This marriage was dissolved in 1938. At the time of her fifth marriage, she had been a resident in Kenya for some years. In December 1938 she motored across the Sahara Desert from Algiers to her Kenya estate. 5. Flight Lieutenant VINCENT WILLIAM SOLTAU, RAF. They were divorced in 1946. IDINA died on 5 November 1955, from cancer.

Family records also suggest that VINCENT married thirdly GRACE …………….. We have no details. The name GRACE arises in the paperwork when his Will was proved, following his death. No trace of this marriage has been traced in UK records.

Family records suggest that VINCENT and his first wife had issue: 1. ANN SOLTAU 2. THOMAS SOLTAU However, exhaustive searches in U K records of births, marriages and deaths have revealed no trace of such children.

VINCENT was born at Heathfield, Crownhill, Plymouth, and educated at Cheltenham College. On leaving school he became an engineering pupil at Robey’s Limited of Lincoln. A qualified pilot, he was a Flight Lieutenant in the RAF, and was granted the temporary rank of Squadron Leader in 1940.

He died on 1 August 1964.