Nancy Mitford or conviction. Many of her writings—for example, her introductions to the Stanley letter collections, and her "U–non-U" essay of 1955—are staunch defences of aristocratic traditions and values. The outbreak of war in September 1939 divided the Mitford family. Nancy and Rodd supported the war; the Romillys had by this time departed for America, while the others either hoped for an Anglo-German détente or, as with Unity, were openly pro-Nazi. Unity was in Munich when war was declared; in despair she attempted suicide by shooting herself in the head. She survived, and was sent home through neutral Switzerland. Mosley and Diana,
Mitford family a different nickname for the others. Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, their political views came into sharper relief. "Farve" remained a conservative, but "Muv" usually supported her fascist daughters, and the couple separated in the late 1940s. Nancy, a moderate socialist, worked in London during the Blitz. Pamela remained seemingly non-political, although she was reportedly an anti-Semite. Tom, a fascist, refused to fight Germany but volunteered to fight against Imperial Japan; he was killed in action a short time after arriving in Asia. Diana, married to Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists, was