Talk:Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford

Family
No reference to his daughter Margaret Fairweather - one of the original eight female Air Transport Auxiliary pilots? Ought to be included. (77.99.185.73 (talk) 21:45, 22 February 2011 (UTC))

Still alive?
When he was appointed to his mission to Czechoslovakia, didn't the Cabinet spend some time asking one another whether Runciman was still alive? Or was that Crewe when he was appointed to the Cabinet in 1931?Paulturtle (talk) 01:56, 30 August 2015 (UTC) Apparently Crewe in 1931, I am now informed, unless the same story is told about Runciman as well.Paulturtle (talk) 14:55, 30 August 2015 (UTC)

Appalling references
At first glance this article appears to have a fair number of references for its size. On second glance, it has hardly any. There are 8 references to "David", but no indication of who this "David" is or what work is intended. We also have cases of "op cit" which is deprecated on Wikipedia, for the obvious reason that someone may replace a reference, or introduce another by the same author, leading to confusion. Also "Wilson (ed.), Scott's Diaries, p.122" - I would guess that this is Trevor Wilson's edition of The Political Diaries of C. P. Scott, 1911–1928 but it needs checking. "Haig Diary" could well be Douglas Haig: War Diaries and Letters 1914-1918 edited by John Bourne and Gary Sheffield, but again it needs to be checked. I've also marked the "brains in aspic" quote as needing verification (it is referenced to the elusive "David"), as I can only find it on Wikipedia mirrors. DuncanHill (talk) 13:37, 30 January 2018 (UTC)


 * Update - I think I have identified the mysterious "David". Inside Asquith's Cabinet: From the Diaries of Charles Hobhouse edited by Edward David. But again, can someone with access to this check it? Also, one party's diaries may not be the most reliable source. DuncanHill (talk) 13:46, 30 January 2018 (UTC)
 * Have confirmed that "David" is Inside Asquith's Cabinet, and will clarify the refs. DuncanHill (talk) 16:39, 30 January 2018 (UTC)


 * OK, well I have clarified and tidied the references as best I can for the time being. Have just ordered the Hobhouse diaries (the ineffable "David"), and will double-check the page numbers etc when it arrives. The article does rely far too much on this one source, which as a diary of one of the players will inevitably be partisan to some extent. I have LG's War Memoirs, which are highly critical of Runciman (as one would expect), and also Duncan Brock's Dictionary of Liberal Biography, which gives a more balanced assessment. These, with the ODNB article (referenced, but hardly used in our article) should enable some expansion and improvement. DuncanHill (talk) 17:16, 30 January 2018 (UTC)


 * I think in fairness Hobhouse's diary is regarded as a high-quality source, precisely because he was a minor character who was just keeping a record of what the bigger beasts were up to. Lloyd George's relations with the Liberal ministers like Grey, Runciman and McKenna were not particularly cordial during the war, but it's generally thought that his memoirs, which came out in the mid 1930s, were coloured by the events of the mid 1920s when they were the "grandees" prolonging Asquith's leadership, and even after Asquith finally retired, the grandees formed an unofficial "Liberal Council" which carried on sniping at Lloyd George's leadership - I think even Margot Asquith was on it. Their relations with Lloyd George had become absolutely rancid by then.Paulturtle (talk) 03:33, 26 July 2022 (UTC)

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 * Lord Runciman.jpg