The recognition of Sofka Skipwith as Righteous Among the Nations in 1998 highlights a life defined by extraordinary shifts in fortune. Born Sophia Petrovna Dolgorukova in 1907 in Saint Petersburg, her path led from the aristocratic circles of the imperial court to the displacement of the October Revolution and eventually to the stark realities of wartime internment in France.
Early Life and Education
As the only child of Prince Peter Dolgorukov and Countess Sophy Bobrinskaya, Skipwith spent her early years in a privileged social environment. Following the revolution, she moved with her grandmother to Crimea before arriving in England. Her formal education included attendance at Queen's College London, where she earned a School Certificate. Her upbringing spanned multiple international cities, including Paris, Rome, and Budapest, before she settled in the United Kingdom.
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Skipwith qualified as a shorthand-typist at the Ecole Pigier in Dieppe. Her professional roles included serving as a secretary to the Duchess of Hamilton and later working for Laurence Olivier and Jill Esmond. Her personal life involved two marriages, first to engineer Leo Zinovieff and subsequently to Grey Skipwith, the heir to a baronetcy. During the Great Depression, she balanced various administrative tasks and teaching roles to maintain her household.
Wartime Experience and Recognition
During World War II, Skipwith found herself in France as the conflict escalated. She was eventually interned by the Nazis, a period that preceded her efforts to assist Jews during the Holocaust. After the war, she lived in the United Kingdom, eventually passing away on Bodmin Moor in 1994. Her post-war years culminated in her official designation as one of the Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem for her rescue efforts.
Fast facts
- Born: 1907, Saint Petersburg
- Died: 1994, Bodmin Moor
- Education: Queen's College London
- Occupation: Stenographer
- Citizenship: United Kingdom
- Award: Righteous Among the Nations (1998)
- Religion: Russian Orthodox Church
Questions readers ask
What was Sofka Skipwith's primary occupation?
She was a trained stenographer and shorthand-typist.
Why was she honoured by Yad Vashem?
She was named one of the Righteous Among the Nations for her efforts to save Jews during the Holocaust.
Achievements
- Righteous Among the Nations — 1998
- Worked as stenographer
- Educated at Queen's College London
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