Violet Albina Gibson (1876 - 1956)

Born 31 Aug 1876 in County Dublin, Ireland

Ancestors

Died 2 May 1956 at age 79 in Northamptonshire, England

Biography

Violet Gibson is Notable.

Violet Gibson's great claim to fame was that she attempted to assassinate Mussolini in Italy in 1926. She was a daughter of Lord Edward Gibson.

On 7 April 1926, Violet Gibson shot Mussolini, Italy's Fascist leader, as he walked among the crowd in the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome after leaving an assembly of the International Congress of Surgeons, to whom he had delivered a speech on the wonders of modern medicine. Gibson fired once, but Mussolini moved his head at that moment and the shot hit his nose; she tried again, but the gun misfired. She was almost lynched on the spot by an angry mob, but police intervened and took her off for questioning. Mussolini was wounded only slightly, dismissing his injury as "a mere trifle", and after his nose was bandaged he continued his parade on the Capitoline.

At the time of the assassination attempt she was almost fifty years old and did not explain her reasons for trying to assassinate Mussolini. It has been theorised that Gibson was insane at the time of the attack and the idea of assassinating Mussolini was hers and that she worked alone. She was later deported to Britain after being released without charge at the request of Mussolini.

She spent the rest of her life in a mental asylum, St Andrew's Hospital in Northampton. She passed away in 1956.^[1][2] She is buried in Kingsthorpe Cemetery, Northampton.^[3]

In 2022 a plaque was unveiled at her childhood home commemorating her life.^[4][5]

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVCD-CXF6 : 4 September 2014), Violet A Gibson, 1956; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
2. ↑ Probate: "England & Wales Government Probate Death Index 1858-2019", FindMyPast Image - FindMyPast Transcription (accessed 20 October 2022), Violet Albina Gibson probate on 4 Jun 1957 in Birmingham. Died 2 May 1956 residing in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England.
3. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43491393/violet-albina-gibson: accessed 20 October 2022), memorial page for Violet Albina Gibson (31 Aug 1876–2 May 1956), Find a Grave Memorial ID 43491393, citing Kingsthorpe Cemetery, Kingsthorpe, Northampton Borough, Northamptonshire, England; Maintained by julia&keld (contributor 46812479) .
4. ↑ McCarron, J. (2022, October 20). Dublin City Council unveils plaque to Irish woman who shot Mussolini, The Journal. https://www.thejournal.ie/plaque-for-would-be-mussolini-assassin-5897557-Oct2022/
5. ↑ Ireland Census 1901, Residents of a house 12 in Merrion Square North (Trinity, Dublin), Violet Gibson, 24yrs, (http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Dublin/Trinity/Merrion_Square_North/1311548/)

• Dictionary of Irish Biography
• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 16 May 2016, 05:05), entry for Violet Albinia Gibson(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:L9BK-Z6D); contributed by various users.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_Gibson
• https://www.irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/history-and-genealogy/ancestor-database/violet-gibson
• "England and Wales Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q273-ZR1C : 10 December 2017), Violet A Gibson in household of Fanny M A Gibson, St George Hanover Square, London,Middlesex, England; from "1881 England, Scotland and Wales Census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing p. 19, Piece/Folio 99/49, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,774,335.
• Irish Central - Irish woman who shot Mussolini honored in Dublin