Alma Victoria Rattenbury was born in British Columbia, the daughter of a German father and an English mother, who immigrated to northern British Columbia in search of gold. Her father disappeared while Alma was young and her mother remarried a Kamloops printer named William Clarke. From an early age, Alma demonstrated her talent as a musician. She graduated from the Toronto College of Music in 1908, and when she was about 17 she performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, playing concertos on both piano and violin.

Shortly after moving to Vancouver in 1913, Alma met Caledon Dolling, an Irish man she married in 1914. During the war, Alma was involved with The Ladies' Musical Club in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada. Newspaper reviews of the period are positive. The couples lived there until was called to serve in France. Alma applied for work at the war office in London to be closer to her husband. The happy marriage ended when Caledon was killed by a shell hit in 1916.

She served as a nurse until the end of the war, joining the Red Cross shortly after his death. Records indicated that she was wounded twice and was awarded the (Star and Palm) Croix de Guerre.

Alma met Captain Comptom Pakenham after the war and their romance lead to marriage in 1921, the same year they left England to live in the USA. A son, Christopher was born (7/8/1921) of this short lived union since Alma separated from her husband and returned to live with her mother in Canada. In Vancouver, she returned to her musical life, giving piano lesson and recitals.

Alma was introduced to Francis Mawson Rattenbury after a recital at the Victorian Empress Hotel. He was a well known architect that has designed that hotel and the Victoria Parliament Building. Rattenbury, twice the age of Alma, was still married to Florence Eleonor Nunn. He resorted to moving Alma into his home, forcing his wife to move upstairs, and pressuring her into giving her a divorce to which she agreed in 1925. Rattenbury and Alma were married shortly after. The bad gossips related to the affair, and then marriage affected his future business prospects and financial stability already shaken by some past poor investments. They moved to England in 1929.

In his native country, Rattenbury rented Villa Madeira in Bournemouth where he moved Alma and their two boys. Later, George Stoner 18 years old was hired as chauffeur and became part of the household.

The move didn’t help Rattenbury. He was unable to find work comparable to the grand projects he had mastered in Canada. Alma was luckier, her songs started to sale and she was now more successful than her husband.
Depressed by this situation, he took to drinking that only aggravated his condition.
She threatened to separate him because of the age difference but never acted on it. Rattenbury and Alma remained civil with each other, but they would never be intimate again. It is assumed Alma seduced George Stoner and they became lovers. Most probably, Rattenbury knew about their relationship but did nothing about it.

In 1935, Rattenbury was found badly wounded in his home. A blood stained mallet was discovered consistent with his head wounds. He died shortly after being brought to the hospital.

The affair between Alma and Stoner came to light and they were both natural suspects in the case and were tried for Rustenburg’s murder.

The jury found Alma innocent of the charges but Stoner was found guilty with a mercy recommendation. The judge place a death sentence upon Stoner and Alma reeled while many women wept openly at the news. Soon after a petition of reprieve for stoner was started

The notoriety of the case took a toll on Alma’s life. She was reviled by many in the public, abandoned by her friends. 3 days after the verdict, Alma went to Three Arches bent, a picturesque site next to the Avon River. There she wrote several letters before stabbing herself several time in the chest, then falling into the water. At the inquest, it was found that three of the stabs had hit her heart and that she was dead before she hit the water.

Most likely, due to the petition, Stoner sentence was commuted to life and only, seven years later, in 1942, he was released.
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