Douglas was born in Glasgow in 1908, the family moved to Hawick and in 1919 they came to Wolverhampton, where Mr. Porteous senior was a dairy manager for Staffordshire Farmers. In 1923 they moved to New House Farm, Codsall, and later to Lincluden, Bilbrook, where they had a pig and poultry farm.
Hilda and Douglas lived in Elliotts Lane, Codsall, where they had a field and an orchard, keeping pigs and poultry during the early days of the war. Douglas worked at Costing for Haywards, who made wrought iron gates and railings. The factory closed on the outbreak
of war and he joined the Auxiliary Fire Service full time, leaving in 1941 after being declared unfit for the navy.
He worked for ICI at Marston Excelsior (later IMI) retiring in 1970. They had three children - Neil, born in 1940, Ian, born in 1942, and Alison born in 1943. Hilda returned to teaching at Codsall Secondary Modern School, Elliotts Lane in 1948, leaving in 1961,
when, because of housing development, the Elliotts Lane property was sold and the family moved to Leafields Farm, Brewood. In 1964 she returned to the Codsall
Secondary Modern School to teach part-time, leaving in 1974.
