My mother was born on August 5th 1913. She was an only child and unfortunately I know hardly anything about her younger life. The only story I can ever remember being told and that was after her death was from Aunt Nell. She was engaged to someone called Percy before my father and they obviously visited Fred and Nell. Percy smoked a pipe it seems and my mother stuffed it full of paper and put tobacco on top so it caught fire when he lit it, I think that was where the engagement ended. I could not imagine my mother doing anything like that at the time.
She was 26 when she and Dad married and as I said on their page they lived with her parents until 1949.
In 1945 my maternal grandmother died and Mum was left with me, my Grandfather and his mother to look after. She had already started running away at that time but when my Grandfather started courting Jess down in Bilting and went away every weekend this must have really made things much worse. He married Jess eventually and I think this was the final straw for mum and she did the unforgivable and actually ran away leaving me aged 5 and the old lady there on our own. I can actually remember it and remember running between the back and front doors trying to stop her. When my Grandfather came in from work he was furious as I remember and he told my Dad we would have to move. That was when they bought Lavernock Rd and we had no contact with my Grandfather or Jess until the day before mum died.
Mum was very houseproud and used to follow my father around with a dustpan and brush when he smoked. In fact she was quite fanatical. She was a good mum and I never wanted for the necessities in life but I always thought she wished I had been a boy. I did not find until much later in life that she was told after my traumatic birth she should not have any more children, so maybe that was why. She was very strict I was not allowed out to play and was not allowed anyone in either. I used to play with my friends with the garden gate between us. One summer our nextdoor neighbour had a niece and nephew staying and did persuade mum to let me go up the woods with them and guess who fell in the bomb hole full of rain water!! Needless to say I was not allowed out again.
I don't know exactly when I realised there was something wrong but I seem to always remember her rubbing her side and in November 1955 when I came in from school Dad said to go next door as he was taking mum to the doctor's. That night she was put to bed, the specialist came to her(unheard of now I think) and within 4 days she was in hospital. After a week of tests and such she came home for a week with lots of pills and potions to try and build her up for an operation. Unfortunately when they operated there was nothing they could do she had had the cancer they thought for about 8 years. I at this time had no idea how serious it was, 12 year olds in those days were a lot different to now , I was still very much a child. I think she must have known herself as she had asked Dad to get in touch with her father and Jess and I remember it being discussed at home as he did not want to and my other grandparents who had come down from Manchester to look after me said he must. Grandad and Jess actually got to the hospital the day before she died. I am sure she held on until she had made her peace with them.
She died on the 9th January 1956 sadly before my Dad could get there. |
