Mother

She was born in the East End of London and had trouble speaking clearly because of her deafness, which made her a bit of a loner from her older brothers and sisters but her father’s favourite. She obviously tried hard at school since she received medals and certificates for good conduct which she treasured all her life. She was engaged to Leslie for many years before marrying in 1936. For fifty years afterwards she would tell anyone who would listen about how she had a wedding ring from Woolworth’s and road home on a bus in her wedding gown. Someone forgot to bring her coat!. She bore her only child in 1938. By then they were living in Dagenham and a bomb fell on their council house. Leslie was in the shelter but she, known then and long after as Ginnie, and her son were evacuated to Northampton. As a result of the bombing they moved to a council estate in Chingford, but there were further evacuations to Biggleswade and Birmingham. In Biggleswade Leslie was employed repairing aeroplanes particularly Mosquitoes. Birmingham is a mystery especially since the billet was next to the Longbridge factory. They returned to Chingford in 1943 so that Kenneth could go to school.

Ginnie and Leslie lived an unexciting and parsimonious life after the war. Shillings were never put in the meter until the lights went out and the pilot light in the gas geyser was turned down after use. Holidays were one week at the seaside, in five guinea boarding house with travel always by coach. They didn’t have a television until the year after the Coronation. Ginnie’s relatives were visited only by her during the week and they never came to Chingford. Leslie's relatives, a clutch of maiden sisters living together where they had been born, were visited on Sundays, always referred to as “going over home”. During the Fifties Ginnie went out to work in a factory assembling cardboard boxes with a stapling machine. Long after she would inspect any cardboard box to see if it had been assembled, properly

Leslie died in 1987 a year after their Golden Wedding, Jane’s proper name was restored and it was possible to properly celebrate her Eightieth Birthday later the same year. And finally for her to admit her deafness and buy a hearing aid. Still quite mobile she had holidays with a relative and days out with her son and stayed with him for weekends and often attended the church. She also went to an Age Concern Centre for the first time where she became the centre of attention.

She continued to live in the same house in Chingford until 2000, when a place in Sheltered Accommodation became available in Darenth. By God’s grace this coincided with a sudden decline in mobility, following a collapse and hospitalisation. Afterwards she was unable to go out unless pushed in a wheelchair. Nevertheless she attended Age Concern and Bright-Hour regularly. She was particularly fond of Bright-Hour describing it as Her Church and crediting it with being soothing as indeed she did of any church service. By this she meant that it brought her the peace of God.

When asked, she always said that she was happy in her new place. She was taken ill on Saturday November 9th and admitted to Hospital where she was treated with great kindness and respect and died peacefully on Remembrance Sunday, a day very important to her and one she might well have chosen to leave this world for the next.

My Mother 1907 - 2002