January meeting

Beautifully sunny morning and a pleasant get together for January's meeting. Jenny got four votes just beating Pat's three votes.

'Still Continued' by Jenny Day

Alice and Ethel were sisters, two of 15 children.  Alice, born in 1898, was older than Ethel, but they were always very close.

Not easy being part of such a big family.  Alice said, when she was quite young she remembered always having to nurse a baby while her mother read a book.

They lived in an area of Northam, not the most salubrious part of Southampton.  Life was very hard.  When the girls left school at 14 they went into service in a richer family.

Later Ethel was lucky; she was sent to Canada to look after an aunt and begin a new life.  As soon as Alice was old enough, she left the service life, left home and went to sea, working as a cabin stewardess.  I'm sure her mother was pleased with any extra income that came her way!

Ethel's life changed completely.  She met her husband, Alf, a Londoner.  Why he was in Canada I don't know, but she married him and had a very happy and comfortable life.  They lived in London, Ontario and had four children.

Alice's life changed also.  While she was on HMS Aquitania, she met Harry.  He was a carpenter working on the ships.  They married in 1927 when she was 29 years old, but life was still not as easy as that of Ethel and Alf. 

Harry was a wonderful carpenter.  He made nearly all their furniture.  It was beautiful and practical, and furnished their little house in Old Shirley, which they had worked so hard to buy.

Life was still hard.  The country was still recovering from a terrible, long war, but they were still happy and in 1933 they had a son.

They had survived the slump, but not before Alice had to pawn her engagement and wedding rings, among other things, but they still owned their own house.  If I ever feel hard done by, I should think of the terrible times they must have encountered.

Harry had survived a dreadful time in the trenches in the 1914-18 War.  He had experienced 'shell shock' and when the 1939 World War broke out, he was unable to cope and had a major breakdown.  He spent some time in a London hospital, but once the war casualties started to arrive, his bed was needed.   Alice was not going to allow him to be sent to a mental hospital.  She signed papers to have him released into her care.

Harry never worked again, so Alice had to be the breadwinner, first in the munitions factory during the war, then in the margarine factory.  She left home at  six in the morning, returning at six at night, only to face the housework and care of her family.

Many years later, when I met her son, Les, I found her sour and cold.  My family were so different and I was nervous of her! 

After Les and I were married, I got to know her better and realised, beneath the strict and miserable exterior was a softer side.  She was generous and kind.

 I think Les was a disappointment to her and I was the daughter she had always wanted.  Oh, but it was hard to keep up the standard of her white washing!  It was so bright it could hurt your eyes.

Alice still continued to keep in touch with Ethel.  I can remember her receiving boxes of bright red Canadian apples and other gifts.  I guess they were aware of how tough our lives were compared to theirs.

Ethel and Alf came to visit Alice a couple of times.  They were lovely people.  Alice was invited to the wedding of one of their granddaughters and she took Julie, her granddaughter, with her. 

Harry did spend several years in Knowle Hospital, near Fareham, when he could no longer care for himself, and Alice would take the special bus every Sunday to visit him, taking one of the grandchildren with her.

After Harry died Alice discovered money he had squirrelled away over the years.  One can only guess all the hardship had affected his mind. 

With this money Alice paid for the seven of us to visit Ethel and Alf in Canada.  What a visit!  We were shared amongst the family.  Alice, Les and myself stayed with Ethel and Alf, my sons Jeff and Simon stayed with daughter Dorothy and Julie and Kevin stayed wth one of their sons, Bill.  We were given such a welcome and our holiday was packed with wonderful memories.

Alice's later life was much easier, although she still worked until she was 80 years old.  She was employed by Unigate Dairies to make teas for the staff in their Head Office.  She was treasured by them and, as she got a little more frail, they would carry the tea trays to the offices for her, so she just had to make the tea and wash up after someone returned the trays of dirty cups.  She loved her little job and wasn't doing it out of necessity any more, but it gave her a purpose.

Alice was an amazing lady, a good mother-in-law and a generous Granny.