This Is My Life
1950–1954: A family of five children
Muriel Mary Baldrey (Johnson), 1915–1999
Later pages 1950–1952
1950
I have already mentioned that Pat was born on the 2nd January, and all went well. I think the next day the Registrar came round to the Ward and asked if I would like to register the baby’s birth, which would save a journey later. I had to think quickly, and decided there and then to call her Patricia Ann, to which Stan had to agree. As I was so well and also Pat, it was decided that I should go to Marrowells, Weybridge, which took overflow patients from the hospital. It was a lovely old house, and I was in a room with just one other girl, a Mrs.
Ramsey, who had a little boy, David. We had plenty to talk about and it looked as if I was in for a pleasant time. However, one evening there was panic stations as they found that Pat had an infection in one eye, and this could easily be spread to the other babies there. So I think it was about 10 p.m. that I was moved back to West Middlesex, very disappointed and reluctant to go. I went to the Isolation Unit, where I had been taken with Wendy, and they started to give Pat penicillin injections in the buttocks.
She was so tiny to have these injections and I hated having to hold her still.
The eye soon improved and I made the most of the rest. Stan seemed to be coping all right at home as he was still on holiday and the girls were helping. In fact he made me a very nice dressing gown in his spare time!!!! He had gone back to school before I came home, so Wendy stayed home and looked after the house and on the day that I arrived home she had cooked roast beef etc.
I settled back and although it was hard work with five of them I gradually got into a good routine. Pat was a good baby and Beryl was growing fast. At first Stan managed to get a girl from the school to do a bit of shopping for me in the morning, as I had them all coming home to lunch except Pam.
Pam, Wendy and Eric went to Sunday school in the mornings and I think by this time that Eric was in the choir with his friend Stewart. Pam’s friend, Susan, used to call for them with her two sisters at about ten o’clock and off they went.
This year Wendy was eleven in July, so that she took the Common Entrance Exam in the February, but we did not have very high hopes, as she had missed so much schooling when she was ill. When the results came through it appeared that Wendy had not made the grade and would have to go to a Secondary Modern School. We were terribly disappointed about this, as it seemed to us that it would be so much better for her to have the same sort of education as Pam, otherwise there would be trouble later on. Stan went round to the Education Officer, but they didn’t offer much hope. However, just before we went on holiday a note came through to say that somebody had fallen out and she could take a place at the Ashford County School, so we were highly delighted.
Pam was confirmed this year in May – she was only twelve, but I think several of her friends were confirmed at the same time. I am afraid I don’t remember much about this, but it was at Ashford Parish Church and I think Dad and Edna came down to the service.
We also had two Christenings this year. Pat was Christened in the Chapel of the school by the Chaplain, Mr. Glazebrook. The whole family came along, and I think Edith and Daphne were Godmothers and Frank was Godfather. We had a good party at the house in the evening. Stephen was Christened at St. Mary Magdalene Church, and I think by that time Peter and Daphne were living at Hemel Hempstead, so Dad and Edna did the meal at their house and once again all the family turned up. At this time Beryl and Jane were very good friends and always played well together when we met. I think at this time Den and Edith were living in a house at Putney. The council had allowed them to move to a house there when Susan arrived.
One other thing that happened this year was the Silver Wedding Celebration of Mum’s brother Uncle Len. They had a very nice “Do” at Southfields and once again all the family turned up. Of course, Auntie Nell had died of cancer. Uncle certainly had a tragic life, losing his only daughter Betty during the War with a tumour on the brain and then Auntie dying at a comparatively young age. However, he married Vera just a matter of months afterwards, and they seem to have been very happy.
Wendy settled at the County School very happily. She had quite a few of her friends there.
I can only vaguely remember our holiday at Middleton this year. I think we must have hired a car to get us down there as Pat was only about eight months old, but I think she was just starting to crawl. I seem to remember her managing to get off her blanket on to the grass and of course putting it into her mouth. I think we probably hired a pram, and Dad had quite a big tent in which she slept, but I think she sometimes cried in the night and I had to bring her in with me in the caravan.
I think it was this Christmas that Bert and Eva asked us if we would spend it with them. It was probable that Dad and Edna were going to the Robinsons. We arranged to do this, then, on Christmas Eve Wendy developed a very bad attack of sickness and so I had to go on my own with Pam, Eric and Beryl. Stan took me to the station as I had to carry Pat and I think Bert met me at the other end. I don’t think I enjoyed it very much, but we couldn’t let Bert and Eva down.
Pat was one year old on the 2nd January, and a very bonny baby. Stan was doing an evening class with the boys. They were doing a project – building a model bungalow. Mr Ford, one of the other masters, was helping and Stan brought him over to tea each week. I can remember on one occasion making cakes and sandwiches and laying the table very nicely. Pam, Wendy, Eric and Beryl behaved well, Pat was in her high chair, and somehow she got hold of a chocolate biscuit, or perhaps I gave her one to keep her quiet. I remember turning and seeing this baby covered in chocolate. Mr Ford had two children of his own so, luckily, was very understanding.
In February, Stan heard that his grandfather’s sister, Aunt Edith, who had been living with Frank and Phyllis at Twickenham, had died. She had been ill for some time, and Frank had found it very difficult as she did not want him to get a doctor. I think in all respects it was a happy release as there had been some tension between the old Aunt and Phyllis for some time.
I was very involved this year with the Twickenham County School’s Parents Committee (Social). We were the hard working lot who organised all the functions and did all the dirty work. The members of the committee turned up but did no work!!!
I heard from Betty, who was then working at a hostel at Great Missenden, run as a rest home by Boots. She had had a very bad attack of influenza, they decided she should have an x-ray and found that she had a spot on the lung. Poor old Bette, she had to go into hospital at High Wycombe, and was in a chalet there with other patients suffering from T.B. In March I decided I would go out to High Wycombe by bus and visit Bette one Sunday afternoon. It was a long journey, and when I got there Norah and Norman were there and Phyllis and her husband, so I didn’t see much of Bette, but she seemed to be getting on all right and finally returned home. She didn’t go back to working at Boots again, but when she was well enough got an office job with the Gas Board.
This year they produced “Yeoman of the Guard” at the Ashford County School. Some of the teachers were in the production and it was very good. Alan St. John was in the orchestra playing the double bass. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. I remember I went with Mrs Usher as Stan and I couldn’t both go and leave the children. It was almost impossible for us to get a baby sitter, but if we weren’t going very far, Pam and Wendy were very good at looking after the others.
They also produced “Treasure Island” at the Residential School, and Stan did a lot of the stage management side. They certainly put on a good show with all the masters joining in in various ways.
At this time David had a young typist called Barbara working for him, and they started going out with each other. Her father owned the “Beehive” at the Old Kent Road. We had seen quite a lot of Barbara and she wanted to bring her mother and father down to see us and the children. So one Sunday in March they drove down. She, Mrs Miller, was very good company, and I remember we had quite a good sing-song.
Stan’s Mum came over for the Easter Holiday and as far as I can remember it was quite good weather.
We were very friendly with Bert and Eve, as Anne, their daughter got on well with Pam and Wendy. In April I took them over to Morden to stay with Anne for the week-end.
We were always on holiday when Eric and Beryl had their birthdays, so Eric never had a birthday party. It was decided this year that he should have a party on my birthday in May. It worked out quite well as it was a lovely day and they played games in the garden. Stuart and Maureen Nicholas came, there seemed to be a bit of rivalry with Stuart and Eric over Maureen.
As usual we went down to Middleton to the Caravan. We had become very friendly with Alan and Beryl St. John this year. We met them a lot at Woodthorpe Road Parents’ Teachers’ Social Meetings. They were taking a bungalow at Bracklesham Bay this year, so we arranged to go across and see them during the holiday and they came across to see us. We also went around quite a bit with the Sanders, they were boat mad – Stan went out once or twice with them in their small yacht.
On our return, Beryl started school at Clarendon Road. She didn’t like it very much and it was a bit hectic for me to take her backwards and forwards all that way. I think in the end Stan took her on the back of his bike in the morning and I returned her after lunch, as I had a seat on the back of my bike. She made friends with a little girl called Susan McKercher, and in the end her mother helped by bringing Belle back at dinnertime and afternoon. It was all rather hectic though as I had them all coming home to dinner except Pam. No sooner had I finished the breakfast wash-up than it was time to start the dinner cooking. The afternoons were spent shopping, washing and house cleaning, then ironing in the evenings.
On Bonfire night the St.Johns joined us as the school had an enormous bonfire in the field at the back of our house. Loads of fireworks were let off, then at the end, after Beryl and Alan had gone home, Eric and Stuart were still playing round the bonfire when Stuart picked up a firework which exploded in his hands and badly burnt his finger. They took him to them hospital and we felt very guilty that it had happened whilst we were around.
We were always caught up in the round of school activities at the end of term – Twickenham County, Ashford County, Woodthorpe Road, Clarendon Road and the Residential School – never a dull moment.
This year Alan and Beryl asked us if we would spend Christmas with them. So on Christmas day, after dinner we went to their house. The boys had been given a train set so this was spread out in the lounge and they spent the evening playing with this whilst Alan, Beryl and us sat in the dining room and talked. On Boxing Day they came to us and Dad and Edna joined us. We managed to get a bit of party spirit, but their boys had brought their train set. However, we got on well with Alan and Beryl and as they were to move in 1952, this was the last time that Eric spent a Christmas with Stuart.
Ken Usher joined the residential School staff this year and they had a young daughter, Lindsay, about a year older than Pat. They couldn’t get anywhere to live so they were given permission to park a caravan up near the school infirmary. They were a very friendly couple, and often popped in on us in the evenings and we went up to the caravan sometimes. I think sometimes Stan got a bit fed up with the popping in part, and wished they lived further away.
We were also friendly with Mr. and Mrs. Hill – he was a Welfare Officer with headquarters at the school. They were a very nice couple with no children, and I remember once taking them up to see our lot in bed. For a time we had to put a bed up in the lounge for Eric, as we only had the two bedrooms.
1952
It must have been early in the year that we heard that Alan St. John had applied for a job with Cuckfield U.D.C. as Assistant Borough Surveyor and he had been successful which meant that they had a house to move to at Haywards Heath. We were very pleased for them but sorry they were going as we had enjoyed being friends with them. I think Eric missed Stuart but soon made friends with other boys. He was in the choir at St. Hilda’s and seemed to have a good time.
On February 6th Eric had his C.E. examination to decide which school he would go to. I remember I had to go to the shops and on the way I heard that George VI had died in his sleep. It was a shock to everybody as he was not very old but he had had an operation on his lung some time back and it was revealed afterwards that he had cancer on the lung. He was buried at Windsor on February 15th. To go back to Eric, there had been a bit of controversy concerning him. As his birthday was in August he was the youngest in the class and it was that year that they decided to alter the deadline date from July to August. He could have stayed on a year and taken the exam, but as he seemed to be quite bright, we decided to let him have a shot at it early.
In March Beryl developed measles and a week later Pat also started spots. They didn’t have it too badly and I made them up a bed on the settee and kept the curtains drawn a bit. We heard, about this time, that Dad was very ill with gastric flu so I went up to see him. To finish a bad month, on the 29th it was boat race day and there was one of the worst blizzards I can remember. It only lasted an hour or two but the snow was so thick that at the end of it Stan had to go to help Mr. Glazebrook dig the snow away from his garage to let him get at his car.
During the Whitsun week Stuart came to stay with us, and at the end of the time I took him and Eric down to Bognor, where I handed Stuart over to his mother and Eric went on to stay with Dad and Edna for a week. Towards the end of July there were the usual end of term functions –Twickenham had a fete at which the parents’ committee provided the refreshments. It was hard slog to provide teas for a thousand and I think we agreed to make 100 cakes each, the rest of the parents turned up trumps, so there were masses of home-made cakes.
We went to Middleton as usual and I think it was this year that Pam met a boy called Graham who was staying in the Poole’s caravan. He seemed quite a nice boy and they had quite a lot of fun with him and other children in the camp. I could safely let the younger ones go on the beach with Pam and we usually joined them with sandwiches for lunch. Then Stan and I had an hour or two before returning to start cooking the evening meal. Stan managed to get a jolly good photograph of us all which he carried around for a long time.
We heard that Eric had been accepted at Hampton Grammar School, so this meant a trek to buy the school uniform. As this was rather an awkward school to get to as it was about a mile from the nearest bus stop, we thought it was best for him to go by bicycle. He seemed to like the school when he started in September. He joined the Scouts and I remember we had quite a time getting the Scout’s uniform in Kingston. Remember we had no car - it was either cycling or bus for us.
We went over to Den and Edith’s this year for a bonfire party. As far as I can remember, all the family turned up.
At the end of November, Hillier decided that she would like to take her little God-daughter to a show. So on the 29th November we met Hillier in town and she treated us to theatre seats for “South Pacific”. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I think, as usual, Dad and Edna came over to us on Boxing Day. We usually had quite a busy Christmas. Stan always went over to the school on Christmas morning to help with the carving of the turkeys. We usually asked Mr. and Mrs. Phillips (Engineer) over for a drink and they returned the invitation. Then we were asked to the Ushers’ caravan and they came back for drinks with us. We didn’t have a great deal of money, but the children always had plenty of presents from the family and Stan always iced a cake and I made puddings. I don’t know whether it was this year that Stan and Walter Hill decided to keep a couple of chickens in a shed at the back and fatten them up for Christmas. I’m afraid they weren’t very fat as all the feeding and cleaning out was left to me. I didn’t understand much about chickens and in any case there wasn’t much money for food stuff. I didn’t really enjoy eating something I had looked after for so long!!!
I should think if that old cottage was still standing it would resound with the noise of five children all reasonably happy. We had no electricity so there was no television, only a small battery wireless, but they seemed to keep amused. We often played cards, and Eric could give Stan a fair game of chess at five!!! ...
Pages for 1953–1954
1953
In January this year Helena booked seats for Pam, Wendy and I to go to the Festival Hall and see the Nutcracker Ballet, I think this was the first time that I had been to the Hall and I was very impressed, it was a lovely production.
Soon after this we all seemed to have a bout of ’flu. Beryl had been having quite a few bad throats, and the Doctor suggested she should have a chest X-ray but this revealed nothing, I think it was really tonsil trouble.
Pam and Wendy were in the usual Pantomime at St. Hilda’s, which I always enjoyed as one of the boys at the Church – John Goreham, was heart and soul in it and very funny with it.
We were kept pretty busy with the Parents Associations at Twickenham and Woodthorpe, and in March there was a “Bring and Buy” sale run by the Scouts at Hampton. I think this was when I cycled to the School, but Eric took pity on me on the way back and he rode the bike back.
Stan’s Mum came up to stay for a few days after Easter, and Eric went down to stay with the St.Johns at Haywards Heath.
As usual I helped with the refreshments at the Twickenham County School Fete on June 27th, and also at a Dance the following week.
We went to Middleton on August 7th, and while we were down there Frank and Phyllis and Colin and Alan came down to see us, also Bert and Eva and Ann, we came home again on Eric’s birthday, 26th August.
Peter and Daph had another son on the 10th October – Simon, 8lbs 2 ozs. – I think Daphne had rather a traumatic time, but they were both O.K.
Beryl was very friendly with Jean Leslie, the daughter of the Padre at the School, and occasionally we were invited to their house in the School grounds for coffee.
I went to the Annual Meeting of the Waifs at the Albert Hall on the 5th November with Dad and Edna, and Princess Margaret was there to receive the purses. We saw her in her car and she really looked so made up just like a film star.
[The family kept the programme: Church of England Children’s Society (formerly “Waifs & Strays”), Founder’s Day Festival, Royal Albert Hall, Thursday 5th November 1953.]
The programme Muriel kept: Founder’s Day Festival, Royal Albert Hall, 5 November 1953. Click to enlarge.
[Muriel’s father worked for the Waifs and Strays Society for many years, as an organiser, and Muriel herself worked there as a girl. Many years later her daughter Chris found him in a photograph in Bill Bowder’s history of the Society, Children First.]
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, patron of the Society’s Children’s Union from 1936, at a Society event. From Children First, p. 24.
Muriel’s father: the man on the right, in glasses, with his hands clasped.
Beryl was also friendly with Susan McKercher, and through the Parents Association we got friendly with Mr. and Mrs. McKercher. He was a dry old stick very keen on golf. We went round there one evening and they came back to supper on another occasion.
Frank and Phyllis came to us on Boxing Day this year, and on the Sunday Dad and Edna and Den and Edith came over. I expect we had quite a party.
1954
There were quite a few deaths in the family this year. We heard that Uncle Len’s wife Auntie Nell had cancer of the lungs and she died in January. This left Uncle Len on his own, and I think we later heard that Auntie Rose had moved from Reg and Doll’s to Wincanton Road to look after Uncle Len.
Things progressed much the same this year, with the usual School events. Eric went to an Ice Show with the Scouts at Hampton in March. Later that month we hired a new car and went across to Hemel Hempstead to spend the day with Pete and Daph. It was a good day, we took a picnic lunch, and had a nice run across country. Simon was a really lovely baby, being about six months then.
In April Auntie Winnie developed a lump in her breast and was rushed to Bolingbroke Hospital. It was found necessary to operate, but she had a haemorrhage during the night, and when they found her it was too late to do anything. She died asking for her Will. This upset Uncle Will terribly, and I don’t think he ever really recovered from the shock.
Stuart came to stay with Eric for a week in April, this was during the Easter holiday. Then Mum came up from Maidstone at the end of April.
In May we went across to an Open Day at Shoreditch Training College, and Stan met some of his old friends. It is certainly in a lovely position on top of Coopers Hill overlooking the river.
We paid Mum a visit at Brunel House in June. We took the children and it was a lovely day. She seemed to be quite happy there, she had a nice little flat, and the male nurses were very friendly.
Simon was christened on June 20th, and Dad and Edna had the party at No 16. A very good time was had by all, we had the food in the garden, as there were so many children. I was Godmother, and Simon was such a lovely babe.
We had our usual holiday at the caravan at Middleton starting on August 6th, and I think it was this year that we had bought an old Armstrong Siddeley, and Stan dismantled the engine with the help of a lot of men at the School, and he tried to get it ready to take us down to Middleton. However, we were a day or two late as he couldn’t get it started. Eventually he took me and the girls down to the Caravan, and went back with Eric to finish the work on the car. As far as I can remember, he was very much involved in the car this holiday, but I think the children enjoyed the beach.
We went down to Maidstone in the car at the end of August to see Mum, and on the way back we called in to see Auntie Nell and Uncle Jack, as we had heard that he was ill. He had just come out of Hospital, but was not well, we heard later from Auntie Rose, that he had cancer, and he eventually died at the end of October. It was a very sad time for Auntie Nell, but fortunately she had Marion, who turned up trumps, and helped her keep the house running.
I joined the “Young Wives” Club at St. Hilda’s and went once a week with Mrs. Nicholas, Mrs. Saxtee and Mrs. Bembridge, it was quite enjoyable.
One Saturday in October Beryl was playing with Susan McKercher and they came in shouting that Beryl had fallen off a wall and hurt herself, she was in a bad state nearly fainting and it was some time before I noticed her wrist was swelling badly. Stan took her to the Hospital and they found she had broken it in two places, they kept her in, and poor old Belle, they splinted both arms, as they discovered that she was still sucking her thumb, and the nurses thought this was bad. She was very unhappy, particularly as the first plaster was too tight, and they had to do it again. When she came home I had to take her round to the Hospital each week for exercises to her fingers and arm.
Pam had the Senior Speech Day at Twickenham on October 27th, she had passed seven subjects in the ‘O’ level examination which she had taken in June, so we were very pleased.
[The family kept the programme: Twickenham County School, Senior Speech Day, Wednesday, October 27th, 1954.]
The Speech Day programme, 27 October 1954.
Inside: the O level results. “P. Johnson (7)”, in Form VA, is very probably Pam, with her seven subjects.
We went to the Bedford Hotel to Dad’s Club Dinner Dance as usual on the 8th December, and a good time was had by all.
I just can’t remember what happened at Christmas this year, but at this time we usually asked Mr. and Mrs. Phillips and the Ushers round for drinks, and they asked us back. Dad and Edna probably came down on Boxing Day.
With thanks to Muriel’s family.