OBITUARY - MY MOTHER

FLORENCE ELIZABETH OLDHAM (nee Halls) was born in February 1913 and died in June 2013.  Her parents were Elizabeth Taylor and John Halls.  She was very small at birth and only ever measured about 5 ft 1 inch tall.  She had an older brother called Jack, who died when he was five and a younger brother called Victor who was killed (aged 21) on 6 December 1941 in the Battle of the Atlantic.

She grew up in Walthamstow, East London but spent much of her young life at a house called "The Pheasants" in Great Missenden in Buckinhamshire where her grandmother lived.  About ten years ago she made contact with the current owners and they invited her to visit and tell them all about the property as it was when it was a smallholding with bed and breakfast facilities and could boast a half licence to sell beer.  Her father had visited as a young man, recently widowed, and met and fell in love with her mother, daughter of the house.  It was a memorable day for all and Florrie wowed them with her anecdotes and how life had been at the beginning of the 20th century.

When she was about six years old Florence was living with her family at Diane Road, Walthamstow:  there was an outbreak of Spanish influenza.  All her family was infected but Florrie was not affected.  She related how they had all laid in bed for many days and she nursed them on her own.  Neighbours brought her food and after a week an aunt turned up to help.

Although she passed a scholarship in her early teens, to attend a commercial college, she was prevented from doing so for economic reasons and in fact finished up in the City of London where she trained as a seamstress.  By age 17 she was working as a "sample hand" - copying dresses in smart shop windows and then making patterns for her employers to produce at lower prices.

A blind date organised by her mother-in-law-to be led to a marriage of 54 years.  Frank Oldham spent 30 years in the Metropolitan Police.  Times were tough both before and during WWII.  Low wages, "voluntary", mandatory cuts etc. encouraged them both to supplement their income through allotments, keeping chickens, making cake decorations etc.

During the Battle of Britain in 1940, Florrie was at her parents' house in Walthamstow and although the warning had sounded everyone came out of the house to look at the blood red sky that was in fact the burning of the City of London..  Florrie's father, a railwayman, was in the ARP and after a full day's work, would then spend many nights on duty.  His particular responsibility was to assemble bits of bodies of dead people who had been blown up in his local area.

Florrie was always interested in current affairs and followed political events with the aid of a radio.  As a young person she had been to a meeting where the speaker was Sylvia Pankhurst:  she recalled seeing Winston Churchil rescued by the police in Walthamstow when he was on his way to make a speech. (Churchill  was held responsible for the many local men who had died in the Dardenelles.)  Florrie later recalled seeing Churchill again at the site of a presumed British plane which had accidentally come down and killed many people.  Rows of houses were obliterated at Hendon NW10..

Although Florrie and Frank did not have a car for many years this did not dissuade them from travelling.  A tandem was the mode of transport most suitable, with a sidecar attached for her daughter.  They travelled widely and enjoyed the countryside. 

The other centre of their life was a housboat which husband Frank's parents owned, and which was moored on a creek at Benfleet, nr Southend.  Florrie thoroughly enjoyed her time on their visits, as Frank had five brothers and sisters and they all used to visit to paint, decorate, swim and have fun.  Although the Oldham family was teetotal they enjoyed their times on the boat, even when required to row up the creek for fresh drinking water, using wobbly gang planks and avoiding thick mud when the tide was out.

After the birth of her son in 1944 the family evacuated to Kidlington in Oxfordshire.  At that time it was a small village but became the crossroads for the invasion of Europe due on June 6.  Airmen from the RAF station Bicester, North American soldiers in huge military vehicles, and prisoners of war, all inhabiting or passing through this small village.  Husband Frank would cycle down from London on the ubiquitous tandem with a friend when they had time off from police duties.

After the war ended some semblance of normality returned, but police wages were still low, weather was often very cold, coal was short, houses had no heating and burst pipes frequently occurred.  By 1948 however, the Olympic Games came to Wembley.  A very low key affair, but Florrie and family got to see Marathon runners and other events at the stadium.

Florrie and Frank acquired their first car several years befofre he retired from the police force.  With this and a new tent they were off again!  They camped all over the country with family and friends.  On his retirement from the police Frank bought a brand new Ford car which was his pride and joy.

A few years later Florrie and Frank decided to move to Lancaster where their daughter and family then lived.  They bought a caravan and spent a great deal of time in the Lake District which they both loved. Frank died in 1986 on his way home from such a holiday.  Florrie then remained in Lancaster until 1998 when she moved to Hampshire to be near to her daughter and son--in-law.

She remained in this county  for 15 years and during that time travelled widely with her daughter to Cyprus, Egypt, Austria, Germany, Spain, Majorca, Portugal and France.  She had two fabulous parties on her 100th birthday in February 2013.  Family and friends came from all over the country to help her celebrate at  a local hotel.  She finally died peacefully on 18 June 2013 after a few weeks in hospital.

Florrie leaves two children, six grandcnhilden and nine great grandchildren.

She was loved by all who knew her and will be missed for her humour and delight in life.