I was born in Wheatley Hill but moved to Shotton village when I was a few months old and after living there 6 yrs moved back to Wheatley Hill. Where after a while I met many friends, but my 1st 3 friends, Betty and Nora Stannard when I was 8yrs old and then later on Ethel Clish, are still friends today and that is 70yrs on. I lived with my parents and 2 sisters and we were all friends together and my young brother came along when I was 12yrs old.

We all went together with a very special cousin Ada Willis to the Methodist Chapel. I joined the Institute Movement and of course the Mothers Club and we are all still members of the Mothers Club. We enjoyed a very special year last year celebrating the Mothers Club 50yrs Golden Anniversary. I went into private domestic service helping my sister where she was employed, both at Durham and Sunderland.

The experience did me good in my youth, but I had one or two daunting experiences and left, happy to come home. A good while after my friend Nora and I went to work at Blackpool in a boarding house, which we thoroughly enjoyed but they were only 6-month season jobs so we went back the year after.

We witnessed a terrible sight of the repatriation of soldiers from Dunkirk, who had escaped on the first boat they could manage to escape on, and landed in Blackpool in the clothes they had fought in. Some had injuries that were bandaged, skin caked in blood, eyes bandaged for blindness and being led past the house where we worked to the nearest hospital. It unnerved us both so we decided to come home. We started work at Newton Aycliffe ammunitions factory and worked there for over 4yrs, with many funny experiences. We had all got married and had families and saw each of our families grow up over the years and also our grandchildren. We had a weekly whist every week at each other's homes for 45yrs until a year ago; when due to friend's bereavements and ill health it stopped. We had good parents and I have enjoyed living in Wheatley Hill with my 2 sisters and brother over the years. Unusually there are 4 sisters children in our family of 5, including my older sisters son whom she adopted. My husband and I have 3 sons all happily married, and delightful grandson and grand-daughters. I do voluntary work and go to a bingo at Wheatley house weekly. In April my husband and I will be celebrating 57yrs of marriage in which we are very thankful.