A few years ago, I got a chance to sit down with my Nan on a
few occasions just to talk about her wonderful life and, as many of you know,
she really could chat! So what follows is just a short biography of my Nan, based
on those conversations.
Born in Forest Hill on August 27th,
1923, Evelyn Rose, or Rose or Rosie as many people knew her, was born to
Elizabeth Emily Fry and an unknown father. Occasionally, my Nan would speculate
about who her father might have been, but she never really showed much
curiosity and would often joke that it could have been the local Italian ice
cream seller, as that would explain her olive skin.
As the eldest of five children, Nan had two sisters (Peggy
and Eileen) and two brothers (Teddy and Lenny) and always remembered her early
childhood with fondness. She would often mention how the doors on her street
would be open at all times, and that everybody would be in and out of each
other’s houses, so she remembered a real sense of community.
At age 13, Nan had to leave school to help look after her
siblings, while her Mum was in hospital for some time. Afterwards, while her
Mum was recuperating, Nan felt compelled to go out and work and held down a
variety of jobs before WW2 broke out. Nan said she worked in a make-up factory
in Sydenham, in another factory nearby making typewriters and even as a welder.
Thinking back to how me & my brother used to complain about doing a paper
round, my Nan’s work ethic during her teenage years puts a lot in perspective.
I should also say that it was around this time that Nan
confessed to having her first cigarette and, as some of you will know, she
always took pleasure in defying doctor’s orders and continued the habit until
very late in her life.
During the war, Nan joined the Land Army and was posted to a
farm in Horsham in West Sussex, where her days would often begin with milking
cows and finish out in the fields at dinnertime. Despite a grumpy farm owner,
Nan had nothing but happy memories of these years, especially learning to drive
a tractor and riding a horse. While on leave in London during the war, Nan
would stay with the mother of her then boyfriend, Freddie King. Sadly, near the
end of the war, Freddie’s Mum received a telegram saying that his plane had
been shot down over Berlin.
Nan said it took a very long time to recover from the heartbreak,
but it was thanks to her sister Eileen that she finally met her husband and my
Grandad, Robert Coleman. After the war, Eileen helped my Nan get a job in
service at a property on Blackheath Park, near Blackheath Halls, and this is
where Nan would first meet Grandad when he came to stay as a lodger. Nan always
remembered this time with great fondness, especially their trips to the cinema
while courting, and in 1956 they married in a small ceremony at Lewisham registry
office. A year later, in the summer of 1957, along came their first and only
child, my Mum Susan.
In the early part of Mum’s life, Nan remembers moving to
various different addresses around Lewisham, Blackheath and Charlton and
holding down a variety of different jobs, more and more so when my Grandad was
diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Nan said she found it very sad to see her husband, who had served
in the army and was a former boxer & cross country runner, end up losing
his physical faculties at a relatively young age. During his illness, Nan
somehow juggled looking after the house and my Mum, who was still at school at
the time, along with working various jobs and caring for my Grandad, who eventually
died in 1972.
Nan spent most of her later years living in Kenya Road,
Charlton and this is where myself & my brother always remember Nan living.
We had many happy Christmas lunches there as a family and Nan, who was a very
proud Royalist, would always make sure we all stopped whatever we were doing to
listen to the Queen’s speech.
Nan finally retired from working in her early 70s, just
before the turn of the century, and she remained active until very near the end
of her life. I remember the first time I brought my wife Ruth to our house in
Plumstead back in the late 90s, and Nan was trying to lug a huge mattress down
the stairs at nearly 80 years old. Little things like that just go to show her
determination and strength of character, and it was those qualities that got
her through so many challenges in life.
There are many, many things I’d like to say about my Nan and
what an amazing woman she was, but there just isn’t enough time, so in closing I’d
just like to say that, I know I speak for me & my brother when I say Nan
was more like a 2nd Mum than a Grandma in many ways. With all the
love and support we got from our amazing Mum and Dad as well, we really did
have a dream team of parents growing up.
Finally, I’m so glad that Nan got to see the next generation
in our family coming through with my daughters Rosie and, most recently, Ava,
who came along just weeks before she died. Nan was in fact the first person in
the family I spoke to after the birth and that joy in her voice is something
I’ll always remember and hold on to.
So Nan, you’ll be very much missed, and will always remain
in our hearts.
Thank you xx
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