IN THE BEGINNING

In the Beginning ---- By Jean - December 2005

Most stories begin “Once upon a time” but this is a true love story so I will begin at the beginning.

William was born in the little village of Camberwell. When he left school at 14 he went to work for general printers, for £2 a week. He met and fell in love and later married Lillian with whom he had four children, William (Bill), John (Jack), Lillian (Dot) and Evelyn (Eve). He then went to work at The Times newspapers as a compositor for £6 a week. He thought it was a fortune.

Alice was born in July 1893. When she started school she met Frances and they became best friends. Alice was invited to all the parties given by the Smith family and got to know all the family, including Lillian’s boyfriend and later husband, William.

Alice met her future husband Sidney when she was 13 years. They later married and had a daughter Maisie. They moved to a house a few doors away from William and Lillian. Whenever Lillian was due to have a child Alice would pop along and help her.

Alice was still very friendly with Frances and one day they visited a fortune–teller at her local fair. They both had their hands read and came out of the tent laughing their heads off because Alice had been told that she would have six children. This was impossible as her husband had TB and in those days this was fatal.

Sidney’s mother had a corner shop and because Sidney could not work Alice spent each day working in the shop. William’s two girls were given a halfpenny each day and Evelyn would go along to the shop for sweets but leave her halfpenny on the coping of a nearby house and tell Alice she had lost her money, so Alice would give her a few sweets and Evelyn would collect her halfpenny off the coping and go home happily. Alice would look out the window to make sure they got home safely but Evelyn never did know she had been rumbled.

When Sidney died Alice moved in with her sister-in-law and went to work mending carpets. She was still very friendly with the Smith family and when Sidney knew he was dying he told Alice to marry again –“someone like Bill”!

In 1928 Lillian was pregnant with her fifth child but unfortunately to everyone’s horror she died in childbirth. The baby Derek only lived three months. William was devastated being left with four children – Evelyn went to live with Aunt Maud (Smith), Lillian went to live with her Aunt Daisy and Uncle Ted and her two boys, who were at work, stayed with their father

Every Saturday William would go along to the cemetery with flowers and Alice would be taking flowers to Sidney’s grave. Eventually they started walking back home together. One day William asked Alice to the pictures (cinema) with him. Alice said it made her feel 18 all over again.

They married in May 1930. The four children and Maisie were all reunited into one family. Life was not always smooth at first, but things settled down and William and Alice had a daughter Jean in January 1936.

Alice realised she had married “Bill” as her previous husband had wished and as predicted by the fortune-teller she now had six children.

And they all lived happily ever after.