| Description | DOB: 1910
DOD: UNKNOWN
Born at Stanford Hall, North London.
Grew up in a middle-class suburban family in Stamford Hill, with fields leading to River Lea.
Had two older siblings: Vera and Roy; two infants died before Vera's birth.
Very close to her mother, a dressmaker, and experienced a strong emotional bond.
Early impressions shaped by notions of beauty and attention she received from adults (e.g. painter asking to make her portrait).
Rich descriptions of local traditions, church visits, play, and formative experiences.
Father worked as a manager at an engineering firm, Mother worked as a professional dressmaker and stitched garments for others, often late into the night.
Attended local infants and high school, notable experiences with teachers and school plays.
Faced financial constraints when choosing grammar school but enrolled in a mixed school after passing the entrance exam.
Describes strict discipline, passionate elocution lessons, and powerful performances.
Acted in school plays and recited poetry.
Amateur dramatics continued later in life.
Elocution, writing, storytelling.
Visiting family during holidays (particularly her wealthy uncle's house).
A lifelong passion for beautiful porcelain and modest collecting.
Fondness for seaside holidays with cousin Cyril.
WWI experiences: food rationing, zeppelin raids, Woolwich Arsenal explosion, gother raids.
Victory Concert and Armistice Day at school.
Visits to Ragged School, Stamford Hill Congregational Church.
Encounters with class prejudice, discipline, and gendered expectations at school.
Annual family christmas visits to wealthy relatives that shaped her aesthetic taste.
Auction of uncle's possessions years later.
Type-written
Stamford Hill, WWI, Zeppelin, ragged school, congregational church, elocution, armistice, school plays, dressmaking, austerity, family memory, discipline, childhood trauma, porcelain, drama, grammar school, maternal devotion, victorian values. |