| Description | DOB: Unknown
DOD: Unknown
Raised in a working-class, back-to-back terraced house in a dockyard town.
Lived in a one-parent environment due to her father's Royal Navy service, often away for years at a time.
Despite poverty, her childhood was rich in affection, home-cooked meals, street games, storytelling, music, and disciplined but kind parenting.
Two siblings died young - one from whooping cough and another from a school accident.
Rosie was tomboyish, enjoyed reading, and shared bedrooms with siblings.
Attended elementary school then gained a scholarship to a girls' secondary school after excelling in English and spelling.
She had strong interests in literature and grammar, disliked arithmetic and needlework, and was coached by dedicated teachers.
Left school early at age 14 due to financial constraints despite aspirations to become a teacher.
First job was as a junior assistant in a store.
Had dreams of becoming a teacher which were unfulfilled.
Father's long absences due to Navy commissions.
Deaths of siblings.
Survived life threatening measles and pneumonia.
Participated in WWI ear rationing, family anxieties, and victory day celebrations.
Won a place at secondary school but had to leave early.
Younger brother's birth brought family tension.
First taste of public performance in a school play.
Type-written
WWI, dockyard town, Royal Navy, childhood resilience, schooldays, home life, street games, poverty, storytelling, rationing, siblings, grief, memory, discipline, working-class Britain, secondary education, Edwardian era, nostalgic recollection. |