| Description | DOB: 23rd February 1908 in Ruchinge, near Ashford, Kent.
DOD: Unknown
Youngest of fourteen children.
Grew up in a strict methodist, working-class household in rural Kent.
Early admission to school due to eagerness.
Attended Ruckinge and later Belsington schools; thrived academically despite difficulties with teachers.
Left school at 14 with strong literacy, math, and sewing skills.
Domestic servant in various households across the UK.
Worked as an under-nanny, nursemaid, and nanny in affluent families.
Took in holiday visitors and boarders to supplement income.
Retired in 1974 but remained active and sociable.
Married John, a man she did not fully love but hoped to build a life with.
Had one son, Colin, born during WWII.
Tragedy: Colin was murdered by his father John during a mental breakdown when the child was still young.
John was institutionalised at Broadmoor; Katherine never remarried.
Writing, Travel, visiting friends, and sightseeing across the UK.
Took numerous coach tours post-retirement (e.g., Scotland Devon, Cornwall, Isle of Wright, Lake District).
Enjoyed reading, particularly religious and historical works.
Attended religious services and lectures regularly; found spiritual comfort in church communities.
Diphtheria hospitalization (likely early 20s)
Son’s murder in the 1940s by her husband.
Active participation in WWII home life and hosting soldiers’ wives.
Widespread travel in later life.
Received a generous financial gift from the MacDonald family.
Experience of 1953 North Sea flood.
Longstanding relationships with foster children and godchildren.
Type-written with a conversational, narrative tone. Author acknowledges typing errors due to age and physical strain; content likely produced using single finger typing, perhaps with revisions by others.
1900s rural kent, Methodist upbringing, large family, domestic service, WWI & WWII home front, murder of child, mental health, resilience, foster relationships, devotional life, post-war Britain, women’s work, North Sea flood, travel, autobiographical memory, working-class life, moral reflection, post-retirement vitality. |