Eileen was born in 1943 and lived in the heart of London with her mum, dad, grandfsther, grandmother and two older sisters, Joan and Rose.

the three leveled boarding house at 60 Grafton way (formally owned by Lord Grafton) was off the Totnham court road. It was run by her grandfather Nicholas and Grandmother Mini-Rose. 

Mum was born in the middle if World War II, where bombs were falling all aroud her. Mum used to recall playing on the bomb sites as a child growing up, as she knew no different.

With rationing, people dudnt have much. But they had love, family snd community. Mum first saw and ate a banana when she was 7 years old and didn’t know thst you had to peal it first.

Mum trained as a hairdresser at aged 15 in Mayfair after following her family. Her mum Dorathy, Auntie Annie snd tow cousins Rita and Audrey were all hairderessers.

As a child, mum would tell us her first wage was 1 poind and 10 shlings a week….about £1.50 in todays money. Beehives, boufons and finger waves were just some of the styles mum perfected on her rich and famous clients.

In 1963, ages 20, mum frll in love at first sight with her sole mate, Ashley. It was a blind date set up by their two mutual friends and was a love story spanning 57 years.

Ashley proposed to Eileen on the White Cliffs of Dover in August 1964 and they were married just 10 months later, before dad was stationed out in singapore with the RAF. Mum was lucky enough to join him out there for 18 months.

my parents married in June 1965 and happily celebrated their 55th Emerald Wedding Anniversary two years ago before mum sadly lost the only love of her life Ash, as she fondly refered to him.

Wanting a family was high on their priority list and they fostered many children brfore having their own, not only opening their home to these children, but their hearts too.

My parents were heart broken when they lost 3 pregnancies over 6 years, but overjoyed when their daughter Clare arrived, happy and healthyin 1974. Little did they know their family would grow again in 18 months.

You see mum fell pregnant again and was one of the first ladies to have an ultrasound scan in 1976 as technology was evolving. But my parents had the shock of their lives when the radiographer announced they were having triplets!! Mum was having kittens, but luckily it was just me and Keith in there.

We were born in May 1976, the hottest summer on record, poor mum carrying twins throughout that heatwave. Mum became a housewife overnight and with disposable nappies not being inveted yet, she would wash up to 40 reuseable Terry’s nappies a day…..blowing up 3 washing machines in the process!!

We lived in Worcester Park growing up and mum and dad live in the same house fir 27 years before retiring to the Isle of Wight.

My parent raised us well and in return got to see their 6 beautiful granchildren grow up over the years. I know how deeply they loved tnem all.