When I started in Business I was told to look after the couple across the road with their bread order. This was done because I was told the man would sit on the seats on the pullover(a ramp to the beach)and would tell anyone who asked him where to get a good meal. I don't know if it made any difference but I did take their bread. The Man only lasted a year and died. I guess he would have been in his early 70s.
I continued to take the Lady her bread and eventually got to know her quite well. Although she had come from decent stock she had no money, was on assistance and the property where she lived was a 4 bedroomed house which was very basic. It had just one cold water tap, gas downstairs and candlelight up stairs So you could imagine, no electricity at all and the only way to get any hot water was to boil a kettle.
I knew the owner of the property and he infromeed me that he had wished to have electricity and a bathroom installed but Miss Witty as she was called refused saying that she was happy as it was. She would be in her early 70s then. I later found that the Man who had lived with her was not her Husband and that when he died wished to be buried next to his wife.
Over the next few years I got to know her better, she would occasionally ask me to go up stairs and get something for her. To be honest I didn't like going upstairs but I did.
One day she shows me an album. It was full of nice things such as Christmas cards from the First World War, plenty of postcards and photos.
Over time she told me a lot more. Her Father had been the Manager of the White Heart Hotel in Spilsby which in those days was a most prestigious position. Her Brother wasa few years older than her and she told me he was a sickly child. So much so that when he went on his first Foxhunt with the local hunt, normally when they were at the kill the foxes brush was cut of and the blood was smeard over the cheeks. As he was a delicate child, I guess he would be about 12, what the Hunt did was to get the foxes head stuffed and it was presented to him.
Eventually he was called up to fight in the First World War, they didn't expect him to be enlisted but he had to go.
Eventually he was discharged on Medical grounds a few years after fighting for King and Country.
I don't recall how I came to the bits but all I can say is that she gave them to me. To be honest I wasn't interested but I took tham. I remember her saying that her Niece and he Husband would not bother at all with them. Incidentally that was the only relative that remained. All her Family members had passed away years before.
She did tell me that her Mother told her once that she must never marry a man much older than her as her Mother had done so.
It was the done thing years ago that if the Man died in a Hotel they would have to vacate the property so that a new Male manager could take over.
She didn't tell me where they moved to but I think it was in Spilsby. Soon after her Brother Arthur was discharged he became wore and did not live long after that. She told me he died of Consumption what we would call now Tuberculosis.
Anyway here are the badges that she gave me. I didn't realise that one was silver until I found it after looking for a Mensa certificate of Merit which I thought I had destroyed but eventually found that too.
On looking at the badges one was black so I immediately suspected it was made of silver but had no markings but I went Online and eventually found it.
The silver badge is called Silver War Badge. More soon.
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