The story of Neil and Eileen, read out at their 60th wedding anniversary in 2010
Neil was born on 17 July in Birmingham, Eileen on 14 February in Mitcham, both in 1929. They are both the eldest of three, Neil with two sisters and Eileen with a brother and sister.
Neil lived in Birmingham with his parents and two sisters until he was called to do National Service and finally moved to London in 1954. He joined the Scout movement at 8 in 1937 to the 1st Pebble Mill (168 Birmingham) group and remained with them until they moved to London in 1954 when he joined the 1st Herne Hill Group. By this time, he was an Assistant Scout Master. Eileen having joined the Pebble Mill group when living in Birmingham became an Assistant Cub Master and subsequently also at the Herne Hill Group. Both left the Scout movement on moving to Worcester Park in Surrey in 1958. When Paul and Phil were small Neil was instrumental in starting a football team for primary school boys and they were named 'lmberhorne Imps', When Paul was ten, Neil and friends started 'East Grinstead Minors' with eventually 7 teams of varying ages. Neil started as Secretary and retired in 1994 as President. Subsequently, this group joined the East Grinstead Football Club as its junior section.
Neil won a scholarship to Kings Norton Grammar School for Boys in Birmingham and left having gained the School Certificate at the age of 14¾ and went to work at a Chartered Accountants as a trainee accountant. He was called up for his National Service and joined the Navy in September 1947. When he left the Navy, he went back to this same company but having missed over two years training found it impossible to catch up, so left and went to work for the Birmingham Gas Company in administration. (It was Nationalised the following year). He subsequently moved to Kent Suburban district at Sydenham in Sales and Service.
He joined Wellers (paper merchants) in 1956 as a sales representative and remained with this company, although it was taken over a couple of times, for the rest of his working career, retiring at 65. A leaving dinner was arranged for Neil in Belfast (the company that then owned them was based in N.I.) E&N flew to Belfast, were put up in a beautiful hotel and given a lovely send-off. Neil had worked for the company in total 38 years.
Eileen lived in Mitcham, Surrey with Mum, Dad and brother Ken (and later addition in 1947 of sister Pam). When she was 11 and went to a secondary school which was on the border of Streatham. The children had to walk past Brocks Firework factory, which was then making explosives for the war, which was in its second year.
The parents of the children decided that it was too dangerous for their children to walk past this factory and as there was no other way to get to school, they kept the children at home. This obviously caused many problems with the school authority and it ended with her not going to school for six months. Parents relented in the end and back to school they went.
Eileen left school at just 14, went for an interview in the Treasurer's Dept. at Sutton and Cheam Borough Council for a job of junior typist and machinist (using what was then up-to-date printing machines). At the salary of 25 shillings Eileen started work that afternoon. (She had been attending an evening course at a commercial college for typing, shorthand and bookkeeping, so could type (after a fashion). Eileen worked there for 4 years before going to work in Carey Street in London for the Law Society for a year when she joined the WRNS. She had been attending an organisation for several years called The Girls Training Corps which was similar to the now Army Cadet Corps.
About the war: Neil was in Birmingham during the war and as they both agreed, it was an exciting time for children of their age (10). His dad did not get called up into the services during the war as he was in a "reserved occupation" and was working at Austin Motors where they were building gliders and vehicles for war. Neil collected paper for the war effort, and one summer went to harvest camp in the country to help get the harvest in. Pam, his youngest sister was born during the war in 1941. His other sister Jean was evacuated during the whole of the war.
Eileen lived in Mitcham during the first part of the war and with other kids used to stand outside the house watching the planes shooting at each other during the Battle of Britain - this seems frightening now but at the time it seemed to be exciting for the children. One of the 'games' was for the girls and boys going round the streets and in the gardens looking for shrapnel pieces of spent shells and bombs. The competition was to see who could find the most or the largest piece. Eileen's Dad did not go into the services as he had a medical and was found to be unfit. He worked as a carpenter and joiner. Her Mum worked at Lines factory at Merton who were toy and pram manufacturers, but then making sten guns for the war and she was working on the sten guns. Many bombs fell in the area and the house was damaged several times. Finally, a small bomb fell in the back garden whilst the family were in the Anderson shelter in the garden. It made a huge hole and blew out the remaining windows of the house that hadn't already been broken. It also brought down all the ceilings and all the tiles off the roof. After this her Dad managed to find a house in North Cheam to rent from the family he worked for (this was Gleesons who was then very small, but is now an enormous company). Whilst living in Cheam the V1 and V2s fell in the area and they were very frightening and you could hear and sometimes see the V1 and when the engine stopped had to dive for cover as you didn't know where it was going to land and explode. The rocket V2 was the worst as you couldn't hear it and it was so fast you could not see it and it was devastating in its effect, wherever it came down to earth. Eileen's brother Ken was evacuated for some time to Stalybridge, near Manchester but came home after a year or so.
When in the Royal Navy, Neil was posted to Wetherby in Yorkshire in September 1947 after preliminary Training at Cosham - this was to train as a Supply Assistant. Eileen was in the Women’s Royal Naval Service and was posted to Wetherby for her final training. The two camps were segregated and on a Sunday evening in January 1948 the girls were invited to the male camp for a social evening - Eileen with a few of her friends took up the invitation and duly went to the social event and there met 4 young men who chatted with her group and this is where Neil and Eileen met. Whilst doing their training, on a few of the days off, they met and went out together. To the cinema in Leeds etc.
On completion of their training Neil was sent to Devonport Division (Plymouth) and Eileen was sent to Chatham Division and was seconded to the Royal Marines to work in their Pay and Records office. Neil was working on ships in the Plymouth Sound, that were being stocked for recommissioning having been sold. The romance from this time was very much through letters. They met every few months when they could get leave at the same time and then went to Birmingham or Cheam or both and had their leave together.
They got engaged on the 1st April 1949 in Birmingham when Neil bought a diamond ring for £14 which had taken a long time to save for. They got married at St Dunstan’s Church in Cheam Village on an extremely hot day on the 29th July 1950. Eileen's mother managed to get hold of some clothing coupons in order to buy material to make her dress. The underskirt was a cut down satin nightie of her mums. They didn't have a wedding reception as such and a few close relatives went home to her mum and she had cooked a meal for them. They had no honeymoon, but spent a night in a London hotel and went to see Oklahoma at the Aldwych. The next morning, they got the train to Birmingham to start their married life.
Through Neil's family they managed to get two rooms in a family friend’s house and spent 4 years there. In 1954 they were offered an unfurnished flat, owned by one of Eileen's uncles, in a large Victorian house: 1 West Dulwich, which they were very happy to accept. Neil was transferred with the Gas Board to work in Sydenham and Eileen was transferred from her job in Birmingham at EMI to the television and record division of EMI in London. So, they both had jobs to start a new era.
Eileen found the travelling up to the centre of London too much and found a job opposite Stockwell Underground station for a small firm called F. D. Weller (paper merchants) as a secretary to two Directors (sons of the owner). She worked there for seven years, only leaving to have her first baby. This is the company that Neil joined and worked for as a Sales Rep and Sales Manager for many years.
Whilst at this company she made friends with Sheila who was working in another section of the firm on the ground floor and also became good friends with her husband John.
During this time, in 1958, started looking for a little place to buy and found a new maisonette flat in Worcester Park, quite close to Eileen's family home. Their neighbours were Maureen and Reg in the flat under theirs and next door was Maureen's sister Joyce (who Eileen knew from school) and her husband Derek.
In 1962 Eileen and Neil decided to look for a larger home as they were starting a family, and eventually found their bungalow in Fairlawn Drive, East Grinstead at the princely sum of £3,950 (this amount took 25 years to pay off - salaries were very low in those days and it was a struggle!).
Late 1968 Eileen started working at Adult Education, first as an evening secretary at Sackville and then Imberhorne and then as the children went to school took on extra daytime duties and eventually spent most of her time in the office. She left on her 65th birthday and was in her 25th year with Adult Ed and was given a surprise leaving 'do' with a large gathering at the Meriden Hall, arranged by Pat. (During this time her mother lived with the family and they had a built-in 'baby-sitter' which was a great help)
Sheila and John moved to EG many years ago and the 4 of them have enjoyed their friendship and all the games of cards they play regularly. Maureen and Reg moved to EG 7 years ago and didn't realise how close to Eileen & Neil they were going to be. They are in Oakhurst Gardens and Sheila and John in Meadowcroft Close. Eileen & Neil have enjoyed holidays with both couples and also with Jean and Ron.
Their other close friends - Jean and Ron were neighbours in Fairlawn Drive for many years and as their two daughters are the same age as Paul and Phil they had lots in common. Eileen and Jean also worked together at the Adult Education Office for a long time. Michael has been Neil's friend for many years having worked for the same company and towards the end of Neil's career worked together and have remained friends ever since.
They have had good neighbours, especially Dot who was already living at 28 when they moved to 26.
Sons Paul was born in Epsom Hospital on 31st January 1962 weighing 9lb 5oz, Philip was born at home on 16 January 1964 weighing 9lb1oz and daughter Pamela was born at home on 13 July 1967 weighing 9lb14oz. There also had been two miscarriages over this time.
Paul studied at Nottingham University and gained a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering and has worked for Exxon Chemicals since qualifying. He met Romie al University and they were married in April 1991 (20 years next year). Their home is in Chandlers Ford in Hampshire and they have worked and lived in Houston, Singapore and now work and reside in Brussels.
Phil left school after A levels and went to work at Digicon in EG, working with and on computers. He was sent to Assen in The Netherlands on contract to Dutch Shell and worked there for 13 years. He met Petra when going to the travel agents to book tickets home and they married in Assen in January 1994. They moved back to East Grinstead in July 1997 with their two daughter. Phil now works for the Bank of America.
Pam studied in a London College on a course of Display and Design, culminating in being a Window Dresser and worked for Aquascuturn and Marks and Spencers during her earlier years. She later worked on Display Design for Tie Rack and lastly at Rentokil. She knew Andy for many years as they were in the same class at Imberhorne. They got together in 1992 and married December 1994. They also have two daughters. Pam subsequently attended Crawley College to obtain the correct qualification to enter University for a Nursing course (her previous qualifications being in Art). She trained at University of Surrey with many placements during this time in and around Crawley, Horley, Redhill etc She is now working at the Queen Victoria hospital in the Reconstruction Surgery ward, as a staff nurse.
Eileen and Neil now have four lovely grand-daughters, Anina, Lianne and Ellen and Olivia. They have enjoyed seeing them grow, with all of them at Imberhorne School from September. Eileen and Neil realize that they are extremely lucky to have them live so close to home.
They both retired at 65 in 1994.
