Spotlight - "New shoes and Iron Supplies" The story of Peggy Gilson.
Peggy was born in Ashtead, Surrey in November 4th 1914. Her father worked as a Works Chemist in a factory which made films for cameras etc.
The only memory she has of the Great War was when it was over and the local community held a party in a field near by.
Peggy does however remember vividly her love of clothes as a child. She loved to dress up and knew exactly what colour would match. She also remembers that she hated shoe shops, she had a phobia of the places and would never go in them. A template had to me made of her feet and shoes delivered to the house. She was very excited when a new pair of shoes were delivered for her to try on.
Peggy was educated at a private school in Edgeware and had to commute quite a distance by overland train. She went on to the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School for girls in Barnet and again used the steam trains to journey there. (The electrified Northern Line was not completed until 1938). She then attended a local school to learn book keeping and short hand typing and went on to work in London as a secretary.
Peggy worked in the city and made a few friends there. When war broke out a friend in Warwick asked her to come to work in the Ministry of Supply. She did not need much persuading and began her war effort in 1939. She worked and lived in Nissen style huts (the only difference was that the roof was flat not curved). They went to the main building for their meals. The Ministry supplied iron and steel for railways, tanks and planes etc. but after the war it packed up.
After the war Peggy had 11 more jobs. She says, “I went from job to job for better pay and hours rather than waiting to be promoted or getting stuck in a dead end”. She moved to a hostel in Holland Park where she shared a room, she says, “the place was crummy”. However a man from work knew the estate manager of the Key Flats in Fulham (now QCG) and got her in touch with him. She soon moved into one of the flats and eventually bought the deeds and later the freehold. Peggy lives in this same flat to this day, she has lived there for over 60years.
Peggy has worked for the British Red Cross for many years. She has been on duty in the Old Festival Hall, Olympia during the Bertram Mills Circus and Ideal Home exhibition and the Royal Albert Hall.
Peggy remembers walking home at 11pm from Olympia alone and not worrying about a thing, she said “you could not do that today”. “I remember a neighbour leaving her daughter in a pram under a tree in the square and going back to her flat to get on with her housework”.
Peggy first attended St Andrew's regularly in Fr David's time and is very happy coming to church when she can. Unfortunately her health has prevented her from attending Sunday morning Mass recently but she still thinks of us all. She thanks her friend Diana Page who pops in to chat and takes her to church. Her sight is fading and she cannot make the stairs (she is on the third floor) but she says that she is getting better and will come to see us soon.
Peggy is a trooper!
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