Part 17

A Memory of Middle Rainton.

Billy must have died when I was about 9 or so, say about 1949, and I do believe Liza died in about 1953, she died peacefully in bed. We did not see her one day, one of the men went in and she was upstairs in bed, she had died in the night. She had seemed ok the night before, she may have been feeling ill but did not say so to anyone. The house was sold for about £65.
They had 3 daughters, Nora, named after Nora Stephenson (nee Wilson), Kathleen, you can see Margaret’s Irish influence here, and Monica. All three were married and had children.
Nora married Jack Gallifant, who was a carpenter by trade, but was a site manager on building sites for a firm I cannot remember. A very responsible job then. They had a lovely cottage down by the river in Old Elvet, Durham city, where they lived with Jack's parents for a while. It was down a quiet lane with beautiful views of the river; from there they moved to a nice council house just outside the city at Gilesgate. Nora was very much like her mum, small, slim and quiet, but also very kind-hearted, as was Jack. We saw them every week when they came to visit Liza, and then came over to us for a chat.
They had two children, Jacky and June. Jack was about 5yrs younger than Ralph and they were the best of friends. Jacky was in the Royal Navy during the war and served on minesweepers, I am sure he got married, but know no more, except that he was landlord of the Four Horseshoes in Gilesgate for some years. Judy I know got married, to a bloke who played ice hockey for the Durham Wasps, but about children, or anything else I do not know.
Kathleen was more the build of the Wilsons, larger than Nora or Monica, say 5ft 5” and about 12 stone, never fat though, and always well dressed. She married Bob Gardener, he was fine, clever, quick, and good-natured, I do not know what he worked at, but he played the trumpet in a band, and I am sure he played the clarinet in a jazz band. The lived in Bedford, and would visit us when they came to Liza's, about twice a year. They had one son, about 3 years older than me, so born about 1937. He was called Reg. Quite a chubby boy, but good fun to be with. He had a bad accident at primary school, when a damaged American bomber, coming home from a raid on Germany crashed onto the school. He had bad burns and had to have lots of skin grafts, on his arms and legs mostly. It was pioneering surgery then, but he recovered well, but the scars would last all his life. Lucky his face was fine. He also was musical, and played with his dad in the same bands. I last saw them when they all visited us where we live now, about 1990, but have not heard from them since.

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