During my recent visit to the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster Memorial, my attention was drawn to a colourful wreath with a photo of a young woman with a letter attached . The letter – carefully preserved in a plastic file pocket - appears to be written in the spidery hand of an older lady now ‘living in Portsmouth’, whose name I can’t quite decipher, and who recalls her fond and happy memories of ‘Lily’ and the happy times they spent together. It seems they were work colleagues too and Lily's friend recalls ‘at last night’ and how they separated when the air raid sirens went off, expecting to see each other the next day. At the top of the letter in small capitals is written ‘Lilian Skeats (sic)’.
When I discovered that she had indeed died among that pile of bodies at the entrance to the Underground Station, aged just 15, I wanted to discover a bit more about Lily Sceats. Born to James and Rosina (Rose) Sceats in June 1928, Lilian Doris was one of 8 children born between 1917/18 and 1933: 4 boys; Jimmy, George, Alf and Reg. and 4 girls; Rose, Lilly, and two Joans - both of whom died in infancy. All have since sadly passed away and I am grateful to Lilly's Nephew David for correcting me on the family details. The family lived in Whitman House off Bethnal Green Road, quite close to the shelter. I can't find more information on Lily’s short life from official records, other than she was actually 14 when she died and probate records record her estate as passing to her mother.
Both of Lily's parents were from local families. Dad, James, married her mother Rosina Amelia Jones on April 26, 1917, in Bethnal Green, Middlesex. James died in June 1973 in Poplar, Middlesex, at the age of 74. Rosina passed away in Tower Hamlets (the new local Borough) in 1990 aged 92 years. Rest in Peace.
0 comments:
Post a Comment