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SINCE the article about Dorothy Parsons appeared on this site, her daughter has written with a few more details...
The picture with the cups.
Mum's husband-to-be persuaded her to
enter the Senior Citizens UK competition as
representative on behalf of the London Borough of
Hillingdon. She won those cups at Leamington Spa on
June 2nd 1977 aged 65, the day of the Queen's Silver
Jubilee.
Hillingdon had been sending entrants for
years but had never been successful. The picture of
her with the cups was featured on the front page of
the Hillingdon Mirror and she was invited to a Sherry
Tea with the Mayor and other dignitaries of the
Borough on her return to Hayes.
Another member of the family Singing for Victory.
Her father was George Tomkins who worked at The Fairey
factory during the war. Before coming to Hayes he was
the soloist with the Swansea and District Male Voice
Choir. Whilst at The Fairey he was the soloist with
The Arcadians, another concert party which entertained
workers in their canteens during their lunchbreak. He
had a wonderful tenor voice.
As you can imagine I did attend concerts as a child
when my mother and then my grandfather would come onto
the stage to sing and I would sit there in awe of
their beautiful voices and I was so proud of them
both.
Change of Subject:
The Fairey works did not recieve
a direct bomb hit during the war. A bomb did fall just
outside the wall of the factory and some people were
killed as they left the factory. A friend of my
mother lost her son as he cycled past on his way home
from work that day.
Another note: A bomb landed on an air raid shelter
just outside the canteen of the EMI in Clayton Road.
44 employees of the EMI were killed outright.
I hope the above brings things up to date. My mother
has a printed copy of the home page to take back home
with her, she was not able to view it on line as she
is ravaged by arthritis and could not get up to the
bedroom where the PC is situated. She is absolutely
stunned and delighted with what you have done as a
tribute to her. I thank you too.
I do have more EMI pics which will follow as soon as
hubby gets his scanner working which won't be much
longer now.
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