Betty Marian SCHMITT
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| 1918 Bessie & Betty SCHMITT |
My Mum was born on 22nd October 1914 in Torquay in Devon. Her parents were Bessie JONES and William Edward Albert SCHMITT and she was to be their only child. Her father, as may be deduced from his name was of German extraction, his father being Charles Christian SCHMITT. That however is not the whole story because William’s mother was Marie Marguerite Adolphine WAMPACH, pronounced ‘Wampah', whose ancestors were from Luxembourg. The JONES family, as far as I can tell, came from Leicester.
I cannot say how long the little family were in Devon, but I fancy that it was not long. For most of Mum’s life before marriage, the Medway area of Kent was her home. The family name was changed to SMITH by Deed Poll on 15th January 1917, presumably because of anti German feelings during World War 1. I am surprised that it took that long. At that time the family were living at 24, Grange Hill, Chatham.
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| 1921 William & Betty SMITH |
I know very little about Mum’s early life, except what I have gleaned from certificates that were found in her, and her mother’s, papers. The earliest ‘Progress Report’ that I have is from 28th July 1922 and is from St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Girls’ School, Manor Street, Gillingham. By 1924, she was a pupil at the Girls’ department of Glencoe Road School, Chatham; I have School Reports covering 1924/1925 to March 1928. On 19th July 1928, she was awarded a scholarship at Chatham Junior Technical School for Girls, Fort Pitt, Chatham, to start on 13th September 1928. I have a number of reports covering the time until she left on 29th July 1931; I also have a very good Reference from the Acting Headmistress, for use in finding a job.
Mum’s ambition had been to be a Court Dressmaker, but this involved payment, which the family could not afford. Her father had become ill over a period of time and was sent to Lingfield Home for Epilepsy on 11th November 1925. For the next 6 years he was mostly in care of one sort or another, finally passing away on 7th May 1932 in St. Joseph’s Hospice, Hackney, London. As can be imagined, although he was in receipt of a War Service Pension, money was tight and paying for yet more training for Mum was not an option.
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| 1926 Betty SMITH |
During her schooldays, Mum also belonged to the Girl Guides between 1925 and 1928 and I have 15 of her Proficiency Badge Certificates. She also had piano lessons and she passed her Elementary Pianoforte Examination in 1928. I have now to refer to Pop’s memoirs in which he says that Mum would have been accepted for Grammar School if only she hadn’t been too shy to answer the simple question “What was the date of the Battle of Hastings”.
Mum loved dogs and I was reliably informed by Pop that she could deal with almost any dog, well or badly behaved. She showed no fear, which probably accounts for her abilities. Throughout her life from the mid 1930s, dogs were very much part of her life with Pekingese being particularly popular.
Between the time that she left school and Whitsun 1936 I have no idea what she was doing. She lived with her Mum at 46, Ansell Avenue, Chatham, Kent. I know that it was on that Whitsun holiday that she met Pop on what was effectively a “Blind Date”. I also know that, the following year when they became engaged, she was working for Marks and Spencer.
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| 1936 Betty SMITH & Pal |
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| 3rd July 1938 Jack & Betty TURNER |
My parents married on 3rd July 1938 at St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church, Chatham. Their married life was one of constant location change as Pop moved from one RAF Station to another. It was therefore, purely by chance that I made my appearance into this world in Wales, at Camarthen Hospital to be precise. In May 1942 Pop was posted to West Africa at 48 hours notice, leaving Mum to her own devices. She found her way back to Chatham with me, found somewhere to live and managed to organise the repair of their car, which had broken down at RAF Fairwood Common, near Swansea. When Pop came home in September 1943, the car was in the garage propped up on blocks. I guess that she had some very good friends at the time.
At the end of the war, Pop found a job in Yorkshire and a house in Leeds. Some little time later Mum brought me to Leeds and started her new life. At this time there was no talk of her working; she dedicated her life to looking after the house and me, the latter being quite a problem at times. Although she was a very friendly person, Mum didn’t appear to make a lot of friends. Her main friend was Auntie Betty who moved to the same estate shortly after we did.
Mum became pregnant in 1948 and my brother Michael Peter was born on 4th April 1949.
Life settled down now for a few years but both my parents had a dream of moving house to something better and in 1952 they found that dream house in Bradford. Unfortunately, before we could move in, her Mum died in Chatham and she took Michael and went to organise the funeral and house clearance. By the time she got back, Dad and I had physically moved in, but I am certain that she came back to a fair degree of chaos. She loved Oakroyd and set about turning it and the garden into what she wanted. Whilst Pop earned the money to keep us, I am sure that it was Mum who organised the bills. I remember that she had lots of little tins with labels on them. Each week she would put the appropriate amount to cover Gas, Electricity etc.
She took us to the local Catholic Church in Thornton but, as far as I can tell, never made any real friends there. I have now mentioned her lack of friends twice but I would not like the reader to imagine that she was an unfriendly person. She was quiet and reserved and, of course, she wasn’t a Yorkshire girl. She was very well, but quietly, spoken with a southern accent that possibly set her aside as being ‘posh’. When we walked into church, she would hold herself erect and walk to her seat without acknowledging anyone else. I believe that this was an inbuilt shyness. Apart from Auntie Betty, who of course was still in Leeds, her main friends became our neighbours at Rosedene. Mo and Geoff BRYSON were that couple and they were two of the most decent people you could ever wish to meet.
After some time in Bradford, when Michael was a little older, Mum decided to try her hand at work. She found herself a job demonstrating knitting machines for Knitmaster whose shop was on Church Bank in Bradford, but subsequently moved to Swan Arcade in the centre of the town. She was very clever with these machines but eventually became disillusioned with the owner and moved on to a number of other jobs up until the time of her death. She also learned to drive and had her own little Ford Popular to get around in.
I cannot tell when, but we owned a piano when living in Leeds and it was brought to Oakroyd. This was for Mum to play but sadly I don’t remember her playing it very much. It is a great shame when someone has a talent but doesn’t use it.
In the middle of 1962, Mum fell ill, but the doctor could not diagnose what was wrong and so prescribed indigestion medicine. She carried on until June 1963 when she was taken into Bradford Royal Infirmary and, from the contents of a letter written to Pop just before she died, she was told very little other than she was to have an operation. I have reproduced the text from this letter at the end of this chapter. In those days, the medical profession were not as forthcoming as they have become and from the letter, it will be seen that she was expecting to get better whereas in reality she had no hope.
Mum died on 2nd July 1963 at the age of 48 and one day before her Silver Wedding Anniversary. Her Death Certificate indicates that she died from a Carcinoma of the Stomach.
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1960 - Bridlington
Betty TURNER & Cho-Cho
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Saturday.
My Dear Jack, Michael, John.
By the time you get this I hope that the op’ will either be in progress or over. I also hope it will be a success. I’ve waited so long to be free of the pain etc. They say so little you don’t know what to expect, as usual we must just wait. The other lady is having her tube out today, so I should be presentable by Wednesday if I do as well! Then you visit me and we can start crossing days off the calendar, my goodness I don’t think I should have come in if I had known.
Sunday.
At last I can begin to think this time next week I shall be well on the way to recovery. I am so impatient to be well again. It seems so long since I felt like anything alive. I shall so enjoy my holiday, the thought of the sea, sand, you, the boys and dogs seems too good to be true. I shan’t have any money this year but that won’t have to matter, I’ll have to wait to be treated to ice cream by the wealthier members of the family!!! Just to be altogether again, I can think of nothing better. Perhaps Michael will be a little easier to live with, or I will, don’t know which. I know that I shall not sleep the first night home with thankfulness. I am so looking forward to going around the garden again too. It was a major effort before I came in here. Tea out on the front ‘patio’ all those things will be so good again, after all I have always enjoyed our home. We’re a bit stick in the mud but we’ve been happy that way so that’s all that matters.
I hope there will be lots of strawberries at Bacton and that I shall be able to eat them; I hope for so much, but most of all that this op will clear all the trouble, it seems so hard to believe because I was not having any bother that way. I just can’t understand the whole affair; but just must believe what they say.
When I start to recover, I shall want some knitting I don’t know how we can work that out. I’ve two balls of white three-ply up in the attic on my work table. I shall have to think what I can do with it! There is also a little coat half knit of the same wool in my wool work box. I must get on my thinking cap during the next week. I am so pleased to be able to look forward at last. Nobody knows how miserable it has been just waiting despondently all this time. It’s been so horrible.
I must soon have some nail varnish. My nails are getting quite presentable now. I just wonder how long I can keep them that way. I am closing now. I shall be seeing you soon, for the last time before the big do. I’m not worried just wishful for a success. Cheerio, all my dearest love.
Betty
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