Marjorie Eileen HAMBLIN

GEDCOM Note

Eulogy for Nanny Marjorie For those of you who may not know me, I am Jennifer, Marjorie’s Granddaughter and Irene’s Great Niece. Marjorie Eileen was born at Portland Bill, Dorset on 12th March 1924; she was the first of three surviving siblings. Her father died when she was just 41/2 years old and she always missed him. Nanny was raised by her beloved Mother Irene; with family support. Nanny was born hearing, but when she was about one year’s old she fell from a bed and banged her head and became profoundly deaf from thereon, she was just a baby. An Aunt used to talk to her about the tick-tock clock but after this accident Nanny did not do it again. Nanny, Auntie Irene and Uncle Ivan grew up in a small house in Essex; Nanny went to the Royal School for the Deaf in Margate, Kent. During WW11 she was evacuated to Ongar, Essex where she hated being with who she felt were ‘silly girls’. She wrote to her Auntie Kath and she was promptly removed from Ongar and taken back to Margate where she finished her schooling. It was at Margate where she learnt the traditional skills a woman of her era would, cooking, sewing, knitting, housework, writing and reading and of course British Sign Language. Whilst at school Nanny was a champion swimmer and diver and later she enjoyed table tennis and won several tournaments. When Nanny left school, she worked as a seamstress in a small factory in Ilford, a job she did not like at all. Nanny went to several deaf clubs and she met her husband Ron; my Grandad at Aldgate Deaf Club at a dance. They frequently went to the West Ham deaf club, which closed down only one month ago. When Nanny and Grandad married, Grandad’s family thought Nanny was a bit posh as she ate tinned fruit and evaporated milk, she also stuck her little finger out when drinking from a cup!! I have many photos of her doing just this. Nanny and Grandad went on to have two children, Susan; my Mum and Colin and Nanny became a stay at home housewife. When the children were teenagers, Nanny took a job in a canteen at Plesseys in Ilford, where she enjoyed the companionship of her peers. Nanny and Grandad lived in Ilford for many years before moving to Sheringham. Nanny and Grandad had three grandchildren, myself, Daniel and Rebecca. Nanny and Grandad made lots of new friends from the Norwich deaf club, many are here today. Over the past few years I took Nanny, Grandad and Auntie Irene on holiday several times, we went to the New Forest, Longleat Safari Park, The Lake District and our last holiday was just Nanny, Grandad and I, we went on a cruise to the Baltic’s. I have many fond memories of our holidays. The funniest experiences were when Nanny tried to fathom out how to use various types of taps to wash her hands. She even put her finger up a tap to stop the flow of the water and it sprayed everywhere. Another memory that will always stick with me was our time in Russia, we went to see some traditional Russian dancing, but had to walk up what seemed to be hundreds of stairs to the very top of the auditorium, which Nanny was unable to do. Two burley Russians appeared with a chair, they directed for Nanny to sit and then they ran up the steps carrying her on the chair. I still remember her face, it was a picture! Nanny’s interests were mainly animal orientated, she loved looking after Mum and Keith’s dog’s Mazzy and Molly, she loved them to bits and they loved her. She laughed to see their antics; Nanny would even deliberately put herself in a position so that Mazzy and Molly could lick her and paw at her. Nanny supported several animal charities and loved the work of Hillside Animal Sanctuary. On Nanny’s birthday last year I adopted two donkeys for her, their names are Dancer and Prancer. Nanny was very pleased but she was also concerned about how to care for them as she thought the two donkeys would come and live in the garden. Having spoken with Wendy, the founder of Hillside, the next un-named female donkey (a ‘Jenny’) will be named ‘Marjorie’ and the next un-named female pony will be named ‘Irene’ and both will be adopted for life in their memory. Lastly, Nanny and Grandad celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary 1 ½ years ago with so many friends and family. A most memorable occasion that Nanny talked about countless times, she was touched by the number of people who attended. A few years ago I gave Nanny a fridge magnet and these words sum up the way that I feel: To a Special Nan I just want to tell you, Nan, that you mean the world to me and how much I love you I hope is plain to see. You’re a very special person and I want to thank you for always being there for me and for everything you do. I love you!