Eileen Mary Pamela Friend

Mum was born in Bristol in 1925, but soon after her birth she moved with her parents, Kathleen Rose (nee Kenney) and Samuel Edward (Ted) Skuse to live in Winscombe, Somerset. Her only and  much-loved sibling, Bernard was born 4 years later and the family continued to live happily until very sadly Kathleen died, aged 29, in October 1932. Mum was just 7 and Bernard not yet 3 years old at the time.

Mum loved living in Winscombe, the freedom to roam with her friends, waiting for the celandines to appear in spring, walking through bluebell woods, watching the wildlife and farm animals, pleasures she enjoyed throughout her life.  Her favourite poem, The Daffodils by William Wordsworth, learnt by heart while at the Village school, was never forgotten. A collie puppy, she named Paddy, won by Ted in the Village raffle, also became her great companion and started a life- long love for dogs.

During these childhood years, Ted needed help to bring up his two young children, as he was working long hours running a gentleman’s outfitters and tailoring shop, which meant mum would have to spend time away from Winscombe, staying in Bristol with various relatives. Consequently, mum changed schools frequently, which she found very unsettling and only returned to Winscombe and its school for intervals, when she became too homesick to stay away any longer.

Mum left school at the beginning of the Second World War.  Her father had joined the army and during that time, again she lived with various relatives in Bristol.  She especially retained very fond, affectionate and vivid memories of her time with Auntie Lilian, Uncle Ern and a life-long bond with their children, her cousins Gerald, Margaret and Mary.

She started her working life as a trainee, in a high- end ladies’ clothes shop, but this ended abruptly when during an overnight air raid the shop was completely destroyed.  Wartime Bristol remained a vivid memory for mum for the rest of her life.  She would recall her life at that time, the rationing, bombing, destruction and all the other terrible things that war brings.

As soon as she was 17, mum volunteered for the Women’s Land Army.  It was a chance to get out of the city and back to the countryside she loved and longed for. She left Bristol for Cirencester to start training for the Land Army, an episode in her life she was to enjoy immensely.  Mum was always keen to tell stories of how she had to get up early on cold mornings to milk the cows and although it was hard work she enjoyed living on the farms in the beautiful, safe countryside.

Unfortunately, after a couple of years mum was diagnosed with TB and had to leave the Land Army and spend two years in a sanatorium at Charterhouse, high on the Mendips where the air was considered good for TB patients. Fresh air and rest were the only available treatments for TB at the time and mum witnessed many deaths among the other young women, some of whom had become good friends. She had resigned herself to the same fate.

After leaving the sanatorium and following the slow recovery from her illness, mum was able to start a new career. She trained and qualified as a shorthand typist, joining the Ministry of Food in the late 1940s. She enjoyed her work there and made some good friends, one of whom was later to become her sister-in-law, Peggy.

Mum met dad in the early summer of 1948 at a church event at the Pro Cathedral in Clifton, Bristol. They had a wonderful four- year courtship, especially enjoying walking and cycling together around dad’s old haunts in Clifton and Leigh Woods, where he was brought up. They married on 31st May 1952 and lived in Clifton until their first daughter, Vivienne was born in 1953. As dad worked for the Admiralty in Bath, a move to Prior Park Road in Bath was made on 8th October 1953. There were three more house moves within the city and three more children, Robert, Yvonne and David.

Mum was first and foremost a devoted wife and mother. She used to make beautiful dresses for her daughters when they were young, but knitting was her first love and she made hundreds of items over the years for all her family, for extended family and friends too. Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren still have many of her lovingly- knitted items.

She was also a very good cook and hostess, making everyone feel welcome. Friends and family especially remember her wonderful tea time spreads, having a sweet- tooth herself, all her cakes were absolutely delicious. There was always that beautiful smell permeating through the house of cakes baking, when visitors were expected.  

She ran a Bed and Breakfast for a while in the large house in Wells Road where the family lived, although very hard work, as at the time she also had her youngest son, David, to look after. Nevertheless, to her credit, she kept it all going.

Mum loved animals. She was always anxious that wildlife was looked after too and still fed the birds in her garden, even in her later years, when doing so was physically very difficult. Rosie, her much-loved little dog was her constant companion, until living independently in her own home was no longer possible. Rosie now 15, still lives with daughter, Yvonne. 

Mum will always be remembered as a very warm, jolly, sociable lady, who thrived in the company of others. She was blessed with beautiful curly hair, only requiring a brush and a little of her know how, to make it look as though it had just been set professionally. Those who knew her well will also remember that before leaving the house, she would always say, without fail ’I must just powder my nose and put my lipstick on’. She was so proficient with the lipstick, she didn’t even need a mirror!

As Matriarch of the family for so many years, mum will leave a place in the hearts of all her family that can never be lost. Sadly, she never really recovered from the loss of dad in 2006, but now, as we lay mum to rest with dad in Haycombe Cemetery, we should take great comfort in her belief that they are now reunited for eternity in the next life.