Monday, December 16, 2019

December 1969...my Grandma's visit back home in England.


Christmas 1969
My paternal Grandma, Alma May (Palmer) Williams was given the opportunity to visit England for the first time since 1927, forty two years previous! She had a longing to see her Dad, Herbert Palmer, who had gone back to England in 1932 with his two young children, Harry and Violet, the twins aged 9. His first wife, Florence, had died in Humboldt SK at the age of 47. His 5 years of living in Canada had ended sadly. 


Here is Herbert Palmer with his 2 daughters from his first wife, Violet and Alma May. On the right is his second wife May by whom he had another daughter, Veronica.
I have a small notebook of my Grandma's in which she's written a few notes of her trip to England in Dec 1969.
I thought I'd write them out here.

"I left Canada for England on Dec 12th, 1969. Bus reached Seattle after 12. Plane left airport at 2:45.
Landed in Ireland at midnight, 9 English time.
Board plane 10:20 in Ireland. Left airport Vancouver time at 2 am in morning. Very shaky plane ride. Landed at Gatwick airport 11:45 pm English time. 
Nobody at the airport to meet me. Waited nearly 3 hours for Bert. Nobody came. 
At the airport my name was called out over the loud speaker for me to come to the desk. The man asked me if I had lost my purse. I said no. He said 'Is this yours?' and lifted up a man's hat and there was my wallet! I had forgot to pick it up at the wicket where I changed my money into English money. All my money was in it. I was shocked. I said thank you so much. He said that lady over there saw my wallet and brought it over to him. Oh, what an honest woman!"
Can you imagine Grandma losing all her money? Maybe she had a head like a sieve back then! She was 61 at this time, soon to be 62 in January. She traveled alone, and it was her brother Jack who kindly paid her airfare so she could make this trip. It was a very cold and snowy winter, with a flu outbreak. Poor dear Grandma....

Edited by Loretta Williams Houben

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