My mother in law, Winifred Ford nee Cassidy would have turned 99 on the 12th October 2018. Instead she passed away peacefully on the 7th October. Next year for her 100th I planned to write her life story but for now I’ll tell a story from her early life that
would make a modern mother’s hair stand on end. A later post will tell part two.
Wynne was born of Amelia Cassidy nee
Duckworth and James Edward Cassidy in the town of Bury in England. Her father
James had returned from the war with injury and continued his profession as a
felt hat manufacturer for Messrs Spencers Regent Hat Works in Bury. He had
married Amelia Duckworth during the war in 1917. |
| Wynne with Amelia |
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| Wynne with Amelia |
Little Wynne was born on 12/10/1919 and a
couple of years later along came her sister Patricia in April 1922. Their time
with Amelia was short as she died in December 1924.
A distraught James left for Australia in November
1927.
That left Wynne and Pat living with their
Aunty Alice Tootill nee Duckworth until their father settled in Australia and
found work. For a time Wynne and Pat had
a “brother” James to play with and an extended family of Cassidys, Tootills and
Duckworths to provide many fond memories.
Meanwhile in Sydney, James had met and
married the boss’ daughter, May Davis, a Warwickshire girl in June 1928. Arrangements
were made for the sisters to pack up and depart Lancashire. Their 42 day
journey began on 8/12/1928 and the sisters sailed on the SS Orsova to Sydney
via Colombo.
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| The Certificate of Identity describes Wynne as 3'6'' aged 9 with blue eyes |
At age 8 Wynne and her sister aged 6 were
travelling unaccompanied under the charge of a ship’s stewardess! These juvenile
immigrants were to make their new home in West Ryde a suburb of Sydney with
their father and new mother May. May and James had 4 more children all boys who
Wynne and Pat were very fond of.
Wynne and Pat shortly after their safe arrival at the family home in West Ryde
 |
| Wynne with brother James, May , May's sister and Pat in 1930 |
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