Person:Phyllis Euren (1)

Birdie said she was very shy when young. They seem to have had a lot of fun as teenagers with all their friends and tennis and swimming. Birdie said they didn't have any money when their father died. (Though the mortgage was paid off by FFE's life insurance).

Birdie went to Maldon Grammar until she was 14 and then stayed at home until there was money to send her to Studley Agricultural College in Warwickshire at the age of 16, where she studied poultry keeping.

Birdie had to take on a lot of the responsibility of running the family farm (Hales Farm) and looking after her mother as she grew older and difficult. HDE worked for the Alliance on leaving school. He boarded in London (which was how he met JM) but went home at weekends to help.) 19 Jan 1941 Birdie was living with her Uncle Bob in Manchester.

14 May 1941 Birdie at a new job in Chelmsford.

During the war Birdie was in the Timber Corps near Great Missenden. Afterwards she worked at Netherne Hospital in Surrey, where she ran the hospital farm.

In 1951 she was the beneficiary in the will of Uncle Bob. After a world tour of 8 weeks (she returned 1 Dec 1951 on ship from Sydney) she finally realised her dream of owning a farm when she bought Red House Farm, and later Allens Farm. She farmed until 1972 and lived at Allens Farm until she became too ill and entered Hartismere Hospital, where she died.

A memorial service was held at St Mary, Thornham Parva on 21 Sep 1995.

15 -23 Sep 1981 Visited Canada

1.   (see notes).