~ Stella ~
[Foursights Rock Group 1964] | [Foundry Rock Group 1971]
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Me Mum:
Stella Beatrice Airey was born in India at the Station Hospital, Command 1st Battalion, The Scots Guards, Allahabad, on October 8, 1911. Stella moved to Scotland from India at about the age of four. Not long after that, her father retired from the service and the family moved Sheringham on the north Norfolk coast; a place that was to become our families home from home with many blessed memories. During the war, Stella once shared a railway carriage with a suave and sinister ex-RAF pilot, later revealed as the notorious killer "Neville Heath." Link --> [link]. This was during a train journey from Norfolk; one with several unscheduled stops due to damage and/or air raids. Neville Heath had just been cashiered from the service. In her mid forties, with a new-born in tow my sister Sally) Stella entered a competition - just for fun - at Butlin's in 'Skeggy.' She beat the competition easily in this preliminary round and then went on to beat all the other grannies in the finals at the Butlin's Hotel in Brighton (or was it Hove). In the fifties and sixties, Stella became a cosmetics consultant and worked with Helena Rubenstein on more than one occasion. As a beautician, she worked in Leicester for Timothy Whites & Taylors and for Lewis's. For the last five years of her life, Stella resided in a nursing home in Placerville, California, USA. She had lived in nearby Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border for the best part of 30 years and at one time had her own business there. Stella recently past away on January 6th, 2001 after complications from a flu virus. Her ashes will be scattered over her beloved Lake Tahoe. Mum was 89 years old. Photos of the glamour days to follow - some day - when I get 'em scanned - when I find 'em first... Oh! damn this dementia. In the mean time, here's some early pictures of Mum from the 1930s and 1940s:
Click on any image for an enlargement
Ha Ha! Found 'em. Selection of images from the Glamorous Grandmother finals (Circa 1955):
Mum with boxer Freddy Mills -
UK light heavyweight and world cruiserweight champion, restaurateur and TV personality. I believe he committed suicide when his restaurant business failed.
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Mum flanked on either side by the first and second runners-up. Next to her is Billy Butlin (centre) and on the far right is Mrs. Dale of BBC Radio's "Mrs Dales Diary."
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Mum with comedian and actor Ronald Shiner who starred, or had major roles, in at least 16 British film comedies between 1934 & 1959. He died in 1966 (aged 63 or 64).
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The Cave, Nogales, Mexico (Arizona border) 1964
Dad (61), Angela (25), Me (19), Mum (52)
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Harrah's Casino, Lake Tahoe, Nevada 1969
Angela (30), Me (24), Mum (57)
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