A Remarkable Woman - Rosemary Hurford
Family and close neighbours arrived at Rosemary Hurford’s home in Kilmington on Christmas morning to celebrate her 80th birthday with champagne and cake. Her family had held a lunch party in the Village Hall on 14 December, attended by her many friends, at which Gerry Hurford paid tribute to his sister for her remarkable life. She received over 50 cards and thanks everyone who helped her to raise £270 for the West Country Charity, Shelter Box.
Rosemary was born on Christmas Day 1928 to Harry and May Hurford at Hurfords Stores, Kilmington. She was their fourth child of seven, and was obviously welcomed as the best Christmas present ever! One day when she was only nine months old, her Mother brought her in from the garden where she had been sleeping in her pram and to May’s great consternation found that the lower part of her body was all limp with no movement. The Axminster Doctors were very alarmed and suspected infantile paralysis, later known as poliomyelitis. Harry Hurford insisted that a top London specialist be called down who confirmed the suspicion, and another child in the Village, Maurice Wright, developed the same symptoms but was not affected so badly. The specialist said that little was known about the causes of the disease and that there was no recognised treatment.
Her mother nursed her carefully for the next four months, constantly massaging her legs in the hope of bringing them back to life, but it eventually became obvious that she was paralysed from the waist down. The decision was made to send her to the newly opened Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Hospital in Exeter where she spent the next 3 years. For much of the time she just lay on a bed in a plaster cast with her legs in irons while specialists tried to work out how to make supports for her legs and lower body. It was obviously a frustrating time and she recalls that once when she could not go to the toilet at the prescribed time she wet herself later and received her first spanking! Her parents and family were discouraged from visiting on the grounds that it would upset her but Harry and May were insistent. Gradually Rosemary was taught to walk with the aid of a bamboo barrel shaped support.
At the age of 4 years she was transferred to the Tipton St John Convalescent Home, privately owned by the well known Buller family of Sidmouth, where she spent the next 7 years. Here she received Primary School education and, while never unhappy, discipline was strict. The food was good except once when she was given tripe which she immediately spat out in disgust; luckily some of the other children did likewise! Her family used to visit regularly in a large car owned by Jimmy Hutchings, the Kilmington coal merchant and they used to take her out for picnics on Woodbury Common and to Budleigh Salterton etc. Shortly after the outbreak of the 2nd World War all the patients of the Convalescent home were turned out to make room for wounded soldiers. Harry and May had to bring her back to Hurfords Stores where she was given her own bedroom up a steep flight of stairs. She was normally carried up and down by her Father or one of her brothers and she resumed her primary education at Kilmington School usually being pushed there in a wheel chair by her brother Charles. After the age of 14, she found the lessons very boring because the school only taught up to the Primary stage.
When the war was nearly over, at the age of 16, she was sent to St Loyes, a residential College near Exeter which specialised in training disabled people to
learn a trade and she chose to take up weaving. After her training she returned home with her looms and was soon making things for Heals of Tottenham Court Road. She became a member of the St Giles’ Church choir and sang many a solo because of her lovely soprano voice. When she was given an open wheelchair with a two-stroke engine this enabled her to get about on her own and become more independent. Although her Father was adamant that she should not have to go out to work, gentle persuasion from her Mother and good advice from Dr Geoffrey Parkinson her GP, resulted in Rosemary applying for a job at Shands in Axminster, the tool maker and type setter. She started on a one month trial but proved to be so efficient in the quality control inspectorate that she remained a valuable employee for the next 31 years. She sat on various committees and became a well respected spokesperson for the workforce. For several years she commuted to work every day in her open wheelchair whatever the weather, sometimes getting soaked and frozen, but she rarely missed a day.
In 1950 when her eldest sister May married Jack Lavender, her parents moved the family from the shop into Westgate cottage to make way for the newly weds. Apart from work, Rosemary enjoyed a good social life going to dances, whist drives, plays and films. She took up shooting and was soon a member of the Axminster B Team. She corresponded with June Scholl, a Pen Friend living in the USA at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, who invited Rosemary to come and stay for a few weeks. Brother Jim, accompanied by Harry and May, drove her to Heathrow and, undaunted, she set off on a great adventure. June, with her husband and children, gave her a terrific welcome and toured her across many parts of that large east coast State; she still corresponds with them today.
When Rosemary came home she decided to take driving lessons from Frank Beryl in a specially converted Ford Escort with all the controls near the steering wheel, and she passed the test first time. This let her loose to tour the country and, in company with her good friend Vera Loder nee Broom, they went on many expeditions, the first to Windsor Castle when they encountered a ferocious thunderstorm on the return which she says was a bit frightening!
Her car also enabled her to take her Mother out and to commute to work more comfortably. Rosemary travelled to many other places in her life; to Kitzbuhel in Austria for a weeks touring when the Italian driver used to carry her around the dance floor most evenings having great fun; to Munich flying from Luton Airport; to Scotland by train with her workmate Bertha Leach. Nothing has ever held her back and she recalled walking into Axminster on her crutches one day with sister Margery which took her one and a half hours, although she did confess to hitching a lift back!
Two years after her Father died aged 91 in 1970, Rosemary moved with her Mother and eldest brother Jim to Eastleigh Close. Kilmington builder Alec Broom had built a specially designed house by Axminster architect Freddie Kett which enabled Rosemary to be very independent at home. They lived there very happily for 10 years until her Mother passed away aged 89 years and then Jim died unexpectedly not long after his retirement at the age of only 69 years. Rosemary continued to live there ever since well supported by her brothers and sisters and their families. She was undoubtedly a remarkable woman whose accomplishments and determination we should remember when we complain about our minor ailments.
Rosemary was born on Christmas Day 1928 to Harry and May Hurford at Hurfords Stores, Kilmington. She was their fourth child of seven, and was obviously welcomed as the best Christmas present ever! One day when she was only nine months old, her Mother brought her in from the garden where she had been sleeping in her pram and to May’s great consternation found that the lower part of her body was all limp with no movement. The Axminster Doctors were very alarmed and suspected infantile paralysis, later known as poliomyelitis. Harry Hurford insisted that a top London specialist be called down who confirmed the suspicion, and another child in the Village, Maurice Wright, developed the same symptoms but was not affected so badly. The specialist said that little was known about the causes of the disease and that there was no recognised treatment.
Her mother nursed her carefully for the next four months, constantly massaging her legs in the hope of bringing them back to life, but it eventually became obvious that she was paralysed from the waist down. The decision was made to send her to the newly opened Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Hospital in Exeter where she spent the next 3 years. For much of the time she just lay on a bed in a plaster cast with her legs in irons while specialists tried to work out how to make supports for her legs and lower body. It was obviously a frustrating time and she recalls that once when she could not go to the toilet at the prescribed time she wet herself later and received her first spanking! Her parents and family were discouraged from visiting on the grounds that it would upset her but Harry and May were insistent. Gradually Rosemary was taught to walk with the aid of a bamboo barrel shaped support.
At the age of 4 years she was transferred to the Tipton St John Convalescent Home, privately owned by the well known Buller family of Sidmouth, where she spent the next 7 years. Here she received Primary School education and, while never unhappy, discipline was strict. The food was good except once when she was given tripe which she immediately spat out in disgust; luckily some of the other children did likewise! Her family used to visit regularly in a large car owned by Jimmy Hutchings, the Kilmington coal merchant and they used to take her out for picnics on Woodbury Common and to Budleigh Salterton etc. Shortly after the outbreak of the 2nd World War all the patients of the Convalescent home were turned out to make room for wounded soldiers. Harry and May had to bring her back to Hurfords Stores where she was given her own bedroom up a steep flight of stairs. She was normally carried up and down by her Father or one of her brothers and she resumed her primary education at Kilmington School usually being pushed there in a wheel chair by her brother Charles. After the age of 14, she found the lessons very boring because the school only taught up to the Primary stage.
When the war was nearly over, at the age of 16, she was sent to St Loyes, a residential College near Exeter which specialised in training disabled people to
learn a trade and she chose to take up weaving. After her training she returned home with her looms and was soon making things for Heals of Tottenham Court Road. She became a member of the St Giles’ Church choir and sang many a solo because of her lovely soprano voice. When she was given an open wheelchair with a two-stroke engine this enabled her to get about on her own and become more independent. Although her Father was adamant that she should not have to go out to work, gentle persuasion from her Mother and good advice from Dr Geoffrey Parkinson her GP, resulted in Rosemary applying for a job at Shands in Axminster, the tool maker and type setter. She started on a one month trial but proved to be so efficient in the quality control inspectorate that she remained a valuable employee for the next 31 years. She sat on various committees and became a well respected spokesperson for the workforce. For several years she commuted to work every day in her open wheelchair whatever the weather, sometimes getting soaked and frozen, but she rarely missed a day.
In 1950 when her eldest sister May married Jack Lavender, her parents moved the family from the shop into Westgate cottage to make way for the newly weds. Apart from work, Rosemary enjoyed a good social life going to dances, whist drives, plays and films. She took up shooting and was soon a member of the Axminster B Team. She corresponded with June Scholl, a Pen Friend living in the USA at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, who invited Rosemary to come and stay for a few weeks. Brother Jim, accompanied by Harry and May, drove her to Heathrow and, undaunted, she set off on a great adventure. June, with her husband and children, gave her a terrific welcome and toured her across many parts of that large east coast State; she still corresponds with them today.
When Rosemary came home she decided to take driving lessons from Frank Beryl in a specially converted Ford Escort with all the controls near the steering wheel, and she passed the test first time. This let her loose to tour the country and, in company with her good friend Vera Loder nee Broom, they went on many expeditions, the first to Windsor Castle when they encountered a ferocious thunderstorm on the return which she says was a bit frightening!
Her car also enabled her to take her Mother out and to commute to work more comfortably. Rosemary travelled to many other places in her life; to Kitzbuhel in Austria for a weeks touring when the Italian driver used to carry her around the dance floor most evenings having great fun; to Munich flying from Luton Airport; to Scotland by train with her workmate Bertha Leach. Nothing has ever held her back and she recalled walking into Axminster on her crutches one day with sister Margery which took her one and a half hours, although she did confess to hitching a lift back!
Two years after her Father died aged 91 in 1970, Rosemary moved with her Mother and eldest brother Jim to Eastleigh Close. Kilmington builder Alec Broom had built a specially designed house by Axminster architect Freddie Kett which enabled Rosemary to be very independent at home. They lived there very happily for 10 years until her Mother passed away aged 89 years and then Jim died unexpectedly not long after his retirement at the age of only 69 years. Rosemary continued to live there ever since well supported by her brothers and sisters and their families. She was undoubtedly a remarkable woman whose accomplishments and determination we should remember when we complain about our minor ailments.
An extract taken from 'A Story of Kilmington in Devon in the Twentieth Century' on some of Kilmington's colourful characters.
