Edith Lily Elizabeth Mattingly was born at 107 Thrush Street in Walworth, London on the 30th January 1929 to Frederick and Edith Hodges. Her father was a City Policeman in London and had formerly been a soldier in France and India in the First World War. He had unfortunately suffered both Shell Shock and Mustard Gas in the trenches and spent many months in Hospital as a result. His family had originated in Worcester where he spent his childhood with his mother and sister, Elsie.
It was in 1923 that he married Edith Pretoria Pratt, aged 23, whose family were living in Clacton on Sea in Essex. Edith was one of fifteen children born to her parents, Harry and Eliza. During the First World War she had served in the Women’s Land Army. The young couple were living in Wandsworth when their first child, Fred was born on the 9th January 1926. Their next child, Edith was to be born on the 30th January 1929, whilst they were living at 107 Thrush Street in Walworth. They were only there briefly before moving to 135 Ferndale Court in Brixton. Edith was to be joined by two more brothers, Norman in 1934 and Gerald in 1939. She would spend most of her childhood living with her family in the Police Flats in Brixton, which still stand, though now as luxury apartments. Her friends from Ferndale Court growing up were called Edna, Betty and John. She remembered  being naughty and her mother dragging her down the stairs as she and her friend John had been on the roof of Ferndale Court, washing each other down in the puddles. She got smacked for that!
A wonderful album has come down to us through the family and is full of photos taken with their Box Brownie camera. They show Edith from her birth and provide a wonderful insight into her life both at home and holidays at Clacton in her childhood. Her father was both strict and fun. He taught her, and the others spelling in the evenings, and writing. He encouraged her to read, which was her great passion. She would go herself to the library in Brixton from age 6. Her first book she remembered taking out was “The Scarlet Pimpernel.” She also remembered being scared coming out of the library once as there was a big poster of a gorilla. It was for the film “King Kong”, and she slept badly worrying it would get her. A lasting memory was going to the Lord Mayor's Show in London, as her father would line the route on duty as a policeman. Her father also took her (and not 'the boys') to football matches. They went to watch Arsenal playing Stoke City and saw Stanley Matthews who was the greatest footballer at the time. Her father also took her to theatres. She saw Vera Lynn, and Max Miller.
It was in 1937 aged 8 that she started school at Santley Street in Brixton. Her elder brother, Fred was already a pupil, and it was there that she would first get to know Edward Mattingly, his best friend. The school once  sent a parcel of food to the famous Film Star - Charlie Chaplin as he was in America and missed the food from home. Edith admired him especially as he had been born in Walworth just like her. A school report dated October 1938 placed her as 3rd out of a class of 42. Her time there was to end with the start of the Second World War and as with many young children she was evacuated with her mother to Warnham, near Horsham in West Sussex. She carried on her education in the village school where she was taught by Nuns. One afternoon on the way back from school wearing a big sun hat which she quickly took off she huddled in a bush when a German Messerschmitt plane came out of the sky. She could clearly see the pilot. He veered off and continued on to the village where he machine gunned and killed a number of the residents.
They were later evacuated to Broadbridge Heath with their mother. The school was a walk through the woods to outside the village. Her brother, Norman  aged only five got 5 strokes of the cane for drawing on the walls, her mother was very unhappy about it and they left and as a result and returned back to London.
Later, just before noon on October 26th 1940, soon after Edith had returned to London, she was in Oxford Street having a coffee when she heard the awful sound of a Flying bomb overhead. It was  to land nearby in Curzon Street, and she felt the impact when it landed on Curzon Street House, detonating the base of the building. There were 30 casualties, 13 of whom were killed. Coincidentally her future husband, Edward Mattingly, was nearby Curzon Street and remembered the terrible event vividly.
Edith continued her education  at Wandsworth Technical Institute at the Junior Commercial School. She was only there briefly before the entire college  moved to Guilford in Surrey and Edith was again evacuated, this time on her own. She shared a room in a home with a friend called Sheila. One night they were watching the flying bombs heading over to London. Her poor  friend  was later to find that one had landed, and she was to lose her entire family as a result. Her favourite teacher was Mr Davis. He taught history and was her form teacher. He was rather good looking, and he would get embarrassed as the girls would press against his shoulder. Nan took her home from the College as she had been naughty (not sure if Mr Davis' shoulder was the reason!). Whilst staying at the home, Edith remembered that the neighbouring house was where the famous actress, Julie Andrews was living at the time. She was a child star on stage and the radio and would regularly practice her scores to the delight of those listening over the fence.
Edith`s  College Report for 1944 gives her a position of 7th in the class of 19, excelling at English. She also learnt to play the piano and  would play at home with her mother “ Thanks for the Memories” and other popular songs. Edith also learnt to dance, she performed at the old peoples Alms House in Brixton on a special day. She was a Bluebell ( a photo of her  has survived) and was the only 'flower' to turn up on the day.
 Edith`s first love was a sailor called John Laurence who served on the SS Ocean. Edith would go to Portsmouth with her friend and meet the sailors. She also remembered another handsome sailor called David Smith. On VE Day 8th May 1945 Edith went to Buckingham Palace to join in the celebrations seeing Winston Churchill and the Royal Family on the Balcony. She stood on Victoria's monument with her friend Valerie, and then went to join the celebrations outside. At the time she was a typist cleric in Threadneedle Street taking information for the Stock Exchange. She took the number 33 bus from Brixton to the city, having to stand as it was rush hour. Edith left her good job in the city, against her father’s wishes, to train as a Children`s nurse at Walton on Thames in London. She left after being left on her own on the ward one night. She found it too distressing seeing the children, and their families not being able to be with them. On 12th May 1947, Edith went with her friend to see Princess Elizabeth returning from South Africa onboard HMS Vanguard, where she waved from the quayside at Portsmouth. By then, Edith was being called by the nickname of Bobbie, supposed to have originated by her older brother, Fred after the dog their Aunt had. This is the name which most people were to know her by
Edith`s parents were to buy their own house in 1948 and move to 45 Trelawn Road in Brixton. This was also to be the year when on the 31st July she was to marry her brother Fred’s best friend Edward Mattingly, whom she would have known from her childhood. Ted as he was known was living nearby at 19 Concanon Road with his father and six siblings. He had a steady job as a Clerk in the London Office of West Gas Improvements Company whose main business was building Gas Retorts around the country. A wonderful set of photographs of the day have come down to us with both sides of the family at the Wedding at St. Matthews Church and reception afterwards. The only person missing in them was her father, who thought she was marrying below herself. Times were tough for the young couple, and they spent their first year in a Rest Centre near Euston Square in London. It was at the Middlesex Hospital on the 29th July, 1949, that their first child, Neil was born.
In December of that year they were able to get their own Council House at 178 Farringdon Avenue in Romford, Essex. They later moved to 9 Dorking Walk and it was there on January 6th 1951 that their next child, Richard was born. This was also the year Ted was fortunate to be allocated a ticket at St. Paul’s Cathedral for the opening of the Festival of Britain and sat behind the King and Sir Winston Churchill. Another celebration was in Coronation year of 1953 when Ted’s firm had a Dinner at Columbia House, Aldwych which they attended. The young couple were at last able to move nearer Ted’s work when they secured a Council flat at 13 Washbrook House, Tulse Hill, near their families in Brixton. The following year was to be very sad for them when their next child was to be stillborn. They were fortunate two years later, when their third son, Steven was born. In 1957 Ted’s wages had increased to £19 a week and they were able to buy their first house with a large mortgage for £2300 at 157 Burnt Oak Lane in Sidcup, Kent. Ted had gone in his lunchtime to see it. Buying a house rather than renting was a big step, with them being the first in the family, and Bobbie was distraught at how they were ever going to pay the mortgage.   They improved the house and sold at a profit and then paid £3640 for a larger house nearby at 53 Haddon Grove. To make ends meet, they let one of their downstairs rooms to a drama student from the local college. Bobbie also briefly became a barmaid at the “Jolly Woodman” at nearby Blackfen, but Ted did not like how the customers were with her, and she had to leave. They were to create magnificent gardens at each of the properties. Their children went to the local primary schools and looked forward to the long holidays when they would play in the nearby woods. This idyllic life would suddenly come to an end in 1963 when Ted was made redundant from his firm and with his large family had to look to the future. At one point they thought about emigrating to Australia on a £10 passage. Fortunately, they chose a different path and bought a Greengrocers shop at 148 Croydon Road, Beckenham in Kent. Their family quickly took on the challenge and both he and Bobbie learnt to drive and bought a Morris traveller for shop deliveries. Bobbie trained to be a Florist at the top college in London – Constance Spry, whilst Ted ran the shop. Despite their endeavours the shop had little passing trade and after a year they had another look in Daltons Weekly and found a more suitable Greengrocers at Margate in Kent. This was to be a major upheaval for the family with new schools to be found. Fortunately, their shop at 106 Northdown Road in Cliftonville, Margate which they called “Country Gardens” was with their hard work to be a success. The family lived for a while above the shop and were all involved in  it. Later Ted’s brother, George joined him and then bought his own greengrocers at nearby Broadstairs.
Bobbie`s  parents  bought a bungalow and lived for a time on the newly built Palm Bay Estate, until Frederick died in 1968 aged 70. His wife, Edith was to enjoy a long life in Cliftonville with a few years in between in Deal to be near her daughter and lived on until dying in 1994 aged 94.
Bobbie and Ted as they are more commonly known became quickly involved with the local life and were to make many long-term friends. In due course they bought two more shops which they ran with the assistance of their sons. Their happiness was even greater when on the 20th February 1968, Bobbie was to have their long awaited daughter, Amanda Sarah Jane at the age of 39. At the end of this year they at last were able to have their own house when they bought 17 Leicester Avenue for £6,000 and Richard married Maureen Knowles. Their son, Neil was at Bradford university at the time and disillusioned gave it up and returned to Margate to help in the shops. In due course he worked at two local firms and decided to save enough money to start his own business as his father had done before him. He was very fortunate that after failing at suppling polythene bags to local model train firm, Rovex, he changed to Mail Order selling Stamps to collectors. This was right at the beginning of a boom in collecting and his business quickly expanded until he was one of the largest dealers. He went on to buy the neighbouring house to his parents soon after. They decided to help him and form a company, Jenwood Ltd in 1972.
The following year, both their houses were  put up for sale and they bought a large country house, Broomhill in the village of Wingham, near Canterbury. They took out a huge bridging loan after both houses become difficult to sell. In the end Bobbie and Ted were able to sell theirs to their son, Richard and Neil’s eventually sold after a year to a local buyer. The stamp business expanded into approvals and Bobbie and Ted started their own company which they called “Sovereign Stamps”. Bobbie having her secretarial skills, would do the admin and accounts. In due course they decided to run this from their own property and in 1974 leave their son at Broomhill and move to Brambles, East Studdal, near Dover. It was here that their son, Steven was to meet Janet Lee and were married in 1976. Richard later moved to the village and  had a house built for his family on part of his parent`s large garden. The following year, Neil married Valerie Bunker and sold Broomhill and moved to Cogan House in Canterbury next to a shop they had earlier bought. In 1985 Bobbie and Ted headed back to Cliftonville, where they were to move a number of times
As the years have gone by, their family has grown to include 11 Grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren and 2 great great grandchildren. They celebrated their 70th landmark anniversary at the Walpole Bay Hotel with many of their family. Bobbie was always very proud of her family, and her main ‘role’ has always been bringing up the family, including many hours spent helping grandchildren too. At Knockholt Road the dining room was full of family photos, which she would love to show to people when they came round, especially the ‘Rogues Gallery’ of those who graduated University. As she spent her last few years living with dementia, photos were always very important as they helped with the memories, of which she had many (photos and memories!) This booklet is filled with just a selection from over 30 albums and many 100s on her iPad which she has left us.
It is hoped that this booklet, which can only provide a glimpse of all that Bobbie achieved in her long rewarding life will allow the reader to share with her family the happiness that she bought to them. To find out more about Bobbie and her husband, Ted`s lives and that of their ancestors, it is recommended that you look up Neil’s website www.freshford.com.