Our most precious possessions
‘My typewriter tells our history’ Although we’re always told that we shouldn’t place too much importance on material goods, these ladies explain why they prize their special items above all else…
Nicci Fletcher, 49, is a writer from Dorset.
When I was little, I used to love going to stay with my grandparents, Grannie and Pompom. They lived on a clifftop in Cornwall, and our visits always felt like huge adventures.
My grannie, Winifred Grace, was a loving woman who cooked delicious Bakewell tarts. She loved entertaining, but she was formal, too. She adored writing and even had a few cookery pieces published, something which inspired me.
I spent hours conjuring up stories, and Grannie was the first person I’d tell them to. Then, in 1978, when I was nine years old, she led me to the study and showed me her Imperial portable typewriter.
I was mesmerised, especially after I learnt that it had been a gift from Pompom. He’d been an engineer and, after World War II, he’d worked in Eastern bloc countries, helping to get their industries back on their feet.
He’d bought the typewriter so that Grannie could keep in touch with him but, after hearing he was receiving some unwanted female attention, she quickly joined him as his secretary, taking the typewriter with her!
I loved listening to the stories of them getting together. Then, when I was 16, Grannie gave the typewriter to me.
‘It’s not a toy and should be treated with respect,’ she told me, and those words stayed with me. I practised my typing on it, and the sound of the striking of the keys was so soothing.
I adored it. Sadly, Grannie passed away in 2002, but the typewriter still has pride of place in my office, below framed photos of my grandparents. I don’t use it much now, as ribbon for it is hard to find, but it will always stay with me. Its tale is a treasured one.