Extraordinary

MY AMAZING Mum was born in Edmonton, North London. Her parents Sidney and Mary had met in Hutton Poplars orphanage in Brentwood, Essex. Sidney became a professional cellist and Mary was a hard-working housewife. Two children were lost in infancy and Mum grew up as the middle child of four brothers.

The family moved to Romford, Essex, when Mum was five. When she left school at just 14, her first job was at Hemmings the local confectioners. She trained in all aspects of cake-making, icing and decorating, skills that she used for the rest of her life.

She made four-tier wedding cakes for her family plus beautiful celebration cakes for birthdays and anniversaries.

She joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) in 1940 as a barrage balloon operator, diverting enemy aircraft to defend cities, ports and industrial areas. Mum met Leslie Edward Mayhew when they were stationed in