Best friends forever
Every issue, Yours writer Marion Clarke will be reliving the best bits of our lives. This fortnight she celebrates the lasting joy of friendship
The older we get, the more precious our friends become, especially the ones with whom we shared carefree childhood days. Christine Young met her friend Mary when they were both aged six in 1947: “My family had moved to Southampton and we lived next door but one from Mary. We struck up a friendship right away and spent hours playing in the woods behind our houses, building dens and hanging upside down in trees and only went home when we were hungry.” Although Mary moved to London and Christine emigrated to Canada, they kept in touch. Both are now back in their home town where they meet regularly. ‘The sister I never had’ is how Cheryl Milne describes her friend, Linda: “We met at St Helena’s secondary school in Colchester and used to go to the village youth club on our bikes. Linda’s parents had a smallholding and I would help her pick violets for the market. On Saturdays, we used to go to Woolworth’s to spend our pocket money. We have never had an argument in 60 years and still speak on the phone most days.” When old friends live far apart, as so many of us do these days, we look forward to long chats on the phone – emails just aren’t the same! Jennifer Lazzari lives 250 miles from her old schoolfriend, Kathleen: “We see each other three or four times a year and speak on the phone at least twice a week. We have been known to finish each other’s sentences as we think along the same lines!
“One of my earliest memories is going to see Cliff Richard together when we were 15. I was Kathleen’s bridesmaid and she was my matron-of-honour when I got married a year later in 1972. I am godmother to her son and she is godmother to my mine. We plan to celebrate our 70th birthdays this year by going to Ladies’ Day at Newmarket races.” Although they went to different schools, Pat Rose and Phyllis were both in the Girls’ Life Brigade: “We went to the meetings once a week and became good friends right away. We also had a Sunday march to church with our own band. Phyllis was one of four trumpet players, I was drum soloist.” When Pat moved to Devon, long letters kept their friendship alive. “For the last seven years Phyllis has travelled from Kent
to stay with me for a week in September. From the moment she steps off the coach in Exeter to when she steps back on again, we never stop talking and laughing.” Many readers found long-lasting friends at work, as June Whittle did: “Lynne and I met in
1953 when we started as apprentice hairdressers in a very posh salon in London’s Mayfair and clicked straight away. As girls we loved shopping and were always buying bags and shoes. We only needed to give our mums a little bit of the £1.79p we were paid, and we had generous tips!”
When June married Bill and moved to Somerset, the two women didn’t let distance come between them: “We had regular two-hour chats on the phone, and still do – always
laughing, sometimes crying, or simply exchanging news We’re now 80 and still click!” Trish Johnson also met Una, her ‘best friend ever’, at work: “It was at a factory called Bush Radio when we were both 16. In our teens we used to go dancing three times a week and would walk five miles just to go to a special dance. After two or three hours’ sleep we’d get up and walk to work to save money to go dancing again.” Both are now widowed and Trish says that Una has lived through some difficult times, but remains, “Lovely, loyal and kind and we laugh a lot. What more can you ask for in a best friend?” What makes old friends unique is the life history we’ve shared, as Janet Dandy says of her friend Barbara: “I was a bridesmaid at her wedding and she was a bridesmaid for my second marriage. We still remember each other’s parents who are no longer with us; it’s good share memories that go back so many years.”
‘Linda’s parents had a smallholding and I would help her pick violets for the market’