Chapter 10: KATE CORONA MARY

Chapter 10: KATE CORONA MARY

Kate worked as a clerk at Harding's Bakery, which was set up by Ernest Harding in partnership with Frank Thornhill, her father. Raymond Albert Eggleton, known as Ray, worked at another bakery, JT Powell & Sons as a deliverer. He married from 178 Malmesbury Road in Small Heath, Birmingham; Kate was living at 107 Lily Road, South Yardley at the time. Ray later became an insurance agent for the Prudential Assurance Company, rising to the rank of Assistant Superintendent by 1936. Kate had two children, Mavis and Pat, at 198 New John Street West in Birmingham. The family moved to East View in Hallow, Worcestershire, in 1935. There followed two more children, Tony and Lorraine.

Mavis married John Payne and lived in Shirley, part of Solihull, for many years. Here they raised their family. John ran a denture manufacturing business in the Lozells area. Once Mavis and John's children left home they moved to South Littleton, near Evesham. Their daughter Sally went to Warwick University before becoming a teacher of English, marrying an Australian and emigrating to his home country. Guy has his own dental manufacturing business called 'Noveau Ceramics'. He lives in Redditch with his wife who is a banker, and his two sons. Tim works with a computer paper manufacturer. He is divorced from his former wife, Andrea.

Kate and Ray's second daughter, Pat, married John Hancocks who farmed Rowley Farm in Holt, Worcestershire, where he kept dairy cows until about 1990. Pat has two sons, Peter and David. The former, and his ex bank clerk wife Carolyn, are the authors of this family history. They lived in Leeds before moving to Worcester city in 1988 then to Bristol in 1993. Peter now works as a wildlife consultant. His brother David is a police constable living in Newport, Shropshire. He married a WPC, Suzanne Stokes, and now has two daughters. Pat and John's first two grandchildren, both girls, were born within eight weeks of each other.

Tony is the only son of Kate and Ray. He married Janet Dodd in her home village of Hayfield in Derbyshire. Janet was a nurse at the time, and became a district nurse after raising her family. Tony and Janet live in Martley, Worcestershire. Tony worked in Blackpole near Worcester as a civilian employee of the police force. He was deputy manager of the West Mercia Police vehicle department.

Lorraine is Tony's younger sister. She married Bill Cooper and now lives at Gatley in Holt near to her sister Pat. Bill was a self-employed labourer and gardener. Bill and Lorraine had one child, Annette. She married Adam Collett in Claines near Worcester and now lives in Sinton Green near Hallow. Both Annette and Adam work in the accountancy and personnel finance fields.

Kate and Ray lived at East View for about forty years, becoming much respected in the local community. Ray becoming a Freemason, special constable and governor of Hallow Primary School. In their old age the couple moved to sheltered accommodation just a few hundred yards from East View. Kate predeceased Ray. It is a matter of deep regret that Ray did not live to the see the two great grandchildren that were born shortly after his death.