HILDA JACKSON. (DECEASED). MOTHER OF TONY JACKSON

Hilda was bon on 26th January 1914 and christened HILDA HURT

Her parents were THOMAS and ANNIE HURT

This is the earliest photo of her. Aged 19

She was born and lived originally at No.9 Sunderland Street, Sheffield. ( at the top of Summerfield St)

The house has long since been demolished, it stood just behind this pub.

I have very few photos of my mother when she was young. I can't begin to guess her age here but I know it was taken in the back garden of 28 Pomona Street because you can see the Wards Brewery building above her left shoulder.

The other lady is my father's mother, Ada Jackson.

This photo was obviously taken whilst on holiday, but which coast?

My parents were married on 7th September 1935 and their Marriage Certificate shows her occupation as a Rule Maker. She also did part-time work as an Hairdresser in a shop my father acquired for her. At first they lived here, with my father's parents:

No. 57 Countess Road, off Bramhall Lane. The house still exists today, 2010, and is in good repair.

Now this is an interesting picture for me. My Mum and Dad are on the right. By now they had moved to 26 Pomona Street, and then to 28 because No. 28 was bigger. My mother's parents lived at No. 16, my mother's brother, Jack, lived at No.12 and the neighbours in the photo above lived at Nos.18 and 20.

Lillian Bingley is on the left, and then Gladys and Claude Bingley.

This is another old photo of Mum and her next door neighbour, Jesse Frost, of No.28:

 I am writing on this Web Site about many people in the same family, so I don't want to duplicate photos and accounts.  I may, therefore,  jump back and forth in relating  their lives.

After I was born, as an only child, we holidayed many times at Blackpool:

My mother always worked to supplement the family's income and did so for many years working at Hartley's where she would often run the shop whilst the owners were away. It was a lucrative, double-fronted drug store that provide three-course lunches for the nearby employees of Chestermans and Neils on Napier St. When Bert and Harry, the shop owners retired to live in Blackpool they gave my mother and father first option to buy the shop. They declined because of the long hours involved. It was open 6 days a week from 9.0am till 11.0pm.

In April 1964 my father died suddenly leaving my mother to live alone. Not really alone because she came to stay with us most weekends at Brinsworth:

Then, three grandchildren came along  to whom she dedicated a lot of her life.

When Lisa was just six weeks old my mother suggested that Jacqueline and I book a holiday abroad and she would look after the three of them. We did so and had our very first package holiday in Benidorm.

In addition to spending much time with us and our children she still kept in touch with friends and relations, taking holidays with them:

I cannot remember her friend's name in the left photo but the lady on the right is Vera her sister-in-law.

She had a spell working at Chesterman's, manufacturing precision tools:

Then came a major change in my mother's life. In the early 1970's she became friendly with this chap:

Frank Toulson. They were able to make up a foursome with her brother, Jack and his wife, Vera.

It was not long before the widow and widower agreed to marry:

This considerably increased the size of the family because Frank had 3 sons:

Jack, Michael and Richard who were all builders like their father.

He also had a daughter:

Caroline, who is on the right. My mother's brother, Jack, is on the left. Lisa and Hayley in the centre.

Frank and my mother lived together at 28 Pomona St and my mum's skill in cooking soon had an effect on Frank; his weight increased dramatically!

 He had lost an eye during the Second World War when a German submarine torpedoed his ship and sank it.

The two of them had some good times together:

But all was not well. Frank liked a drink and would frequently treat everyone in their local pub, The Devonshire, to drinks. This would annoy my mother because she could see they were taking advantage of him. She did her best to change him but failed. It was not surprising that their relationship deteriorated because Frank was the complete opposite of her first husband, Lawrence, whom she idolised.  Frank could also be violent which was the major factor in their divorce. She subsequently changed her name back to Jackson

When my father was alive he purchased both 26 and 28 Pomona Street houses so now they belonged to my mother. In July 1972 the City Council obtained a compulsory purchase order for many houses and my mother's houses were included;

She received only £625 in total for both houses and moved to rented council property:

299, Exeter Drive, 3rd floor flat.

Being single again she had more time to be with her grandchildren, Dean, Hayley and Lisa. She used to take them nearly every weekend to the GOLDEN DRAGON just off The Moor. All four of them were very well known by the Dragon's proprietor and staff.

Late on in her life she undertook a venture with Vera, her sister-in-law. The two of them travelled to Australia to stay with Vera's friend, Renee.

I have a photo of them at the side of the swimming pool.

If I had to single out one virtue of my mother's life it would have to be her "generosity". I'll give three examples:

1. My mother's father, Thomas Hurt, had 2 brothers and 2 sisters. One of the sisters died, intestate, in 1987 leaving nearly £100,000. No one in the family had been in contact with this sister and her estate went to a solicitor to find her next of kin. It took this solicitor nearly 4 years to find the beneficiaries who were my mother, her brother Harry, and Tricia the daughter of my mother's deceased brother, Jack.

After solicitors deductions, all three received £23,267.98. The first thing my mother did was to give away some of the money to her son and grandchildren. This windfall to her didn't bring much benefit. At that time she was receiving state benefits, including her rent. All these benefits ceased and she was actually worse off. Gradually all the windfall was exhausted and she was really struggling. When I found out I reapplied for State benefits and her situation became much better.

2. Throughout a large part of her married life she did not have a washing machine. She preferred to go to a public wash-house on Broadfield Road. Here, an old lady would help with my Mum's washing. Every Christmas, to show her gratitude Mum would get my father to run her to the old lady's house with a food hamper. After my father died, and even though she was receiving only a modest pension, I had to take over my father's role and go with her to deliver the hampers.

 3. She would not hesitate to help others less fortunate. On more than one occasion I have known her pay for an item in a shop for a complete stranger who looked as though they wanted the item but couldn't afford it.

Throughout her early life my mother enjoyed good health, needing just a gall-stone operation in her forties. In later life, when her legs developed problems she had major surgery to replace a knee joint. She progressed into her eighties and all the family joked that she would live forever or at least live to be 100.

Walking became more difficult and I obtained her a wheelchair. At this stage I must now mention someone who was my mother's crutch for many years:

Her granddaughter, Lucy Purcell. Even when she was much younger than this Lucy used to push the heavy wheelchair and my mother, who was no lightweight, all over the city centre.

Lucy would spend much time with Mum at her flat. She was a great companion, a helper and really appreciated  because it's not much fun to be old and alone.

It was during her mid eighties, whilst staying at our house in Dronfield, that she developed a skin problem which really knocked her back. She was in the Royal Hallamshire Hospital for 9 weeks before the doctors managed to cure the condition.

Prior to going into hospital my Mum had asked me several times to decorate her pantry and her small bedroom. Without her knowing I did this and got her all new wardrobes for the bedroom. When she came out it was a pleasant surprise for her.

The illness caused her to lose much of her hair but the hospital provided her with an expensive wig:

She wore this for a while until her hair grew back.

At the age of 89 she rang me one day to say she was having acute stomach pains. I went down and called the doctor who diagnosed Pancreatitis. She was taken into hospital again and the doctor there told us that this problem was often fatal in people of this age. I sat at her bedside and she said to me - " I've had a long and enjoyable life and I am ready to go now".

Thanks to the doctors and her returned fighting spirit she recovered and we provided her with a memorable 90th birthday at her flat.

Her walking ability got worse and I managed to get her Home Help. I would also go down to her flat every Monday to do her shopping, vacuuming, bed-making and other tasks she had lined up for me.

In March 2004 she developed vaginal bleeding and I took her to hospital. After her examination I was given a tremendous shock. The doctor told me she had cervical cancer and it was at an advanced stage.

I will never forget my mother's face as we sat there together. She just smiled at me and accepted it. 

Alone with the doctor I asked the question - " 6 months?"  The consultant shook her head.

My mum was totally against Chemotherapy but I did get her to agree to a course of Radiotherapy that would hopefully counteract the bleeding. This course was successful and she managed to regain a good quality of life.

Her wheelchair meant she wasn't housebound:

Here, she's with the family at Jumbo's Chinese restaurant. Chinese had been her favourite food for years hence her many trips to the Golden Dragon with her grandchildren.

Having been told that her life expectancy was measured in weeks, surprisingly, she retained reasonable heath for another 9 months. Then, on Christmas Day, whilst at Hayley's she became ill. The doctor diagnosed constipation. By Boxing Day she was much worse and I insisted that the doctor should have her admitted to hospital. Over the next two weeks after many tests we were informed that there was nothing else they could do and that she was approaching the end of her life.

With the assistance of the hospital we were able to get her in here:

St Luke's Hospice.

Further deterioration was rapid, she was moved to a private ward and given morphine. At this time all close friends and family came to see her - she could just barely greet them. This, and an occasional suck on an ice lolly was all she could do.

A bouquet of red roses arrived, sent all the way from Chicago. A lovely gesture from a young lady who had never even seen my mother.

Two days ago we had a heavy snowfall and although much of the snow had disappeared it was still bitterly cold.

The plaque's condition had deteriorated over the last few years so I removed it and took it home to clean up. I returned the next day and refitted it.

That looks much better.