Nothing But Bad Times: Chapter Twelve, Part One
1939: One month after the death of John Owens, the world finds itself in an international tug of war as Britain and France declare war on Nazi-controlled Germany. These are uncertain times for Mary Ann and her family. They had seen this kind of thing before, but not quite as intimidating. In the First World War, a conflict which tore at the very heart of Mary Ann, her sons and nephew were called to a foreign battlefield, a place unknown in the middle of France. Now, weaponry was airborne. In one small unexpected moment, a bomb could fall and wreak devastation in New Stevenston and Corby, both of which were on Hitler's list of industrial targets.
On a domestic level, Nellie was pregnant again, and a wartime baby would be born sometime in June. Rationing meant that Nellie and Harry lived very much so in uncertain times. Mary Ann at this point was from a financial point of view, doing reasonably well. She received her old age pension and was also being supported by Barney. As 1940 began, Mary Ann and Nellie would have had no idea of what was to befall upon them. In the next year. Total devastation would tear through the family once again.
The year carried through, uncertain and unknown. Every now and then a Luftwaffe plane would fly over Holytown in the dead of the night and on one occasion, dropped a bomb on the nearby Thankerton Colliery, where Barney worked. This was part of Hitler's plan to cripple Britain and de-industrialise it into submission and surrender.
In April 1940, Barney came round to visit his mother Mary Ann at her home in 2 Nimmo's Row's, to find no answer. He was, as usual, going to give her one third of his wages. Her not answering was unusual, and so he entered the house through the back alleys, and found his mother lying motionless on the floor. The doctor was called immediately and it was established that Mary Ann had suffered an extremely heavy stroke, which paralysed her right side. Barney had to move in temporarily with his mum again to look after her. By the time news reached Nellie in Corby, things there had taken a tragic turn too.
Around the same time as Mary Ann had her stroke, Nellie and Harry were struck by tragedy after their young son Michael fell down the stairs in the house in Stephenson Way. He was rushed to Kettering General Hospital and stayed there for two months with head and chest injuries...
As Mary Ann lay dying in Scotland, she somehow, even though she was paralysed and unable to move, received strength from almost nowhere in her world, and on May 12, she gathered this strength and put it into a letter, which was sent down to Corby, to Nellie, to encourage her to stay strong. She tells her daughter how sad she is to hear about Michael's accident, and has one last piece of advice for her:
“Nellie, I am very sad to hear your news about our poor dear wee Michael. But Nellie you must realise that we are only lent out in this world. He does not belong to us, he belongs to God, and if God wants to take him you must give him to him. I can remember when I lost one too Nellie, our wee Lizzie, she was 3 years and 3 months. Your father god rest him was heartbroken but his faith in God helped him see it through. It is God's will, we are all only lent out in this world”
Mary Ann's strength never ceases to amaze me. As I sit here looking at her letter, written in her own handwriting, messy though it is due to the effects of her stroke, I am extremely moved. In all honesty I get a little choked up. This woman absolutely amazes me. Even as she lay dying, she never gives up. She puts her faith in God, at all costs. I don't particularly like writing about her last few years. I don't like to think of her dying. She ends her letter by saying “ I don't think I will be able to write any more letters, as I am feeling just done”. It seems Mary Ann's days were coming to an end, or were they?
Copyright © Matthew Reay, 2008
