Mary: Later life & death
Mary found it very difficult to come to terms with the loss of her only son. The start of the Second World War made her feel
very bitter; it seemed to her that he had died in vain.
During World War II, Elsie and her family went to live in Wales and Mary stayed with them. There was one glorious occasion when Mary ticked off a couple of local lads who were doing some work on the house. Mary then heard them making derogatory remarks in Welsh about this interfering old lady from England, unaware that she understood every word they said; in all her years in England she had not forgotten her native tongue. Imagine their shock when Mary responded with a wonderful tirade in fluent Welsh. The story quickly spread and her standing within the local community, as well as with the workmen, soared.
Sadly, on 13th December 1940, not long after this trip, Mary died at ‘Glyn’. At her request, her coffin stood for a while under the lych gate she loved so much, before being carried to the parish church for her funeral.