Born and Bred

Elsie's Story

---

In 1929 at the Easter fair in Rothwell Park, Elsie Hirst and her friend Mary Teasdale were abandoned in a high flying swing when the attendant, Rubin Hamil, went for his tea. They were in a bit of a panic until Frank Richardson and his pal Arthur "Kelly" Austin came along to their rescue.

After rescuing them, Frank and Elsie would not see each other again until they met by chance the following Saturday. Frank and Arthur had decided to go see the latest film at the Picture Palace in Rothwell, Elsie and Mary had already been to the first showing, but agreed to go again when Frank and Arthur asked them if they would like to go into the second show with them.

However, fifteen minutes into the performance, Mary suddenly said that she had to leave as her father expected her to be home by 10pm. Poor Frank never did get to see how the film ended, but from that beginning there developed a friendship between Elsie and him.

Over the next six years Frank courted Elsie, walking with her along the "Duck Run" (this ran from the War Memorial down Oulton Lane past the park) like so many other courting couples in the Rothwell area. He also took her to nearby Temple Newsam House and Gardens.

Frank and Elsie were desperate to get married, but Elsie's father was not too keen on the idea. Not because he didn't like Frank, in fact they got on very well together, with Frank coming over on a regular basis to help Sidney do his garden. But rather because Sidney had been injured whilst working at one of the local mines and as a consequence relied a lot on the money that Elsie brought in from her job, money that Sidney and his family would lose if Elsie were to get married. At that time she was working for a cake company in Leeds called DCL, where she decorated the cakes with Royal Icing.

In the end Frank and Elsie decided to force the issue. Elsie became pregnant and Frank walked in and told Sidney that they were going to get married come what may and he presented Elsie with an engagement ring costing the princely sum of four guineas. What could Sidney do but give his blessing and so, after six long years of courtship Frank and Elsie were married at Hunslet Parish Church on the 25th of July 1936.

The first twelve months of their marriage were spent at 7 Sandon Avenue, Hunslet, with Elsie's parents and it was here that their first son, Brian, was born towards the end of January in 1937. This event caused Frank a lot of trouble as it took him five hours riding around on his bicycle trying to catch up with the local midwife.

Towards the end of 1937 they moved into their first house in Spibey Lane, Rothwell. This house was pulled down many years ago to make way for the two bungalows that presently stand on that spot. It was while they were at Spibey Lane that their second son, Kenneth, was born in December 1938.

In 1939 they moved to 6 Sherwood Green, Robin Hood, where they were to live for the next twelve years. Not long after moving into their new house, the Second World War started. In those days everyone had to make sure they had no light showing at night as a blackout was strictly enforced. Unfortunately, one night Elsie was startled by the words...

"Get that bloody light out!"

and found the local policeman hammering on the door. Even though it had only been a candle burning, she was subsequently taken to court at Wakefield where she was fined £3.00 (over £200 bytoday's reckoning). Finally, in May 1945 the war in Europe came to an end and a large party and bonfire was held on Sherwood Green to celebrate the return of peace.

Some of the happiest years of Frank and Elsie's life were spent at Robin Hood and whilst living there, Elsie, who had always been fond of animals, had a variety of different animals during her time there. These included rabbits, a beautiful Persian cat, which unfortunately got run over and a rough haired collie dog called "Lassie".

She also had a cockerel that was so tame it used to come into the kitchen for meals. However, Frank was determined to have this bird for his Christmas dinner one year; unfortunately it must have known what he was planning and decided to have the last laugh as it died a few days before the Christmas holiday. Because no one knew why it had died, they dared not eat it and so it was quietly laid to rest in the back garden.

Although she had two sons, Elsie had always wanted a daughter and in 1950 her wish came true. At the time she had to tell Brian, then 13 years old, to go and fetch his Grandma Hirst from Hunslet, which he did, running all the way up Sharpe Lane to Belle Isle where he caught the tram to Hunslet. A few days later Eileen was born.

In 1951 they said goodbye to their many friends at Sherwood Green and moved to 7 Spibey Crescent, Rothwell, thus moving to within a stone's throw of their first home. It was shortly after this that Elsie's mother came from Hunslet, where she had been living on her own since her husband's death in 1949, to live with them. She was to spend the next 11 years living with them, sharing the same bedroom as Eileen, of whom she grew particularly fond.

In the 60s Brian and Ken both married and had children and Elsie doted on her grand-children. Then in 1971, Eileen married and soon had children of her own. Elsie and Frank loved nothing more than being surrounded by their family.

In 1986, Frank and Elsie celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary and their photograph appeared in the local press. Unbeknownst to them, their family had decided to hold a surprise party and this time there was a final gathering of all the remaining members of the family.

A year later, due to ill health, they left their home at Spibey Crescent and moved into a downstairs flat a short distance away at 33 High Ridge Court. In 1994, Elsie celebrated her 80th birthday and once again her children and grand-children came together to celebrate the occaision, however, by now Frank's health was beginning to fail, though he tried to hide it from his family.

Then in the early hours of the morning on the 30th of May 1996, Frank collapsed at home and was taken to St. James Hospital in Leeds where he died. Elsie missed her husband, whom she had been married to for almost sixty years, terribly, but life went on.

Eventually, failing health finally forced her to leave her home in High Ridge Court and move into the Dolphin Manor Residential Care Home in Rothwell in February 2003 where she lived for the rest of her life. Later that same month, Elsie celebrated her 90th birthday, surrounded by her children, grand-children, and eight great-grand-children.

Elsie died on the 3rd of May 2006 and was laid to rest alongside her beloved husband, Frank, in Rothwell Cemetery on the 11th of May.