Ernest Lewin Crane and Belinda Frances Pattinson
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Me with my Dad c. 1955 |
My parents wedding day |
My Mother, Linda |
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My father Ernest Lewin Crane was born 18 Feb 1914 in Oadby Road, Wigston, the second of three sons. It is clear that at the time of his birth, my grandfather was enjoying a time of increasing prosperity, and it must have been hard for him to experience the coming decline in his fortunes.He was educated as a boarder at public school in Ashby de la Zouch along with his elder brother Charles Arthur. His grandfather Charles Lewin apparently footed the bill.
After leaving school, he worked initially in the Lewin’s hosiery business in Wigston. He left the home county when he joined F.W.Woolworth in the 1930’s |
 Ernest and Arthur c. 1922 |
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Moving around the country from store to store, he met my mother Belinda Frances Pattinson in Neath, Glamorganshire where she worked behind the counter in the local store. They were married at St David’s church on 6th Sept 1939
Ernest has a quiet war having picked up a stomach complaint in his early days in the RAF. He was based locally and according to my mother was allowed home for meals. He remained a fussy eater for the rest of his life. On 13 January 1941, my sister Carole was born. At the time, my parents were residing at 57 Wellfield Road, Neath. Ernest was described as Assistant manager, Woolworth Stores and was named as Aircraftsman 963776. His father died the same year. |
| My mother Linda was an Associate of the London College of Music and worked part time as a piano teacher. Despite this, neither my sister nor I can play a piano. She had a sickly childhood suffering from diphtheria, scarlet fever, and rheumatic fever. Her adulthood was not much better. She suffered badly from an undiagnosed slipped disk which left her in constant pain. By the time it was diagnosed, it was inoperable.
After the war, my parents moved around a lot. If you were successful in the Woolworth business, you were moved around a lot being promoted into higher positions in larger stores on an annual basis. By the time I was born in 1951, we were living in Western Road, Abergavenny. In about 1954, my father was promoted to Area Supervisor. Somewhat illogically in my view, he bought a house in Wentworth Close, Thames Ditton, Surrey. His area of responsibility was Devon and Cornwall. In the days before motorways, I remember him leaving home at the crack of dawn on a Monday morning and arriving back home late on a Saturday. He would spend most Sundays catching up on paperwork. |
 My first home in Abergavenny
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My parents' favourite hobby was moving house – something I suspect which was a hangover from the days when he was a store manager. In 1958, we moved to Surbiton, Surrey where I attended Arundel House School. In 1961, we moved again to Esher. In 1964, I started at Kings College School, Wimbledon so we moved nearby. Before I left in 1968, we had moved again to Worcester Park. In 1972, he retired and moved to Hinton Admiral, near Bournemouth, then to Portland Island, and from there back to Hinton Admiral where he lived at he time of his death.
Ernest died from a heart attack whilst on holiday at the Cliff Tops Hotel, Shanklin, Isle of Wight during the night of 21st May 1975. He was only 61 years old. He had retired at the age of 58 after already having his first attack. It was too little too late. I remember my father as a man who never suffered fools gladly. He was seldom happy off the golf course, lived and breathed his job, he changed his cars even more often than he changed his house. Perhaps my strongest memory is how deeply upset he was at the death of his kid brother Ted from a brain tumour in 1972. After his death, my mother bought a house in Bournemouth with my sister, by now also widowed. She lived there with her three grandsons until 13 Nov 1987, when she died peacefully having suffered a mild stroke. |
The information on this site is prepared from public records and from verbatum evidence provided by third parties. I am placing it in the public domain in good faith and to the best of my belief all statements made are truthful. However, no warranty as to accuracy is either given or implied and interested parties should perform their own validations.
Copyright © 2003, Charles Crane