Old Photo Rekindles 80-Year-Old Friendship At Clacton Care Home
Two residents at Black Swan Care Group’s Maitland House in Clacton have rekindled an 80-year-old friendship thanks to an old photo.
Old Photo Rekindles 80-Year-Old Friendship At Clacton Care HomeMargaret Markham-Lee (nee Walters) and Margaret Hoadley (nee Catchpole) first met as young children at London Road school in Clacton after the end of the Second World War. Over the years, their paths crossed in different ways and most recently when, unknown to each other, they both moved into Maitland House care home on Church Road in Clacton.
Margaret Markham-Lee, who will be 90 in November, takes up the story:
“I wasn’t born in Clacton, I came when I was about 3 years old with Mum, two sisters and a brother. I started school at St Osyth’s Road. I was there about 6 months when we had to be evacuated (in the 2nd World War).
“When we came back, Mum had to move to a different house, so my school was changed to London Road and that’s where I first met Margaret Catchpole, as she was then.
“We played together sometimes and together with some other children we were invited by Mrs Leeks, who was a drama teacher, to her house where she organised little plays which we had to learn properly. So, we went to local venues like the Town Hall and performed.”
The photo shows a group of girls lined up in costumes worn for one of the performances. Margaret Walters as she was then, is on the end of the middle row on the left, and Margaret Catchpole is on the same row, second from the right.
Margaret continues the story:
“Years went by, and we went our different ways. After some years, we met again playing bowls. Then I moved away for a long time, before I came back to Clacton and got older!
“I came to Maitland House for care (in June 2024), and would you believe it, I met Margaret again! She was very pleased to see the photo that I found when sorting a few things out. We have lots of memories of the others in the photo. They were good times and it’s difficult to believe 80 years have passed since we first met!”
