My grandmother Anne Corden, who has died aged 106, grew up in Cambridge and London however spent a good chunk of her grownup life overseas, the place she supported her husband George’s work as a commander of RAF bases, not solely mentioning her family however taking up the pastoral function of offering help to service folks.
Born in the course of the first world conflict in Hoo, Kent, Anne was the eldest of the 4 kids of Kathleen (nee Wilson), a housewife, and her husband, Hamilton Hartridge, a lecturer in physiology at King’s Faculty, Cambridge. After attending Queen’s Faculty college in London, her first job was within the dressmaking division on the Liberty division retailer, the place, on one event, she ended up measuring the Queen of Romania, since she was one of many few individuals who knew learn how to accurately deal with and curtsy to royalty.
Anne determined to change to physiotherapy within the late Thirties, however found that at just below 5ft 2in she was too brief to fulfill the strict peak necessities. A sympathetic official quietly massaged her statistics in order that she could possibly be accepted into coaching in Harley Road earlier than she moved to Mount Vernon hospital in Northwood, north west London, the place she labored, on and off, for the remainder of her profession.
After her marriage to George in 1943, there was a posting to Egypt for 3 years in 1948, adopted by strikes to bases in Malta (1955-58) and France (1962-64). Anne was instrumental in constructing a way of group in every of these locations.
Lastly settling again in Northwood in 1964, she lived and labored there for the following 30 years, aside from a spell when she and George grew to become joint managers of Princess Marina Home, an RAF convalescent residence close to Rustington, West Sussex.
After George’s dying in 1983 she went on portray holidays to Tunisia, Croatia and Greece, nurturing a creative expertise that in her earlier years had led her for instance lots of her father’s scientific papers and lecture slides.
Later she moved to Hampstead Backyard Suburb, north London, to be nearer to her household. Fiercely impartial, she lived in her personal home, nonetheless gardening, strolling to the outlets and doing her personal cooking, till she was 100. Solely a damaged hip slowed her down in her previous few years, and she or he remained an excellent raconteur, enthralling company with vivid tales from her life.
Born earlier than girls have been in a position to vote, she was a powerful believer in equality and marvelled on the adjustments that occurred in her lifetime. She was additionally a supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, stating that “love might by no means shock me, solely the horrible issues folks do to 1 one other”.
Her solely little one, James, died in 2020. She is survived by her grandchildren, Greg, Andrew and me, and great-grandchildren Jacob and Oscar.
