Recently Megan wrote this brief history of her life.
1. Early days
I was born on February 29th 1916 in Sutton, Surrey. My father was a Welshman from Pembrokeshire. My mother was English and came from Sussex. I had two younger brothers, both of whom were retired doctors – one a consultant anaesthetist the other a consultant obstetrician.
Our parents were God-fearing people who took us to church until we were old enough to go on our own! We had a happy childhood and a good education. Most of our holidays were spent in Rose Hill, the house in Dinas Cross, Pembrokeshire, where my father was born. We had to fetch water from the spring some distance away and my mother did all the cooking on a paraffin stove.
When I was ten years old I was taken to a Girl Crusader Bible Class by a friend. There I learned about the love of Jesus and His claim upon my life. By the time I was twelve I was quite sure that I wanted to follow Him for the rest of my life.
I left my Crusader Class when I was seventeen in order to help start a Sunday School on a large housing estate in Morden. There I met a fellow Crusader (Jack) who later became my husband.
My father wanted his three children to become doctors. My brothers agreed but I chose pharmacy instead. I spent three years apprenticed to a Christian chemist but soon found that I was more interested in learning about his Christian family life and his young children than making pills and filling bottles with medicine; though I did enjoy my contacts with the people who came into the shop, especially if it involved weighing babies! When my apprenticeship ended I went to the South of England College of Pharmacy.
By this time I was engaged to be married to my Science teacher fiancé and quickly lost interest in pharmacy and got married instead. Looking back, I would like to have been a nurse or a teacher, but my father would not agree. In those days one did not choose one’s own vocation – one did what Daddy said. His views were coloured by the fact that his sister had died when she was twenty-six and he was afraid of losing me. He did not want me to leave home until I had a husband to look after me.
2. Getting married
Henry John Callard Oliver (Jack) and I were married in April 1939. We had a lovely home next door to his parents and opposite mine! Surprisingly it worked very well!
When war was declared in 1939 the school that Jack taught at (St Paul’s in London) was evacuated to Crowthorne in Berkshire. So we had to go there with them. That didn’t last long as Jack was ‘called up’ by the RAF to work on RADAR. I went back to Sutton to have our first son, Christopher, in 1940 and then joined Jack in Swanage where we stayed until the Germans bombed the station in 1942 and threatened to capture the research scientists working for the civil service establishment, TRE. As the only source of enough heavy moving equipment, Pickfords were instructed to evacuate ‘The Establishment’ before the next full moon – taking them to Malvern in Worcestershire. I returned home to have my second son, Graham, while TRE obtained accommodation for the scientists and their families. Our flat was in Abbey Road where I joined Jack with two-and-a-half year old Christopher and 6 week old Graham.
We enjoyed our time in Malvern, pushing two prams all over the Hills. One drawback was that TRE had to work on Sundays so Jack and I used to take it in turns to go to the Baptist church down the road on Sunday evenings.
3. After the war
When the war ended in 1945 we returned to our home in Sutton, Surry, and settled down to a more peaceful family life. Jack returned to teaching physics at St Paul’s school. Our daughter, Pat, was born in 1946. We were glad to be back with our friends at Chiltern Hall. Jack was happy to be teaching science again and also helping in a local Boy’s Crusader class, which was run by members of our church. Our home became the centre for the work amongst young people from our church and from Crusaders.
4. Moving on
In 1951 we faced several important decisions about our future:
- Should we stay where we were with Jack continuing to be an assistant master at St Pauls?
- We were now caring for an elderly uncle and needed more space in the home. So should we move into my parent’s larger house across the road as my father was retiring and he and my mother were moving to Wales?
- Our next door neighbour offered a piece of land at the bottom of our garden, free of charge. Should we accept it?
- Jack was beginning to feel that he would like to become a Headmaster one day. So should we be prepared to move away from Sutton in order to climb the education ladder?
All this happened at the same time so much prayer was needed. In the end we decided that the time was right for us to be willing to move on.
5. Warwick and Leamington
In 1951 Jack was appointed Head of Science at Warwick School. This involved buying a house. We also were looking after three extra children who had to be cared for because of a breakdown in a colleague’s marriage.
My uncle had died before we moved, so I was set free to help with the Girl Crusader’s Bible Class in Leamington Spa. Jack became a leader of the Boy’s Crusader Class there. We missed our church fellowship at Chiltern Hall but decided that if there was a good Church of England in Leamington we would join that. When we joined St Mark’s church we wanted to play a full part in church life and that meant that we had to be ‘confirmed’. Jack became a Lay Reader and I was able to do my bit in other ways. Being confirmed together was rather special. I found it particularly helpful as I had a new experience of the Holy Spirit then which made a big difference to my future work for the Lord.
6. Maidenhead
We had expected to remain in Leamington for about four years, but in 1954 Jack was appointed Headmaster of Maidenhead Grammar School. So after only two and a half years we had to move again, this time into a school house in the school grounds. The house was lovely but very cold as it had no central heating. The Headmaster’s study was now in the house and, as the secretary was only part time, I had quite a lot to do. We were given a wonderful welcome at St Mary’s church. Jack continued to be a lay reader and I soon became involved in the Sunday school and Bible Class. Our time in Maidenhead was a real joy – we had so much Christian fellowship. That meant we were sorry when the time came for us to move on.
7. Wallasey
In 1960 Jack felt that it was time to take on more responsibility in a larger school. He was appointed Headmaster of Wallasey Grammar School – a school with a large sixth form and a very academic reputation. I had not seen the area or the school house. My heart sank as we drove north. It was hard leaving the beauty of the Thames valley around Maidenhead and also our Christian friends. We had been warned that we might have difficulty finding a church that would suit us. The School House was in a poor state and everything was so dirty from Merseyside pollution. In the end we felt that we should buy our own house in a less-polluted part of town. We tried all the churches before people knew who we were and chose the one where the vicar used his Bible! We bought a home near this church in New Brighton, an area of Wallasey near the sea. Jack continued with his Lay Reading and I was able to start a Pathfinder group at the church. We had thought that this was to be our last move, but this was not to be. The local education authority decided to make Wallasey Grammar a comprehensive school. Jack did not agree with this and so decided to resign and was appointed Headmaster of Northampton Grammar School.
8. Northampton
In 1964 we left Wallasey and moved to Northampton. The school was great, the grounds were lovely and the School House was wonderful. It was very large and half of it was used by the school so it was always warm and comfortable. We were able to use it as a centre for Christian activities in the town.
We had a good church (St Giles) to attend in Northampton. It did not need my help, so my daughter and I started a Crusader Bible Class for girls in the town. Jack continued to be a Lay Reader at the church. Ever since my husband became a Headmaster we helped at New Year House Parties for 5th and 6th formers, training young people to become leaders of school Christian Unions.
Before long it became clear that the Northampton Education Authority also wanted to turn the Grammar school into a Comprehensive school. Jack felt that this was a mistake and so resigned in 1974.
9. Hoylake
At 59 years of age Jack felt too young to retire, so in 1974 we joined some Christian friends who ran a preparatory school (Kingsmead) in Hoylake on the Wirral. Our son-in-law, Roger, and daughter, Pat, were both teaching there and helping to run a boarding house for a dozen or so eleven to twelve year old boys. They had decided to leave Kingsmead so when they went we were able to take their place. We both enjoyed the experience. Jack was glad to be back in the classroom teaching mathematics and scripture, while I enjoyed being part of the school community, helping out with the boarders. When they discovered that I could sew I was given the job of making costumes for the drama department.
We had expected to remain at Kingsmead until I was 65 years of age but at 62 Jack was diagnosed with cancer of the bone marrow and given 6 months to live. He was in Clatterbridge hospital for about 4 months and then came home so that we could spend the last few weeks of his life together. I had wonderful help from my Christian friends at the school and was very conscious of the Lord’s presence during this time. Jack died peacefully in his sleep on March 1st 1978 (my birthday).
10. Woodbridge
Jack and I had bought a house for our retirement moved in Woodbridge, Suffolk, where our second son, Graham, and his family lived. I moved to this house in June 1978 and enjoyed nearly ten years in Woodbridge. St John’s church was excellent and I had plenty to do in the Sunday school. My experience at Kingsmead stood me in good stead. It didn’t take long to introduce drama into the Sunday school teaching – making nativity costumes that are still being used today. It was lovely living near some of my grandchildren – three of them in Woodbridge (Graham’s) and another two in Ipswich (Pat’s).
I have a bungalow in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, where Jack and I always spent our holidays. Living in Woodbridge meant that I had to drive my car on my own from coast to coast, east to west. In order to make this journey easier, I decided to move to Malvern (where Chris lived) in 1987. I was sorry to leave Woodbridge but I needed to reduce the distance between my home and my bungalow in Fishguard. It was hard to say goodbye to my family and friends in Woodbridge. They had helped me so much.
11. Malvern
In 1987 I moved to Malvern Wells and am still there in 2010, enjoying the company of my elder son, Chris, and his wife, Betty, my grand-daughter, Carolyn, and great grand-daughter, Abigail. They all live in Cradley on the other side of the Malvern Hills. I am very happy in Malvern where I have many friends and a good church (All Saints) to go to. My daughter lived in Stoke Prior where my son-in-law Roger was the Rector of three parishes. Pat was able to visit me once a week and help me with jobs that I find difficult. Betty took me shopping. 2010 will probably be my last year driving my car. As it is, I have to rely on a member of my family to drive my car to Wales so that I can use it at my holiday bungalow.
In 2011 Pat and Roger bought a lovely retirement home in Dinas, about 5 miles from my bungalow in Fishguard. They are now living in the village where my father was born. I shall miss Pat’s weekly visits but I have a wonderful daughter-in-law, Betty, who comes over to see me and is always willing to help in any way she can. I still enjoy going over to Chris and Betty’s home in Cradley every week where I still help out with the gardening. It will be interesting to see how much I shall be able to do when I am 95!
Graham and Gill make regular journeys from Woodbridge to their holiday home in Solva near St David’s. This enables me to see most of my young great grandchildren when they come to visit their grandparents. It is lovely to be able to keep in touch with them all in this way. Graham and Gill often use my home in Malvern as their half-way rest on their way to Wales. I am always glad to see them as I missed their company when I left Woodbridge.
12. Reaching 104
It is now 2020 and I am still living in my Malvern house. I manage on my own but am very grateful for the help I receive from Betty and Chris and my church friends. As I look back over my life I can see God’s hand in everything. He has given me a wonderful loving family with nine precious grandchildren, nineteen equally special great grandchildren and, quite recently, two little great great grandchildren.
I enjoyed nearly forty years of happy married life with a husband who shared my faith.
Since I have been on my own for the last forty-two years I have learned to rely on God much more and my faith has grown. When times have been difficult the Lord has always been my refuge and my strength. My God really is a faithful God, therefore I can say from my heart:
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.
Megan Eluned Oliver, 1916 - 2020