June Hubbard is best known as the author Helen Forrester of "Tuppence across the Mersey" fame. Born 1919 in Hoylake, Cheshire, she was the oldest of seven children of middle-class parents. In 1930 due to awful financial management and living on credit, the Hubbard family became bankrupt and left Hoylake to come to Liverpool in the middle of a depression. As the eldest child her parents stopped her from attending school so she could help with the younger siblings.
As with many destitute families and before the welfare state her parents were forced to rely on many occasions on small handouts provided by the parish, which kept them from starving. The years leading up to the 2nd world war were remembered by hunger, poor and overcrowded accommodation, visits from the bailiffs and endless desperation for Helen. At 14, Helen rebelled and eventually, her parents agreed to let her attend evening school. A year later, she got a job as a telephonist at a small charity in Bootle. She found more freedom in the war years.
Her first love, a seaman called Harry O'Dwyer, died in 1940 when his ship went down. She became engaged to Edward Parry, but he was killed in action in France. After the war, she volunteered at a society that organised social events for students from foreign countries. It was here she met a shy, young Indian student doctor, Avadh Bhatia. They fell in love, and Helen embraced Avadh's world with enthusiasm, and the two were married in Rajasthan. They lived for two years in Gujarat where the simplicity and spirituality of the people captivated Helen. She and her husband travelled widely for his work and eventually in 1955 they settled in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where they had a son, Robert. Helen devoted those early years in Canada to helping her husband build his career. As Robert grew up, she had more time to write. Her earlier works many fans of her books will know we're autobiographical stories of growing up in Liverpool. Helen 24th Nov 2011 in Alberta.
For those wishing to follow Helens stories by the Liverpool Streets, a book can be found on Amazon called The Helen Forrester Walk.(majority of the above was taken from a news article from The Guardian following the death of Helen)
Her first love, a seaman called Harry O'Dwyer, died in 1940 when his ship went down. She became engaged to Edward Parry, but he was killed in action in France. After the war, she volunteered at a society that organised social events for students from foreign countries. It was here she met a shy, young Indian student doctor, Avadh Bhatia. They fell in love, and Helen embraced Avadh's world with enthusiasm, and the two were married in Rajasthan. They lived for two years in Gujarat where the simplicity and spirituality of the people captivated Helen. She and her husband travelled widely for his work and eventually in 1955 they settled in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where they had a son, Robert. Helen devoted those early years in Canada to helping her husband build his career. As Robert grew up, she had more time to write. Her earlier works many fans of her books will know we're autobiographical stories of growing up in Liverpool. Helen 24th Nov 2011 in Alberta.
For those wishing to follow Helens stories by the Liverpool Streets, a book can be found on Amazon called The Helen Forrester Walk.(majority of the above was taken from a news article from The Guardian following the death of Helen)
No comments:
Post a Comment