She was born Daisy Eveline Hewitt at The Plough public house on Ilford Lane on 25th May 1919, the youngest daughter of Herbert Arthur Hewitt, a publican and Ada Louisa Deacon. Growing up, Daisy was close to her elder brothers and sisters: Bert, Lily, Fred, Bill and Wyn. Their father had taken over the running of the pub in 1917 and remained there until late 1924, when ill health forced him to give it up. Like her sister, Wyn; Daisy was sent away to be educated at the licensed victuallers boarding school in Slough.
On leaving school, she worked as a sales assistant in Barkers department store on Kensington High Street before joining the telecommunications company, Plessey, as a wages clerk. It was whilst working there she met Alan Melton. The couple were married on 26th April 1941 at St Margaret's Church in Barking. The wedding took place just 4 days before Alan had to report for military training. Later that year, Alan was posted overseas to Egypt and spent the remainder of the war both in North Africa and Italy. While her husband was over there, Daisy joined the civil defence force and rode with the ambulances helping people who had been bombed out of their houses during the blitz.
 |
| Grandma in civil defence uniform outside 23 Twyford Road, Ilford |
The couple were reunited when the war ended in 1945 and my Dad, Keith, was born the following year, and just over a year after that, his brother Barry was born. The family lived with her mother at 23 Twyford Road in Ilford, our great-grandmother had been a widow for some 20 years at this point following the death of her husband in 1925. A few years later, the family moved out to Reynolds Court in Chadwell Heath before moving again a couple of years later to a bungalow at 166 Lodge Lane in Collier Row, which was named "Sherwood" in honour of Alan's mother.
 |
| On holiday in Sandown, Isle of Wight |
During those years, the family enjoyed beach holidays on the Isle of Wight, where they were often joined by Bill, Ada and Barbara and by Bert and Gladys . Bill, I am told, would kindly offer to warm up a bit of the sea, so they could comfortably swim in the English Channel!
 |
| Family photo taken on holiday |
Following granddad Alan's death in 1980, grandma would often spend the weekend with us. She would get up early with us and play board games with Clare and I. She was always fun to be around. In the summer holidays, we would stay with her and enjoyed many days out which usually involved getting the train, which I loved. We would spend the day by the sea in Southend or maybe travel up to London to visit Auntie Lily and admire the view from her 18th floor flat.
Grandma was always so kind and welcoming. For example, when I met Antonia, she accepted her straight away and said to her that she was her grandma too now. On one occasion when she stayed with us in London, we took her to Kensington Roof Gardens, situated atop Barkers department store where she had worked in the 1930s. She loved that.
 |
| Grandma and I in Greenwich Park |
She remained active well into her nineties and would still make herself a cooked breakfast every day, a meal that she considered to be the most important of the day. Eventually though, the house in Ingatestone became too much for her to manage and after my Dad died, Barry helped her to move to a cottage in the village where he lives. He helped her to settle in and built her a little summer house in the garden . Whilst she was living there, we enjoyed days out to Leeds Castle and to Ightham Mote in Kent and occasionally brought her back to our house in London to spend the day with us. I know the arrival of her great-grandchildren was another source of much joy for her.
Sadly, grandma suffered a nasty fall and broke her leg. The injury and concern over her increasing frailty meant that the decision was taken for her move into a nursing home in Pembury, Kent. Here, she was well cared for and even though Alzheimers disease was taking hold, she still enjoyed regular visits from Barry and the rest of the family.
It is terribly sad that she is no longer with us, but we can all take comfort in the knowledge that her spirit has now been reunited with Alan, Keith, her siblings and her parents. RIP Grandma - we all love you xx
