Vera Hill (1922 - 2017)
Vera was born in 1922. She was the eldest of 6 children in the Hughes family and lived at Overton/Richards Castle near Ludlow in Shropshire in what was a rural area.
She died in 2017 by which time she had spent the greater part of her life in Little Eaton.
Going back to her Shropshire childhood she spent a fair bit of time looking after her younger siblings, as her mother was not always in good health.
There is a family story when one of her sisters was caned for being late for school Vera obtained the headmaster's cane and snapped it in two. It is not recorded what happened to Vera but the drive and determination which was part of her character was evident even in her early years.
There was little opportunity for advancement in rural Shropshire, in those days, and in an effort to see more of the world at large, and at the age of 14, Vera went into service with Lord and Lady Peyton who had a property in London and went grouse shooting in Scotland. Needless to say Vera went with them as their maid.
Young Vera's horizons had stretched beyond rural Shropshire.
After the outbreak of WWII in 1939 Vera joined the NAFFI and eventually was stationed at Bicester in Oxfordshire. It was here that she met a young man who was serving in the RAF. His name was Ken Hill and he was from Melbourne in Derbyshire. This meeting was to change the course of Vera's life and she and Ken were married in 1945. By this time Ken's parents were living in Little Eaton and Ken and Vera came to live with them in Holm Avenue.
Ken and Vera had three sons, Keith Andy and Robert and eventually they moved to a property in the Leys. They moved again to Chatsworth Drive and eventually after the family had grown up to a smaller property in Westley Crescent.
Even with a growing family Vera's resourcefulness was apparent. At various times she had a milk round and also was a local postwoman for a time. Meanwhile Ken kept chickens and on another occasion pigs. Ken eventually had a job with Rolls Royce on the test bed which involved a three shift system. Eventually Ken's health deteriorated and he found the shift system particularly tiring. He died in his early sixties.
Vera Hill was a hard working and talented lady and apart from looking after her family she was to play a major part in the activities of the wider Little Eaton community. For many years she was involved with organisations in the village and used her many talents for the benefit of the village.
Having three boys Vera regularly transported them, and other young footballers, to matches on Sunday mornings, and when Carnival came around she made fancy dress costumes for them. One particular favourite was “World Cup Willie” the England national team's mascot. Her Carnival involvement also included the building and decoration of floats, and she provided cakes for the WI Stall on Carnival Day. She was also involved in buying carnival prizes. Vera was an active member of the Carnival Committee for many years.
She was a WI member for many years as well and regularly provided baking for the WI Stall at Ripley Market and further afield she was involved in the Derbyshire County Show and the Royal Show at Kenilworth.
When Little Eaton had a Concert Party the costumes and scenery were often the work of Vera.
The Produce Show also benefited from Vera's baking and artwork
In her younger days Vera was quite sporting and was involved in ladies cricket and hockey locally.
Vera lived into her nineties and inevitably she became less physically able to carry out all the activities that she did her prime. She obtained a mobility scooter and was regularly seen on it around the village. She was most put out because a friend had a mobility scooter which was faster than hers. However she did claim that her model cornered better than her friends.
The story of Vera Hill is about a lady who was one of life's “doers” and her impact on her adopted village was immense. She was truly Little Eaton's “ACTION LADY”
The foregoing information is based on a conversation that I had with Vera shortly before she died. I am also indebted to Vera's son Keith for further information.
Bill Hutchison