Along time past and years flew on and there is a lot I would write. I went home and I worked at my painting and got orders from ‘Harrods’ for hand painted dresses.

When Rosie came to stay, we went up to the dress department at ‘Harrods’ and six of my dresses were spread out on wax models. I could scarcely believe I was the artist who had painted them. They sparkled and were so delicate. The buyer was a German called Mr Clausman and he come to speak to us. He asked me to do some more dresses.

Later on I had parasols made at ‘Iken & Edis’ in Marylebone Road. They had long handles and looked like shepherdesses’ crooks. The shades were of white chiffon and quilted. I lined some of them in pale pink and painted them with sparkle in the colours of hydrangeas.

I took one to ‘Harvey Nichols’ and the buyer went into exclamations.

The cost to me - without the painting - was ten shillings each. He offered me three pounds and ten pence and said he would have six as a sample for the Ascot Races which were nearly due. had telegrams from him for these sunshades. Some were black satin - the rest pale, transparent and dainty Soon I was doing them as fast as I could for all the West End stores

The 1914 war became evident and I did nothing. My mother went to West Bromwich to stay with Rosie as she was expecting her fist child, Norman. Frank Mellersh asked me to marry him and I said it would be the only chance we would get as mother objected to me marrying a divorced man.

London was all topsy turvey. No one could go to town in any transport as the troops were marching through to different  des-  

tinations. I remember the tramp, tramp of soldiers and the great tanks passing through Herne Hill.

Frank had a good job at ‘MacCreed’, but suddenly the two sons were called up and all the younger men had to go. So ‘MacCreed’ closed down and Frank had no job at all.

Frank said, “Now it is impossible to get married. We will have to wait.”

But I said, “No - two can live better than one and we will chance it and pull together. Mother will come back. We will be married and she will get used to the idea.”

So that’s how it was. We struggled along very happy on love with nothing to depend upon. Every one was afraid to buy and shops were closing down. Food was scarce and people were trying to hoard it.

It was beautiful weather. One could live out of doors all day and picnic under the trees with a loaf of bread and a piece of cheese and two large Spanish onions at night - costing one penny and half a penny each. Frank used to say we lived on threepence a day.

Later, he got a job at the Woolwich Arsenal. The travelling to and fro was the worst part and took two hours each way. Winter came and I couldn’t bear to see Frank leaving at six in the morning to get to Woolwich. Everything was all snow and ice. We moved to Clapham which was nearer and better travelling but, soon after that, Frank left Woolwich and got a job at Perryvale in the opposite direction - at an aircraft factory where he was chief costing accountant. He often left at four in the morning because the traffic was so dreadful.