Philip Wadner

Hilda Gott 1920 - 2012 Life On Her Watch Philip Wadner

Hilda Gott was born in a small two bedroom terraced house in Middlesbrough not long after the First World War ended. Her maternal grandfather had moved from Prickwillow on the rural Suffolk border to Eston, east of Middlesbrough, in 1881 to work in the booming steel industry. Hilda's paternal ancestors were Yorkshire born and bred. A signals operator in the Second World War, Hilda was posted to remote locations in Scotland and around the heart of the Yorkshire dales before a final posting to Fenham Barracks in Newcastle. There she met and married Victor Brooker, who had returned from North Africa to work as a clerk in the RASC. At a casual glance, Hilda's life appears somewhat unexciting, but digging beneath the surface uncovers her remarkable spirit, indomitable character, and the enabling effect she had on her family. The author combines personal memories with those of Hilda's family and adds a colourful splash of detail obtained through painstaking research. He presents the reader with privileged glimpses of a life spent dedicated to her close family against a background of humble beginnings, unfolding challenges, and sociological and technological changes.