MARGARET JEAN TWIST (née HOLE)

 

Margaret was born on 13th July 1925 in Abercarn, South Wales.

 

Her father worked as a coal miner. He died aged 28years, after serious injury from being kicked by a pit pony.

This left a long shadow in Margaret's life.

 

To support the family, her mother, Phyllis, trained as a District nurse and Midwife.

 

Margaret was looked after by her grandparents and Uncle Jack while her mother did this training and while she was working.

 

She moved to Horton Court, near Chipping Sodbury, where herstepfather, John Wright, worked as a gardener.

 

She had direct experience of the Second World War seeing the bomb

damage to the harbour and city of Bristol.

 

She was once machine-gunned by a German war plane as she walked

home across the Common near her home.

 

Luckily she was uninjured, but very frightened.

 

Later, after leaving school ,Margaret also trained as a nurse.

She met her husband, David Twist, in hospital where he was a war-

wounded patient.

 

She moved to Yate with her husband, and then to 103 Nibley Road, Shirehampton, Bristol which was to figure as a large feature of her life, as she lived there for 73 years.

 

She and David established a comfortable home, and a colourful and tranquil garden.

 

David worked as a house painter and decorator.

Margaret helped create a loving supportive home. She was interested in growing vegetables and flowers, and making and decorating clothes.

 

This was a time of post war austerity, and food and clothes rationing.

 

As her children grew older she worked in Department Stores in Bristol.

She enjoyed the company of her dogs over many years.

 

Her mother and stepfather lived in Beckley, a village near Oxford.

Many enjoyable visits were made there over the years.

 

In the 1960's,as Britain became more affluent after the Second World War, the family made journeys of exploration in their new car, a Mini, to England, Scotland and Wales. Later there were journeys abroad to France, Spain and Italy.

 

Later she made journeys to relatives in New Zealand and Canada. She also made visits to other parts of Europe, Malaysia, Thailand and Dubai.

 

She was active throughout her life, and drove her car until she was 91 years old.

 

As she grew older, arthritis made it increasingly difficult for her to move.

 

With her need for personal support she had care workers at her home, and she enjoyed talking with them and hearing their stories about life in Shirehampton.

 

She had her 95th birthday at home, and then moved to Abbey Chase Residential Nursing Home in Chertsey, Surrey, where she could have twenty four hour support.

 

She died on 17th August 2020. 

 

She was buried at Shamley Green Woodland burial near Guildford, as she wished, on 2nd September 2020.