Our member Ann Morgan began her talk by illustrating her family tree with a series of photographs. She proudly mentioned a connection dating back to the sister of Sir Christopher Wren and another to a member of the Royal Society. Born in Harrow shortly before the outbreak of WW2, she told us that she had only a few memories of the War. Highlights included visiting her grandparents in Woodbridge included being given sweet treats by American troops and, once, narrowly avoiding a strafing German fighter. Despite that incident, she developed a love of aircraft.

She won a scholarship to a nearby Grammar School from where she went to secretarial college. First Jobs at a London Chemical company and the Western Australia Government Agency in the Strand followed. Whilst working in London in the mid-fifties, she rediscovered her interest in aircraft and regularly visited Heathrow airport to watch the flying activity from the roof of the newly built Queen’s Building. She then found a job in the airport engineering department working with Quantas and BOAC. Leaving Heathrow, she met and married her husband. Ann followed him as he moved, rather too frequently, from job to job via Bristol, Cambridge, Newton Abbot and Coggeshall.

With her marriage over Ann and her young son moved out and onwards. She took up some new hobbies and worked her way up in management at various earth moving and road haulage firms. She ended up in marketing for a renowned pharmaceutical company and finally finished work at the age of 56. Thanks, Ann, for the fascinating insight of your life.