Earliest Memory of Mrs Sheppard

Mary Sheppard, 82 talks about her earliest memories of playing in the street as a child.

Born in November 1926 ‘the best thing about growing up in the 20’s and 30’s was the simple fun we always had, explains Mrs Sheppard over a cup of tea. ‘We would play chase, play with hoops and help my father fix cars whenever he had a new one to repair.’

The games were numerous and varied, often keeping all the children out well after dark. ‘Sometimes we would run and hide and give our parents a scare as a big joke!’

It was an era in Britain where you could leave your front door unlocked and not worry about being burgled. When asked about this, Mrs Sheppard was defensive, ‘we always had to have our door locked as my father was so paranoid of people stealing his tools and materials.’

Mrs Sheppard’s father John was a mechanic who served as an engineer in World War One. ‘We had a garage attached to the house and there was always a broken car outside.’

She began her career as a secretary in a car showroom. ‘My father encouraged me into the job, saying I should be grateful. My heart was never really in it though.’ A few years later she became a vet. She said, ‘I always loved animals but never wanted to treat them until I was much older.’

Now a grandparent to four and a parent to three, Mrs Sheppard prefers quiet weekends with her husband, also called John, where they care for their four cats Molly, Mog, Meg and Baby.