There was now the question of where were we going to live. We applied to the council but they didn’t give us much hope. As well as this worry Edith had to go into hospital for an operation as she had cancer on her thyroid. We are thankful that this operation was successful. When we went to the council when she came out of hospital we told them that the trustees (as was their right) were going to take us to court to gain possession of the house. We did not get much help except to be told we could not go where we wanted and the new houses being built by the council were all spoken for. Edith came away in tears so we called in to see Margaret who was living in Kesgrave and she felt a bit better. I spoke to a friend who worked in the council offices about what had happened and when we went for our next appointment at the council offices were offered a house and given an apology for how we had been treated. The house we were offered was in Farrow Close and was nearly finished.
When I had completed 50 years as a local preacher (53 if the training period is counted), I felt it was time to retire. Edith was getting more and more disabled with osteoporosis and wasn’t able to do a lot so I was appointed chief cook and bottle-washer! We still have each other and our love is the same, only better, as when we met 66 years ago in the mission in Crewe.
There we stayed for 21 years but the stairs were getting too difficult for both of us. Edith had a fall in the garden and broke her wrist. She has osteoporosis and has broken the other wrist and the first one again. What with age, the stairs and the toilet being upstairs it was decided that we had to move yet again. Margaret put our names down for sheltered housing in Kesgrave and we had been on the list for about six months when we were offered a bungalow in The Walk. This we accepted as we would be near to Margaret who is more than helpful and all in all it has worked out very well.
(Frank compiled his memoirs in 1985, after he had retired. Unfortunately, after all he had been through but achieving so much, he spent his last six months in a nursing home in Felixstowe, paralysed from spinal stenosis. He died on 4th August 2012 aged 94. Edith was in the same nursing home and died on 12th April 2016 aged 94).
These memoirs were edited and images added, January 2024.