When we arrived in NZ in 1949 we stayed with Auntie Heath and the nurse who had looked after Lucy Spencer at home. She had died not long before, and Auntie Heath had decided to continue with her company. The family had been looking out for a house for us, and had found one in Epsom. But it needed changes and renovation, and we stayed with Auntie Heath for about 6 months. During this […]
Category: Stringer – Marguerite 1914-2010
Letter 1940 June (2) Evacuation of Guernsey – Eda Le Messurier – Margot Stringer
Monday Dear Margot Here is a link to the wikipedia article about the Guernsey evacuation. The latest news is that 2000 Germans (two thousand) landed in Guernsey alone. This comes from the Waymouths. Father was away during the whole of Sunday – 9 am to 7 pm – dealing with the children. Someone, he forgets who, had had news of the Waymouths. They have a very big bakery at L’Islet, in the Vale Parish, & […]
Letter 1940 June Evacuation of Guernsey – Eda Le Messurier – Margot Stringer
Note at top of letter: You know the two big posts at the gate, with the ramblers. Father pruned them severely this year, & they are perfectly gorgeous, huge clusters of blooms as big as your head – the clusters, not the blooms. Saturday. Dear Margot Here is a link to the wikipedia article about the Guernsey evacuation. Thank you for your letter. Either I missed out a comma! (Father’s pet) or else you missed […]
Letters to Margot Stringer in NZ from father William in Exeter
16/12/53 My dear Margot, Here is a line to wish you all a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Your mother is in normal form. The Le Messuriers are a long living family and though she is now 70 68 years of age her hair is just as it was when you last saw her. My own hair is quite white; that is just after I have washed it, but it is a […]
Memories of Margot from her granddaughter
Grandparents can have a special relationship with their grandchildren. They don’t have the responsibility of molding and correcting children that parents do, so they can get on with the unconditional love part of the relationship. Of my four grandparents, I knew my Granny, Margot, the best. We used to visit her every two years and stay for a few weeks when we were growing up, and then later she would come over for a month […]
Stringer – Marguerite 1914-2010
Margot (as she was always known) was born in St Peter Port, Guernsey. Her mother Eda Aline LeMessurier was a member of the family known as the Post Office LeMessuriers. The first postmaster – Nicolas – was her great great grandfather. His grandfather Nicolas seems to be the first to put two S’s in the name, and indeed many other LeMesurier descendants only have one. Her father William Stringer came from a Lancashire family. William’s […]
That act of kindness and generosity shaped my whole life…
This essay from Ulu Aiono talks of his memories of Margot and Arthur Spencer, and their impact on his life. It was originally published on March 17, 2019 on LinkedIn and is reproduced with permission. A personal essay against the hate which killed & injured my Muslim Kiwi brothers & sisters destroying New Zealand’s faith in isolation and innocence. ULUOMATOOTUA (Ulu) AIONO Chairman Alliance Health Plus A lot of people think I am a business-hardened […]