HAVING lived in Britain for over 80 years, Cork woman Mary Frances Stubbs is one of over 12,300 centenarians in England and Wales.
She came over on the boat from her home town of Mallow, Co. Cork, and settled in Epsom, where she eventually married and her family, all while working as a nurse.
Now a mother of two, grandmother of four and great-grandmother to four, Mary celebrated her 100th birthday in February.
The Irish Post takes a look back at her incredible life - and a century of change.
Life in Cork in 1915 - the year of Mary's birth
On February 26, 1915, Christopher and Catherine Stubbs welcomed their first child – a daughter, Mary. The family lived in the town of Mallow, Co. Cork, and eventually, they welcomed five more children. The 8 members of the Stubbs family lived in a house on Chapel Lane, with no running water, gas or electricity. Mary and her siblings would fetch water from the well, clean the oil lamps which lit their home and help their father hunt wild rabbits to feed the growing brood.
The turbulence of early 20th century Ireland
When Mary was born, Ireland was still a part of the United Kingdom. The struggle for independence was gaining momentum and the forces on each side were upping their games. She remembers on night in particular from 1920, when she was just 5 years old. On that night, Mallow town burned. Local IRA Volunteers raided the Mallow barracks of the British army, with the aim of stealing guns and ammunition. The raid went according to plan – though the British side lost a troop in the struggle. However, the act was not ignored and the following evening, the British troops entered the town and set fire to the town hall. The fire spread throughout the town – but the Stubbs family survived.
Arriving in Britain on the pretence of a holiday
Mary as a nurse aged 18, in 1933When Mary arrived in Britain to visit her aunt, Nellie, in 1932, she was 17 years old. She had a long and hard journey to get there – with a ferry across the sea, followed by steam trains to Epsom, where Nellie lived. Nellie got delayed on the way to pick Mary up from the train – meaning Mary was alone in Paddington Station I n1932, with no telephone, in a strange country. Luckily, Nellie eventually turned up. What Mary thought was a holiday soon turned into more than that - when Nellie brought her to Epsom Hospital, where she worked, and told her she was to start work in the hospital kitchens.
A love of dance
Mary began her nursing career at the age of 18 and within a year or two, was working at Manor Hospital with mentally ill patients. A challenging role, Mary enjoyed her down time outside of work as much as she enjoyed her nursing work. Never one to shy away from a jig, Mary would often travel to central London with her fellow Irish nurses, to the Irish centre, where they would dance the night away. There were rumours that the more energetic nurses would go back to Epsom on the ‘milk train’ the next morning before going straight on duty!
The Blitz
Mary during World War II, working as a nurseMary’s career as a nurse continued into the turbulent years of the Second World War in Britain. Her time was split between her aunt’s house on High Street in Epsom and the nurse’s home at Manor Hospital, where she worked. Her parents, Christy and Kitty, often pleaded with her to come home to Ireland, where she would be safer, away from the bombs, but Mary chose to stay in England. The hospital was regularly hit by bombs but Mary battled on, caring for her patients. One bomb fell just as Mary was returning to the nurse’s home one day, leaving the building partially destroyed. Remembering her purse was in her room, Mary scrambled through the rubble that was her bedroom to retrieve it. While she was carefully crawling through the debris, she felt a strong pair of hands grab her ankles and a voice calling out “you’ll be fine, we’ll get you out now!”. It was one of the rescue workers. Mary indignantly explained she was fine and was merely retrieving her purse – only for the rescue workers to claim she was in shock! Needless to say, Mary had the last word and emerged clutching her purse.
Auntie Nellie - the matchmaker
Mary and Harry on their wedding day in 1946Auntie Nellie told Mary that the man she was seeing had a single friend and that she should date him. Initially reluctant, she eventually agreed to go on a date with Harry Hurst. In 1940, Harry joined the army and kept in touch with Mary from his bases as he moved around – from North Africa to Italy. After five years of service abroad, he came back to his beloved Mary in Epsom, where she had remained working as a nurse. On February 26, 1946 (Mary’s birthday) the couple married in Epsom and the newlyweds travelled to Taunton for their Honeymoon, with a radiant Mary in a red crepe dress and matching felt hat.
Family life
Harry and Mary Hurst had a very happy marriage. At first, they lived with Harry’s brother-in-law in Epsom but Mary soon decided they needed to move into their own place – so they moved into a basement room in her aunt’s house. She sent a note to the garage where Harry worked that he was to go to his wife’s aunt’s house for dinner – but little did he know he would be staying there longer than he thought! Eventually, they got their own flat and welcomed their first child, Christopher, on December 7, 1947. Six years later, on June 22, 1953, Thomas Hurst came along.
Mary's love of Ireland
Mary (second from left) back in her native Mallow for her parent's wedding anniversary in the 1960sDespite her settled family life in England, Mary never forgot where she came from. The Hurst family regularly travelled back to Mallow to visit Mary’s parents and they spent many happy times together there. As she travelled home, she was able to see her younger siblings growing up and watch her parents live out their happy lives. One particularly special time was in 1964, when the entire Stubbs family came together to celebrate Christy and Kitty’s golden wedding anniversary – a feat that Mary and Harry would match themselves, some 30 years later.
Life as a great-grandmother
In 1970, Mary’s eldest son Chris married Bet – with the couple going on to have two daughters, Diane and Sue – who each went on to have two daughters of their own. Tom married Carolyne in 1980 and they also had two children – Matthew and Victoria. Today, Mary is surrounded by her family – two sons, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Unfortunately, Harry passed away in 2000 – more than 60 years after the devoted couple first met.
Celebrating being a centenarian
The birthday girl celebrating 100 years of life with her familyOn February 26, 2015, Mary celebrated her milestone 100th birthday. Mary and her guests visited a local tea shop before enjoying a buffet lunch in Firtree Nursing Home in Surrey, where she has lived for the past five years. With friends from near and afar, along with her family, Mary raised a toast to a fascinating 100 years. To top it all off, she had a letter from Ireland’s President Michael D Higgins, as well as a card from the Queen, to commemorate the day.
