Pulborough woman may be among first for new royal recognition

Marjory celebrates her 100th birthday next week and, in royal tradition, could be in line for a card from the new monarch.

Cards are normally sent out 48 hours before the big day and Marjory will be celebrating her centenary on September 28.

Marjory was born in Glasgow in 1922, the middle of three daughters of Dollina and Thomas Haliday.

Her mother’s family came from the Outer Hebrides, and holidays in Stornoway were a chance for Marjory to appreciate the contrast between city life and the windswept freedom of the Scottish Isles.

She recalls watching the cutting and collection of peat – the only fuel available in those days to heat the homes – and her uncle tending his flock of sleep as they grazed along the shoreline.

At the beginning of the Second World War, Marjory joined the WRAF and was posted to London to train as an air ambulance nurse.

She met her future husband – Cyril Robert Nash, better known as Bob – at the end of the war. He was a Wiltshire-born lad and the couple set up their home in Amesbury where they lived for many years.

Bob’s work with the MPBW – Ministry of Public Buildings and Works – took the family, now with three daughters, to Aden then onto many other places, including Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Lybia, Singapore, Germany, France and Spain.

After Bob retired they lived in Midhurst where Marjory was an active member of the Methodist Church. She particularly enjoyed the weekly floral decoration of the church, the Women’s Fellowship and raising funds for charity.

Older age saw the couple move into a retirement home in Horsham and then, after more than 70 years of marriage, Bob’s death resulted in another move for Marjory, closer to her daughters to her current care home in Pulborough.

Now she keeps her mind active reading the daily newspapers and enjoys regular visits from her three daughters, her seven grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.

She says that her strong Christian faith helps her through life’s difficult moments.