My Mum Would Have Been 101 This Month - Special Global Memories

Mother's Day is almost over. I'm sure my mother is enjoying a fantastic Mother's Day in the heavens above. Is it OK to share a little bit about her?

In 2001 she celebrated her 80th Birthday. She flew from Salisbury, Canada, her retirement home, to spend a couple of weeks with family and friends. Her visit culminated with a fabulous party at a quaint country house where we all gathered for fun, food, and great company.

We took many pictures of her, and the following is my favorite. It shows my Mum with all her grandkids and her first great grandkid in her arms.

After my mother and father retired from their jobs in England, they sold their home to settle down in a small village in New Brunswick, Canada called Salisbury. How many of you have visited New Brunswick?

It is a Canadian Provence bordering Maine. Because the family lived in England, Spain, and the US, this meant a lot of travel for family gatherings. Salisbury became a focal point for our visits.

Since our parents had most of their family and friends in England, that was where we decided to throw a few parties for her. My Dad had already passed away and would not be there. \

My Mum's Story

My Mum was born in Calcutta, India shortly after World War 1 ended. At that time, India was part of the British Empire.

When she was a kid, my Mum, Rita, wanted to learn to play the piano. Her mother didn't like the idea of having a piano in their small apartment and encouraged her to learn the violin.

My mother turned out to be a very good violinist and later instilled a love of music in her children. My brother and two sisters all received music lessons. It was only myself, the oldest, and one of my sisters, the youngest, who continued our music studies till adulthood.

My Mum's family moved to Rangoon, Burma when her father was transferred to work there by the British Government. He, like many other Anglo-Indians, had British civil servant jobs.

The British employed Anglo-Indians because it was convenient to do so. They were educated in English schools and spoke English perfectly. Hence, they fit into the British system very well.

In India, my Mum had trained as a secretary and got her first office job in Rangoon. The lady who employed her became lifelong friends all the way to England. On a side note, it was her son who had moved to Canada in the 1970s who encouraged them to move to Canada.

World War II

When WW2 broke out, their stay in Burma became risky. The Japanese invaded Burma, another country that was part of the British Empire. They had to evacuate. Her father had passed away by then so my mother, her brother, and mother, plus two nephews and a niece, trekked overland to Calcutta.

Taking the bare minimum of possessions, they moved to Maymyo, a city north of Rangoon. One night, a Japanese bomb fell into their well and producing a deafening crash. Fortunately, the bomb didn't explode and the house was not damaged.

This was their clarion call to leave Burma for good and return to Calcutta.

My father-to-be, who was dating my Mum at the time, made arrangements for this trek. Most of it was on foot, much of it through the Burmese jungle.

American soldiers assisted them on this treacherous journey.

Eventually, they made it to Calcutta, with absolutely nothing to speak of. Old friends took them in and helped them to get reestablished.

Post World War II

After the war ended, my parents got married and found jobs with the same British company called British Insulated Calendar Cables, One of the projects of BICC was the electric=fication of India.

My father was a supervisor in the field where they erected the electric grid system. While my mother worked as a secretary in the BICC office in Calcutta.

We lived in a small three-room apartment in Calcutta where their kids were born. They both worked very hard to pay for our education and health needs. These services were not free.

Post Script

I had written about the move we made to England by ship in this post.

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/edwinbernard/blog/rms-strath...

This trip also cost a lot of money. They were willing to make this investment for their kids. And it paid off. Both my parents got jobs in London.

The cycle of caring for their kids continued in a new country. It was in England where we all completed our education.

We all became productive members of society.

My brother and eldest sister didn't pursue music. But my youngest sister and I continued to do so.

The Brother who is retired lives in Geneva where his younger wife works. My eldest sister and her family live in Spain. My youngest sister and her family Iive in England. And I and my family lives in LA.

Our family became International many years ago and continues to this day. Traveling to another country to start anew is in our DNA.

Our kids are grown up and all doing quite well in life. And having kids too! The story of my parents and especially my Mum continues,

For all this, we are truly grateful to Mum and Dad. May their souls rest in peace.

Edwin