PARKYN, Patricia Alert Me
Originally printed on November 20, 2012 in the Shropshire Star.
Viewed by 598 Visitors.
Viewed by 598 Visitors.
PARKYN
Patricia Anne
nee Thornycroft
Died November 12, 2012, at The Princess Royal Hospital.
Wife of the late Roderick and Mother of Shaun, Nicholas, Heather and Scylla.
Private Cremation Service.
All inquiries to
Andrew Woodhouse
NORTHWOOD& SONS
Funeral Directors
52 High Street
Much Wenlock
Telephone 01952 727248.
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Tributes (4)
Leave your TributeP.A.T. biographical sketch part 2
scylla Parkyn
14 January 2016
After the war she went on to marry and have children. They benefited from her love of the Shetland Islands, as she bought a small cottage there, where they spent many long summer holidays, on one occasion bringing back two Shetland ponies in the back of her Landrover, and on another, a pair of Shetland sheep
Patricia had an independent, indomitable nature, and her fighting spirit kept her going strong during her later years. A doctor once wrote "she refuses to accept old age" on her medical records. Well onto her 80's she was still to be seen striding across fields leading her grandchildren on donkeys or ponies, or pursuing the geese in the orchard outside her cottage, shaking a stick to drive them way from her wild bird table. At the age of 89 she was still driving, often visiting 'old folks' (of whom she did not consider herself one) in the retirement homes around Much Wenlock near where she lived. When she was threatened with having her licence revoked after a number of speeding tickets, she stood up in court and defended her driving skills to the the judge vigorously - explaining how she had 'driven ambulances during the war', and had 'never had an accident", and he let her off.
In the last years of her life her memories of the war seemed to become ever more vivid, and her youngest grandson had many long conversations with her about it, enthralled to be hearing WW2 history from someone who had lived through it. She took to wearing the engagement ring from her lost fiance, and said that she still thought of him when ever she saw planes in the sky.
She died peacefully at The age of 91, leaving two sons, two daughters, one foster daughter, four grandchildren and two great grand daughters.
Her ashes were scattered by her family, on a mountain top in the Shetland Islands, as she wished.
Written by her adopted daughter, Scylla
P.A.T. biographical sketch part 1
scylla Parkyn
14 January 2016
Patricia grew up in a house overlooking the River Wye in Herefordshire, with her father Colonel Charles Thornycroft, her mother Vida, and four older brothers, Mytton, Grey, Nigel and Guy. Much of her childhood was spent on ponies, and she retained a life long love of horses and animals which she also she also drew, painted and sculpted.
Like so many of her generation, the course of her her life was irrevocably altered by her experiences during WW2.
Two of her brothers, Mytton and Grey were killed in action, as well as her fiance, a bomber pilot who went missing presumed dead after his Lancaster was shot down. For the rest of the war, as well as for some time afterwards, she held out hope that he would still return, but it was not to be.
During the war, after a period of driving St Johns ambulances, she signed up to The Wrens, where after training she became a Plotter. Her first commissioned posting was to "HMS Eaglet" Liverpool. For a part of the War she was stationed in the Orkneys, from where she explored the Shetland Islands while on leave, developing a strong affection for and an affinity with these wild and rugged small islands, to which she returned many times throughout her life. Towards the end of the war she was stationed at "HMS Dartmouth" as a WRNS Officer for Wren boat crews.
Her own account of her wartime experiences can be read on the BBC's WW2 Peoples War website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/93/a4123793.shtml
Part 2 continued in next tribute message ( word limitation reached)
Bob from Belgium
Bob Vranken
02 December 2013
Hello,
I am Bob from Hechtel Belgium. I am making a lecture over John Tornycroft who was shot in our village in september 1944. I also speak in my lecture over his brothers and sister.
It's so sad to read that Patricia died last year in november. I would have been nice to speak with her. She was the last of her family.
Kind regards and strenght for her passing away,
Bob from Hechtel email:netedal@telenet.be
Sincere Condolences
Shropshire Star
20 November 2012
Please accept our condolences at this difficult time.
