Phyllis Nichols

 Rev Thom has sent this notice.

Phyllis died after a short illness at the Nightingale Hospital Exeter, on Friday 12rh February. Phyllis was born on the 3rd February 1927 spending nearly all her life in the village. Her funeral will take place at our parish church of St Mary's on the 12th March at 1130am. Our thoughts and prayers are with her daughter Sheila Golding and her family at this sad time. At the present, anyone apart from family members, wishing to attend the church service, is requested to make contact with the Rev Thom Thompson first, to ensure seating is available (01884 855309).

I am able to add a little more about the family from talking to Phyllis at the time of the Bickleigh History Day some 5 years ago.

Her grandparents lived at Bell Hill Cottage and had 2 daughters, Alice Maud, her mother and Beatrice Mary. The family moved in 1911 to Church Green Cottages. Her mother married Frank Bond from Tiverton, a Railway employee. They had 3 daughters, Gladys and Phyllis both born at Church Green, Joyce  born in Cardiff where her father worked onthe railways at that time. Phyllis remembered as a girl playing in the Rectory and having tit bits of food brought to the tree House by Bessie, the Rectory Cook. The Headteacher, Mrs Reader, lived next door to them and allowed them to use an upstairs bedroom. Dinner could be taken to the Bakery and cooked for 2d. The Vowlers at Church Green sold milk from the door and a glass of scald milk was enjoyed before going to Sunday School. The Post Office was at Wells Place with an outside telephone you could pay to use.  Leaving school at 11, Phyllis married at 21 after working long hours at the Guest House for £2 a week. She and husband Coram lived at Penderells, next door to the Bickleigh Bakery which sold lovely dough cakes and left bread to cool outside on the wall. In 1986 they moved into Bell Meadow.