England Was My Birthplace

England Was My Birthplace (1)

Corresponds to front cover of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

England Was My Birthplace (2)

Corresponds to inside cover of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

England Was My Birthplace (3)

Corresponds to cover page of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

Photo of Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

Community Library
Sunbury, Ohio
2000

England Was My Birthplace (4)

Corresponds to page 1 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

ENGLAND WAS MY BIRTHPLACE

Where does one start? I was born the eleventh child in a family of thirteen
children--five girls and eight boys. When I was born, a neighbor lady told Elsie, my
sister, "Your Mother should put her in the dust bin (garbage bin) and put the lid on." My mother was angry on hearing this and told her "They are well fed and don’t stink, so mind your own business.”

MY FAMILY

I remember only my Grandmother on my Father’s side and I think it was a reconciliation. She was old and sick and came with outstretched arms to hug my Dad. Now she was a free spirit, and according to my Mother, had had husbands and non-husbands and Mother said she wasn’t ever sure if our name should be Hyland or Wickhams. Well, Hyland won out. My Grandmother was of the Roman Catholic persuasion and that was not for my Mother. She lived in Appleton, a short distance from Canterbury, and when they had her funeral, people threw stones because she was buried in a Protestant Cemetery. So who was my Grandfather? No trace can be found.

My Mother’s Mother died before I was born. Her name was Elizabeth and Grandfather was named Thomas Akehurst. Grandfather was a gardener and each Christmas came to our home. He had a long beard and one Christmas Eve I slammed the door in his face because I thought he was a bogeyman. Once, I was pouting and he said to me "Would you like a banana?" "NO", So he said "Then go and eat grass.” In his later years he took care of the cemetery and had trouble with his feet. He told Mum "J know there’s a lot better feet under this earth!"

My father went to school at the Mayfield Kerk Convent. He, with other boys of
the age of about nine, got to wondering if the Sisters wear underwear under
all that long black dress? They decided to find out. Each boy, as Sister would pass
his desk, was to bend over and flip the hem of Sister’s habit. Sister

photo
George and Mary Ann Hyland in center
My sister and brother-in-law

photo
My Father,
George Hygard pottering in the garden

photo
Mary Ann Hyland


.1.

England Was My Birthplace (5)

Corresponds to page 2 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

continued as though she was unaware of this. After lunch, the Priest came in to talk
and Dad saw the tip of his cane over his shoulder. So he waited his opportunity to
run and when the Priest was farthest from the door, run he did. Well, the Convent
is surrounded by a high wall, and Dad, with the Priest chasing behind him, scaled the
wall and jumped and landed in a baby’s pram and he never looked back to see how
baby and pram fared. The Priest came to his mother’s house to punish him, but Dad
hid out, and I don’t think he ever went back to school.

Religion still meant much to him, and he lived it in his daily life, although there
was no formal church for him after my Mother dismissed his church. When Father
asked Mother to marry him she said "No" if it meant becoming Catholic and raising
the children Catholic. Father went away for a year. When he came back, he asked
her again. She had the same conditions, so he dropped the religious request and
they married. His love for her was great. He was a dairy farmer and took much
pride in it. My mother was from a very refined family. As long as it was proper, it
was O.K. She had a brother and two sisters. They had schooling and seemed always
very smart. Mother was a deeply religious woman. She sang hymns whether she was
washing, ironing, housework, or baking. Long before you got to the house you could
hear her singing. She was unable to be at church Sunday mornings because she was
cooking for the family, but Sunday evening she was there for Evensong. Mother was
also very superstitious. None of us could wear green, if a picture fell, death would
follow, and we never would turn a gypsy away. So we had an abundance of
clothespins and in the spring bunches of primroses and violets. Everything had to
be proper. She was small in stature but made up for it in dignity. I never saw her
shed a tear and she was always aloof and proud. She never let people get close to
her.

The two glass balls in the curio were given to me by my Mother. They had
belonged to her grandmother. She told the story that they were hung in the windows
at night to keep the witches out and if there was a black spot on them in the morning
it meant a witch had tried to enter. When the balis were evaluated they were said
to be of no value. They had been used in the sea to attract fish! Aurora Borealis
in 1938 was frightening --- everything was red like the whole world was on fire.
Many thought it was the end of the world. Mother had also seen the bail of fire that
passed over England, and of course believed that it was a premonition of World War
II and many others thought so, too.

My sister, Nellie, was the oldest in the family. She was very pretty and very
naive. No one was aware she was pregnant and she had her baby in the toilet. My
mother was horrified and the baby, Reginald, was put up for adoption. I first met
him when I was seventeen years old and he introduced himself to me. I thought this
guy was crazy, but Mary, his half sister, assured me it was true. He went into the
Army in World War II at about 21 years of age and came down with pneumonia
twice from being in the trenches. It later turned into tuberculosis and he died very
young, 22 or 23 years old. My sister had married a sailor, Albert Fawcett, and he
was, after the War, a wool sorter in the mills of Bradford, Yorkshire where he
worked until the depression in that area. They had a daughter named Mary, who
became an R.N. and was a supervisor for nursing in the North Yorkshire area
checking hospitals to see if nursing was being done properly. She married Geofrey
and they had a daughter, Mandy, who married Kenneth Paxton. They have two sons,

.2.

England Was My Birthplace (6)

Corresponds to page 3 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

Christopher and Craig. Mary and Geof also had a son, Alex, who is now married.
Nellie and Albert also had a brilliant son, David Fawcett, who was an artist and had
a showing in the National Art Gallery in London. He was killed in a plane crash in
Spain when there was a controllers strike. The plane he was on collided with another
plane and sheared the whole tip off, which with no air, the people died instantly.
David had painted many ads and the one for gin was on T.V. many times. He was
married but unfortunately his wife had a mental condition, and although he had sent
her to Switzerland twice for treatment, he decided "No children’. She squandered
or was cheated of all his wealth. My sister, Nellie, died in her sleep at an old age
and Albert soon afterward.

The next oldest child was my brother George Thomas Hyland who was a great
sportsman. He was captain of the Tunbridge Wells football team and cricket team.
He was killed when he was 31 by a blow to the head in a football game. He died
one week after the injury and the local newspaper had his picture all over the front
page. He was married to Connie, but they had no children.

Next there was Percy James Hyland who married Ruby and after she died he
married Sheila who he was very happy with. He died at 71 years old with no
children. He lived next door to Mum and Dad.

Then there was Stanley Richard Hyland who married Rose who was a lady’s
maid. She had some high ideals. They had a son named Richard, who has been
married a few times, and a daughter, Sheila. Both Sheila and her husband were
London police officers. They were offered and accepted jobs in Canada. Stan was
a chaffeur for a time and then worked in an airplane factory. His throat became a
problem with the aluminum covering it from the factory work. We sometimes called
him " King" and "Dead Body’ because he was the guy who would proceed the hearse
with a stick. The government brought him down to earth because he could no longer
stay in the factory. They gave him a horse and milk wagon and he delivered milk in
the slum area of London. It was there that he learned unconditional love. Those
women always had a cup of tea for him and a big hello. Now remember, tea, milk,
and sugar were all rationed at that time, but they all shared. He was really a
changed person; his haughtiness was gone. He died of a heart attack in a London
park at the age of 61 years.

Another brother was Ernest Hyland who was a feisty, free spirit. He went to
Australia and the last that we heard from him was that he was in Sidney and was
coming home. He disappeared.

Then there was my sister, Dora who was in the R.A.F. as I was. She was
stationed at many bomber fields as a cook. She loved the crews and was always
happy when they returned from their flights. She married Tom Drury who was
financially sound so she had everything she wanted. She died of a heart attack in
1996,

My parents also had a baby girl named Maisie who died unexpectedly at age
three of pneumonia.

Next was Alec Hyland. He was a free spirit who could always find humor in
everything. He was fun, he could breach quarrels, pouts, and he took care of a blind
friend whom he took with him everywhere. Alec was in the Army in World War II
and went on the invasion. He had been a baker, too, so that is what the Army used
him for. He contracted glandular fever at the front and was flown to Belgium. After

.3.

England Was My Birthplace (7)

Corresponds to page 4 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers


the war, he worked in London at some secret stuff--I suspected Atomic. He was
married to Ivy and they had three daughters, June, Hazel, and Wendy (who lived in
Africa for a long time).

Another brother was Charles Hyland who was a free spirit and a rebel. We called
him Nob. He was always doing something. Mother believed in punctuality and tea
was at 5 p.m. Either be there or go without. One day he came after the tea things had
been washed and put away and the teapot was on the hearth. He said "Is there any tea?"
It was replied that there was some in the pot. He raised the pot higher and higher and
then exploded "Did you say tea or bloody gnats piss?" My father came to his feet and
made Nob apologize to Mother and was told to be there for tea or expect the same.
He was in the R.A.F. He later married Elaine and had five children. Then there was my
sister Elsie. She was always full of love and charity. She died of cancer at age 71. She
married Jack Taylor and had a daughter, Fiesty. Jack and Elsie were able to visit me in
America several times, as did Dora.

Next in line was me, a conceited snob.

Then there was my brother, Ronald Walter Hyland. He had many jobs and the Army
wouldn’t take him, but he drove their trucks for them. He married Ivy and they had two
daughters and a son name Peter. Ron died at age 57 of a heart attack.

The baby of the family was David Reginald Hyland who married Sheila. They lost their
daughter, Sandra, at age five to cancer, a baby boy at birth, and David himself died when
his new son was six weeks old. That child grew up and made the Navy his career.

Although our family was large, I was one of the younger ones so I had neices and
nephews older than — myself, Although our home was very crowded at the holidays,
most were grown and gone by the time I came along.

photo
Charles Hyland

photo
Charles and George Hyland
Elsie and Edith Hyland (age 3)
in England


THE EARLY YEARS

I was born March 21, 1920. One of my earliest recollections was that my
brother, George, and sister, Dora, had saved their money and bought me a doll’s
pram for my birthday. It was raining cats and dogs and I insisted on taking it out
and cried until Mother let me do it.

When I was five and had to go to school, I wouldn’t stay put so they tied me to
the seat and I pulled the seat with two of my friends outside with me. We had a large
rocking horse in the schoolroom and I was even given rides to make me feel better.

.4.

England Was My Birthplace (8)

Corresponds to page 5 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

It was at school that the nightmare of learning to knit begun. I was kept in at recess
and it was really their fault of not explaining how pearl and knit stitches looked.
At seven, I was promoted to the girls’ school where rigid discipline was in force.
We wore uniforms, we marched into the school in twos to piano music, hung our
coats and proceeded to the classroom. The whole school assembled for hymns and
prayers and any announcements. Our headmistress was so strict we were terrified
of her.

When I was about 10 years old, I had been left in school at the noon hour for some
mischief. My job at home was to set the table for lunch. We had our main meal at noon.
When the teacher let me go, I ran so that my Mother would not be upset with me and
accidently upset a fire bucket full of water that had a hanging plant soaking in it. Plant
and water went everywhere and I kept going. After lunch, the head mistress called
general assembly. Who did this deed? I didn’t own up and the whole school was punished.
I think I was too afraid, and that was the day I learned to stare anyone down, because
the teacher stared at me, but I didn’t rat. We were all supposed to bring sixpence to
replace the plant, but Mother wouldn’t even consider it.

I was my father’s pet and went everywhere with him. Our home was full of love; we
were well fed with my father growing all our vegetables and fruit.

Mother worked very hard, too. On Mondays the wash was soaked, then it was
washed in hot soapy water, and then put in the copper to boil. The copper fire had
to be fed with wood to keep it boiling, then there were two rinses and then put in
a blueing water. After this, the clothes were hung outside on the line to dry.
Mother had a ritual. Monday was wash day, Tuesday was ironing, Wednesday was
mending, Thursday was bedrooms. Fridays the downstairs, and Saturday was baking.
Sunday was church and Sunday School. It was a day of rest where we took long
walks in the woods.

Our diet was a lot of sameness. On Sundays for lunch we had roast lamb with
mint sauce or roast beef and always suet pudding and many homegrown vegetables
and gravy. For dessert, it was rice pudding or pies. For tea we had thin slices of
bread and butter and all kinds of cakes, salads, jello, and of course, tea. Since
Monday was wash day, the menu was leftovers. On Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
and Friday, I stopped on my way to school at the butchers and ordered a shilling’s
worth of beef and two pence worth of suet. Mother rolled the meat in flour, salt and
pepper, and put it in a roasting pan, smothered it with onions and water and put it
in the oven. With these meals she always made a suet pudding and it was served
with lots of vegetables from the garden. Dessert was always rice pudding. Saturdays
was sausages, and they taste quite different from American sausages.

photo
Edith Hyland


.5.

England Was My Birthplace (9)

Corresponds to page 6 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

At Christmas we hung our stockings on Christmas Eve, and they were filled with
small coins, nuts, an orange or apple, and a store bought stocking. Christmas Day
was church, and then all the usual foods including Christmas pudding and cake which
was fruit cake. After tea we were blindfolded and stripped the tree of all its
chocolate goodies. Then Jack and I played the piano (he in the bass and I in the
treble) with all the Christmas carols and old songs with everyone singing. Later we
made ham sandwiches and the grownups had homemade wine. The next day was
Boxing Day which is a holiday in England with more food and cheer. After tea was
the bran tub which was a tub filled with grain and had many little surprises which
blindfolded ones reached in to get.

Easter was a Holy time. On Good Friday, Mother took us out in the country to
pick primroses. We took along a bag of hot cross buns. I remember being too
young to sit through the three hour church service on Good Friday. On Easter
Sunday we received a chocolate egg. On Whit Sunday (which is six weeks after
Easter) we were allowed to change from black stockings to white anklets with
patent leather shoes along with new hats and dresses. How we showed off!

In the summer, late July, we had six weeks holiday from school. September
began hop picking time and sometimes Mother would go, and we kids picked hops
into open umbrellas and were paid by the bushel, which bought shoes, etc.

I had two good friends called Jean and Phyll. One day Jean, Phyll and I left and
went down through Shadwell Woods talking about what we would wear on our
wedding day when Happy Harry, a local character, jumped from a tree. How we
ran back to my Mother who pooh-poohed it. She made us walk back through the
woods with her but he was long gone. He was always popping up in the different
woods and they said he was harmless, but we were scared.

Our school was supported by the church (Church of England), so the first hour
of each day in class was Bible teachings and the catechism. On Holy Days we
marched to church and after services we were released for the rest of the day.
Jean and I did the forbidden thing--we walked through the common and in the
spring we hunted for violets. We played games of skipping, tag, and many games
with a tennis ball throwing it up against Jean’s house. How her parents stood it,
’ll never know, but they never once rebuked us. By today’s standards, our
childhood was so much simpler and also much more frugal.

One evening in the summer we were walking in the fields and an airplane (small)
flew over the hedge row so low and Mrs. Sheerlock was wearing one of those high-
crowned straw hats and the wheels of the plane put a dent in it. It was landing and
maybe we were in a space that we were not supposed to be. It provided much

photo
Friend Phyll and her daughter, Sandra, with Edith

.6.

England Was My Birthplace (10)

Corresponds to page 7 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

laughter for all of us except her. Mother told us that when Jean’s Mum and Dad
were with us that I always insisted on riding in Jean’s pram and she in mine. It
embarrassed my parents because Jean’s pram was much more beautiful than mine.
The English prams were always so lovely and young mothers felt so much pride
pushing them, and I can see why the Americans call theirs buggies.

Our music teacher had auburn hair, and when she got angry, she would get red
spots on her neck and it would creep up until her whole face was bright red. This
one day my three special friends and I decided to make her mad. So when she
would take each line individually, we sang normally. Now we stood in the back row,
and when she sat down at the piano, we dropped our voices and made horrible
noises. She finally got wise and threw the book at us. I dodged and it hit the wall.
So she punished me by making me write five hundred words with at least six letters.
My three friends each wrote one hundred for me and I put my two hundred on top
so it really didn’t bother me.

Another day at school a wasp came in through the open window and I was
fussing. Miss Gilbert, our home room teacher said, "Sit down Edith." I replied, "I'm
not going to let the wasp sting me for you." She said, "Go and stand outside the
classroom door." Well, whilst standing there I heard the headmistress’ door open,
and I ran and hid behind a heavy drape on an outside door. Then I went back and
stood beside the classroom door again. The headmistress returned and saw me and
asked, "Why are you here’" I said, "A wasp came in the window." She said, "And you
began to fuss". I said yes, not telling her what I had said to the teacher. She said,
"Go back to your class and tell Miss Gilbert I've told you to return. You are not
learning anything out here."

Another day, Mother and Jean’s Mother were raking hay to turn it over to dry,
and we loved to ride in the hay wagon. That was the first day we played hooky from
school. Too bad one of the teachers passed us on the way to school, and was
concerned when we showed up absent and went to our Mothers where they found
us hiding in and enjoying the hay wagon.

Jean and I were confirmed at fourteen years of age. We wore white dresses, white
veils and shoes, we led the procession and giggled the whole time even when the
bishop had his hand on our heads. We had not been spiritually prepared, and as I’ve
said before, "Might well have been the most conceited girls".

Jean an I were inseparable from the days we rode in each others pram. She was an
only child and had so many things. Her mother was a dress maker and made some
lovely clothes for her, and sometimes me. Every day, twice a day, we walked back
and forth to school and would play until bedtime. Every day after school we stopped
at Jean’s house where her mother would give us a penny or half penny for sweets, and
I loved her dearly for that because she always gave me the same amount as she gave
Jean. As kids we spent rainy Saturdays in Jean's Dad's workshop reading to

photo
Front left is Elsie
Back middle is Jean
Back right is Edith

.7.

England Was My Birthplace (11)

Corresponds to page 8 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

each other Grimm’s Fairy Tales. How we loved them! Other than that, we spent our time down in the fields on the farm. We were always gathering wildflowers. One of our favorite games, and if we had been caught would have had some explaining to do (children in England, or my England, were never allowed to go barefoot)- we took off our shoes and socks and then ran and jumped on the cows’ pancakes. The sun would have made a firm coat on them and when we landed on them we would slide. One day a photographer came to take pictures of my Dad and calves to enter into a newspaper competition. Well, we had to devise a plan of how to get into those photos. So we gathered cake (cow’s cake) and held them out to the calves. When one ate from my hand, the photographer got sick. My Dad and his picture won a prize.

In my school days, Britain had an empire, so the 24th of May was Empire Day. All the schools in the district met in the Calvery Grounds of Tunbridge Wells. Everyone was dressed in their school uniforms and this included the boys’ schools. Then together, we all sang the National Anthem and a selection of other songs which we had practiced for weeks. Every year "Jerusalem" was sung. A lady visiting the park said that she was spellbound, it was so beautiful. Afterwards, we were dismissed, and living in Rusthall, we had three miles to go. Jean and I opted to walk so that we could show off our new panama hats with the school ribbon. We tied the brim up, and were such conceited little girls.

We were thirteen years old when I found something to quarrel about with Jean, and even though she and her mother tried to make up, there was a break in our relationship. About three years later, my mother had a house full of extended family and so I stayed with Jean. Her mother put us together in a big double bed. We talked most of the night and I remember her Mother telling my Mother how wonderful it was to hear our sharing and our giggling. Later she went into the Navy and I in the R.A.F. Years later after my husband Walter died, I made a trip back to England with a friend from Westerville, Molly Wheeler. There I learned that Jean was in a convalescent home with MS. I was truly shocked and went immediately to

photo George Hyland and Edith in 1930

photo My Dad and His Cows .8.

England Was My Birthplace (12)

Corresponds to page 9 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

see her. My sister, Dorrie, and I got Jean into the car and took her up to Ashdown
Forest. I was wearing a bright yellow jacket over a blouse. She said "That’s one
thing I like about Americans is their use of bright colors and I just love that one
you’re wearing.” I took it off (much to her shock) and said "It’s yours." She was so
thrilled and I’m told wore it often, but that’s the last time I saw her. She died fairly
young of MS.

I’ve mentioned that my Father was raised Roman Catholic, but my Mother would
not have anything to do with that. So my Dad only came to church for baptisms,
weddings, and funerals. He walked Mother and us children to church and then sat
outside until it was over. He said the "Our Father" each night for us in the military
service. I will always remember sitting in the low shed on the manger when it was
pouring with rain and him telling me to listen carefully and if I did I would hear the
rain way up high and then would know whether it was going to stop or rain much
harder. The same in the spring. Dad would ask "Have you heard the Cuckoo yet?”
Of course, Dad was always first.

In England, large parcels of land belong to rich people, but by law they have to
allow people to walk through. The country fields and woods are so beautiful and
one can walk for miles without touching a road. Stiles allowed the crossing from
field to field which kept the cattle safe.

After I left school, and before the war started,
I took care of Mary Ann and Phylllappa Flood who had two older brothers who came
home at holidays from boarding school. This was a Catholic family, and the one boy,
David, was praying that I would be changed from being a poor pagan. I was very
happy doing this job. The girls had such a beautiful pram, and J would push them
all over the commons in the mornings and afternoons.

Later, when the War broke out, the Floods evacuated to the home of Lord and
Lady Ann Gunning near Northhampton (Holton Place). It had its own zoo, its own
church and cemetery. The original house had been torn down because no one
could be found rich enough to maintain it. Winston Churchill had lived in it at
one time. The paneling, fireplaces, etc., were all sold individually. The Gunnings
had bought this estate and were in the process of converting the stables

photo
Dora's Wedding
Elsie, Edith, and Tom’s Sister

photo
Flood Children and Edith

photo
Edith with the Flood Children


.9.

England Was My Birthplace (13)

Corresponds to page 10 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

into a house. Lady Gunning was a free spirit and said that there were friendly spirits
who were unhappy about the house being torn down and the beautiful oak trees
having been cut and sold for lumber. At this time there were German spies who
would signal German planes during air raids. The police were trying to catch them
as they moved around. I don’t know if they caught them, but at this time the ghosts
started to be active despite the burning candles and fires burning continually in the
fireplace of every room.

We went to Ross on Rye where Mary Ann went to school at the Ursaline
Convent. By this time, Dr. Flood was in Africa and Mrs. Flood had to have surgery.
She asked me to take the children to Benediction to pray for her. I had never been
inside a Catholic Church. The first time I took the girls, all the nuns were seated on
the left side of the church and the lighting was very dim. I didn’t know about
genuflecting. I, being nosy, was looking around when the youngest girl genuflected
and I was right behind. So not wishing to tread on her, I jumped over her and
landed close to the alter steps. Benediction started and I had made the mistake of
giving Phylllippa her three English pennies to hold. She threw them over the pews,
and before I could catch her, had crawled under the pews to get them. Then the
worst happened when the priest held up the Sacrament. Phylllipa took her finger
and ran it around a man’s bald head and in the silence everyone could hear her say,
*Poor man,! Ewa (Edith), he has no hair!" I got almost hysterical and got us all out
of there. Mary Ann is now a Carmelite Nun. Her brother Tim is a Trappist monk,
and Phylllippa married an Earl and is now a Lady. I don’ t know about David.

THE WAR YEARS

It was time for me to be conscripted. Before I went in the RAF, my friend, Phyll,
and I decided to take a week in Brighton. We were there the week before the
War began, acting exactly like all teenagers do. Patients from the London
hospitals were being evacuated and we spent all lot of time watching those
activities. Here is where I met the Salvation Army. It had good looking bandsmen.
I dated the officer’s son and we had a lot of fun together. My involvement with
the Salvation Army really upset my Mother. She felt some stigma attached.
Phyll and I spent hours with the bandsmen, and as my Father said to Mother, I
could have been doing a lot worse things. I think MAYBE if the war had not
interrupted I would have been a

photo
Phyll and Edith
in Brighton, 1937

photo
Me Sitting in Front of Dorrie

.10.

England Was My Birthplace (14)

Corresponds to page 11 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

Salvation Army officer. There I met Jack, for whom I had no romantic feelings
and through me he met my sister Elsie, and the were. married 50 years before
she died. I am not blaming the War for my actions. We all complete our own destinies,
but that was my own brief encounter with the Salvation Army, and I know they
are indeed a very special people.

On the Thursday evening of my week, we received a telegram from my Dad saying,
"Come home immediately". No way! On Friday we received the second with
"immediately" three times, and so we took the last train to Tunbridge Wells. When
we came out of West Station, there was my Dad on his way to Brighton to fetch us.
The next day, Tuesday, Sept. 3rd, 1939, at 1 1:00 A.M. war was declared. Everyone
knew it was coming because although Neville Chamberlain got us a reprieve, we
all had been issued gas masks and everywhere air raid shelters were being built.
Also, there were large cement blocks situated at all the thoroughfares so that, in
event the Germans invaded, the roads could be blocked. The Germans did make
two attempts, both by sea, and as they crossed the English Channel, the English
poured oil and set fire to it, and the Germans had to fall back.

After basic training, tired and apprehensive, we were transferred to Morcombe,
and every time an ammunition train came through, ours was put on a siding.
We had been given the old dog biscuit stuff to eat, but at Reading there was
the Army with hot tea, cocoa, and sandwiches. It took us all day to go from
Gloucester to Morcombe where we were put in private billets (which was
anyone who had an extra bed had to put you up). I managed to be put with a
lesbian in a double bed, but she didn’t bother me because, after being given
three shots and a vaccination, I was so sick, and she was very, very good to me.
When I walked into that landlady’s dining room and saw the table set with a
white tablecloth, I wept.

photo
Edith and Phyll, 1938

photo
Edith in Uniform

.11.

England Was My Birthplace (15)

Corresponds to page 12 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

World War II was both exciting and scary for me. As the announcement that we
were at war was being made on the radio, the air raid sirens were sounded, but it
turned out to be an unidentified aircraft crossing the Channel which was a French
diplomat. Life moved on with not much happening until one day, hundreds of
bombers were flying overhead so low because they were loaded with bombs.
I thought they were ours because having got used to sirens wailing night and day,
one paid little attention to them. I was home at the time, when a lady came
running into the garden shouting to me "Get into the air raid shelter, you silly girl.
Can’t you see the swastikas on their wings?" I was watching the two little Flood
girls at the time and we were enjoying the sight. Their mother was in the hospital
and their father was in Africa with the troops. It was the first real air raid we
experienced. That day Biggin Hill was bombed, and it was said that everyone on
that airfield was killed except the switchboard operator.

Now the practice was that if the planes were attacked or damaged or had engine
trouble, they would drop their bombs wherever they were and then bale out. If they
went down in their parachutes, twisting round and round, we would cheer because
that meant they were dead or badly injured. We had regular bombs and incendiary
bombs which lit up the sky like lanterns and were a pretty sight. Everyone had a
bucket of sand and a spade to douse them as soon as they hit the ground because a
good name for them would have been Fire Bombs. My home in Tunbridge Wells
showed the scars of the incendiary bombs. Then there were oil bombs, delayed
bombs, and the V2 rockets which traveled faster than the speed of sound and so had
done their horrific damage before they were heard. The pilotless aircraft (which we

photo
Basic Training
Edith 4th from left in back row

photo
Edith

.12.

England Was My Birthplace (16)

Corresponds to page 13 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

called Buzz Bombs) made the sound of an aircraft in trouble. They came in low and
when the light went out, they came crashing into the ground and changed their
direction sometimes. They did so much surface damage. The rest I’m sure you’ve
seen in rerun News programs. Tunbridge Wells was the home of Field Marshall
Montgomery when he came home for a short rest. He stayed at the Spa Hotel.
Lord HawHaw would announce on the radio "We will be over tonight to bomb Field
Marshall Montgomery at the Spa Hotel."

Everyone had to do something. If you see the newsreel of St. Paul’s Cathedral,
after the bomb hit, of men cleaning up the debris, that is my father wheeling the
wheelbarrow. My father had already retired, but that made no difference. He was
assigned to travel to London each day to clean up the bomb damage. My sixteen
year old brother had to stand on a corner of the church tower with nothing to protect
himself with but a pitchfork if a German came along. I asked "Are you afraid?" He
said, "I’m more afraid of any ghosts that might be walking around the church
cemetery." Actually, as kids, we had run around a German grave from World War
One, and the story was if one went around the grave seven times and stuck it with
a pin, the devil came and sat on top. We would run round six times and take off as
quickly as we could.

My girl friend and I were at home when the Battle of Britain began. As soon as the sirens sounded, we dashed off to the open common to watch the dog fights in the sky. We would lie on our backs in the grass and watch the German bombers which
came in waves of formation with small delays between them and our little spitfires who flew in and out, with the empty shells falling around us. One day an air raid ambulance came along. The men thought we were injured. My friend was scared and let them put her on the stretcher. I laughed so hard until they, thinking I was hysterical, went to slap me. I came to, fast explaining what we were doing. They were
furious until I said "Oh, look. Another wave of bombers." They laid down on the grass with us saying, "We never realized this could be so much fun."

The desolation of London was a sight one can never forget. One night I was
going home on a 48 hour leave. As we arrived at Paddington Station, the sirens were
sounding. I bought a ticket on the underground railway for Charing Cross. I got on
the train, but when it got to Bakers Street, the guard was shouting "Everyone out."
Previously on a raid, the Thames River sewer gates had been hit, and about 500
people had been drowned in sewage in the underground station that they were using
for an air raid shelter. So from then on, the gates were closed in an air raid. I
walked around the platform. There were people crying with children, some were
playing cards, some eating and drinking, and some were praying. The smell was
horrendous. My claustrophobia was getting to me, and J knew that I had to get out
of there. The elevators and escalators were stopped. I started to climb the stairs at
Baker Street which I believe is the deepest station in London. When I got to the
top, there was a bobby. He said, "Where do you think you are going?" I said

photo
Edith

.13.

England Was My Birthplace (17)

Corresponds to page 14 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

"Charing Cross." He said, "Come look outside." Well, there were bombs and the city
was lit up with incendiary bombs and the anti-aircraft guns were horrible. I said, “I'm
walking." He said, "Put on your tin helmet. If you’ve got the guts to walk, I'll walk
with you." He did and when I got to Charing Cross, I bought a ticket for Tunbridge
Wells and jumped on a train which was moving out. It took me to within 15 miles
of home. I arrived in Tunbridge Wells at 4:00 A.M. and had to walk 3 1/2 miles
through the common. It was so dark, and with the blackout curtains up, even if there
was someone up, you wouldn’t know it.

My home in Tunbridge Wells is located 36 miles from the southeast coast and
36 miles to London, so we experienced much in the War. I was drafted into the
Royal Air Force, girls being drafted the same as boys. My mother and sister, Dorie,
(who was already in the Air Force), came to London with me the day I went. I had
been instructed to bring a knife, fork, spoon and mug. Now, I was too proud to be
seen carrying a mug so I didn’t do it. One the train to Gloucester were 800 girls
many of whom with I attended school. We had a lot of fun on that train, but what
an awakening we had on our disembarkment. Trucks picked us up like cattle, with
no seats, and took us to the airdrome where we were given three straw biscuits to
put on a metal frame. What a night!

My first airfield was Uxbridge which was just outside of London and was back to
back with American Headquarters. Then I went to Sheffield and on to Pershore
which was underground. Here I worked on the switchboard when one day the signal
officer came dashing in. Everyone thought there was trouble, but it was the Air Vice
Marshall calling from Group Hqts. and he had said, “Bring me the girl who has my
call on her board. I like her voice." And so I went to stay at Abingdon, about 10
miles from Oxford, for the rest of the war.

When I had been stationed at Uxbridge, I had an unpleasant experience. One
day whilst on duty, a call came for a doctor. The practice was to try each ward until
you found him. After I had found him, my board was lit up like a Christmas tree.
I answered each one until I got to the last one when a rude, hostile man said "Where
the H--- have you been?" I said, "It’s people like you who make life hard for people
like me". Within minutes, I was surrounded by signal people, relieved of my duty
and sent to Sheffield for training. Every message that passed through the board at
Abingdon was scrambled so that the Germans couldn’t intercept it.

Before the invasion of Europe, there were so many forces on the street, aimlessly
standing around and chewing gum. Most were living on a day-to-day basis as though
they were their last days, and for many, they were.

photos
Churchill and the Troops

.14.

England Was My Birthplace (18)

Corresponds to page 15 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

Then came the order "All Military Personnel confined to 25 miles radius."
Walter, who later became my husband, stayed in his 25 miles, but I went up to
the orderly room, made myself some passes, stamped them with the official
station stamp, and proceeded to Newbury to see him before he left for
the invasion of Europe. We spent a nice day together. It was a beautiful
sunny day in the Oxford area. Oxford University allowed Military Personnel
to attend its lectures free which I enjoyed, and it was a privilege to attend. I
learned a little about psychiatry. Oxford is a beautiful city.

After the nice day with Walter, my mistakes began. I got on the wrong
train. It was a milk train which stopped at every station and made me miss
my connection at Reading. The station master locked me in the waiting
room for the night and awakened me in the morning for the train. In the
excitement of realizing I was AWOL, I got on another milk train. Well,
I was supposed to be on duty at 8:00 AM.
and I realized that I wasn’t going to make it, so I got off the train at Didlot, and
stood in the middle of the road saying to myself that the first car down this road
would pick me up or run over me. Soon a little sports convertible came down the
road, I jumped in asking his destination. He said "Oxford". I said "Which do you
think is more important -for you to be in Oxford at 8:00 A.M. or for me to be in
Abingdon?” He said, "I’m sure it’s for you to be at Abingdon." When I got close to
the airfield I told him that he could let me off, but he said that he’d brought me this
far, he’d drive me to the gate. Fortunately for me, the M.P. knew me and said, "All
right, Hyland, pass by. I'll pretend I've never seen you." And so I was saved.

On the night of the invasion, I knew it was happening. There were so many
ships, etc. in the Channel that they could not put enough pins in the board to
represent them. At headquarters, one felt that one could walk across the English
Channel by stepping on pins. However, the drone of aircraft was continuous. Each
plane had three gliders attached to it full of parachuters going to Normandy. This
seemed to go on for ever. The news media was saying we’ve only lost 5 or 7 planes
and we knew different because there had been seven that crashed around our airfield
and those guys were pretty relieved to miss that trip.

photo
Edith - War Years

.15.

England Was My Birthplace (19)

Corresponds to page 16 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

WALTER DAVIS MYERS, JR.

Now, I have been asked many times how I met my husband. I was in the R.A.F. and had
two friends who were special. It was my birthday and we were going to celebrate it. Barbara, Joan, and I took a bus to Oxford, had tea, then splurged and went to a more
expensive dance than usual. After we were there a while, Barbara said, "There’s an
awfully nice American who is going to ask you to dance." I had little use for
Americans and replied that J did not pay five shillings to come to a dance and then
dance with any damn American. By this time, a very nice voice said, "May I have this dance?" Well, in England if you refused a young man’s invitation to dance, you had to
sit out the dance, so I danced with him. He was very polite. He asked for the next dance. After this, I said to my friends that I was going to the ladies room and would come back
at the other end of the dance floor. I stayed a while, and as I came back I saw him approaching and another G. I. asked me to dance. He jitterbugged and I was being
thrown wildly! Walter rescued me, tapping the young man on the shoulder and
saying, "Excuse me". The G.I asked if I was his girlfriend. Walter answered yes. The
G. I. released me, saying "So sorry". Walter came to Abington the next night where I
was stationed. He had to walk 22 miles back to his base. That evening he said,
"Would you like to go dancing? " How his poor blistered feet must have felt. I went
on leave and left no indication where I was. Walter went to Abington and stood
outside the Air Base until he found someone who knew me. After that, I met him
often, became engaged, and he left for the invasion of Europe. During this time,
he was sent home for a leave of rest, and whilst he was home, the war ended.
He had served in Iceland and had enough service to muster out.

A year later, I received a cable

photo
Bud in Iceland 1941

photo
Walter and Edith’s Wedding

.16.

England Was My Birthplace (20)

Corresponds to page 17 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

saying "Have my visas, my passport, your ring. Arriving at Oxford on Valentine’s
Day, 1946." I sent a cable saying, "Don’t come. I’ve changed my mind." Received
his next cable which said, "Coming anyway." Well, he arrived at Oxford, more out of
the train than in it. We were married by special license because his visa was for
thirty days. We were married in St. Paul’s Church in Rusthall. I wore the gown that
had been wore in the film "Quiet Wedding". Film studios allowed military brides to
rent their wedding dresses. It was a heavy white satin. We went to Oban, Scotland,
for our honeymoon.

I was not a war bride. War brides were girls who had married G.I.s and were
brought to the U.S. at the government’s expense. My husband paid for my passage.

ON TO AMERICA

My brother, Stan, did not like Americans one bit. He wasn’t happy about me
marrying an American. Later on when I returned to England with the children, he
did come to see me. He said they were not bad looking seeing that they had
American blood. My mother was also very against my marriage. She said, "Over my
dead body." I, rebellious as ever, told her "O.K. Dr. Flood will give me away." (He
was the father of the two little girls I had looked after.) My Dad spoke up and said,
Your Mother is head of this house, but I will come wherever you marry to give you
away." Mother reneged and we were married from home and we honeymooned in
Oban, Scotland. When we left for the U.S. A., my family was very calm except for
my Father who laid across the hood of the car and sobbed and had to be lifted off.
He died before I was able to return to England, and as one of the neighbors told me
“You caused his death. You broke his heart." So comforting.

We sailed from Southampton on May 19th, 1946 aboard the Argentina. Wartime
conditions still existed and men and women had separate sleeping quarters. We
went to Walter’s home which was Coldwater, Ohio. Whilst we were there, Janet
was born, May 3, 1947. We then went to Columbus, Ohio, where Walter attended
Bliss College on the G. I. Bill. I became pregnant again, and since Janet’s birth had
been so difficult, I went back to Montezuma and stayed with Walter’s brother,
Howard, until Barbara’s birth on June 22, 1948. Both Janet and Barbara were born
at the Gibbons Hospital in Celina, Ohio. When Barbara was born, I was
convinced that she had been born with no ears as her head was covered when I first
saw her. Walter completely forgot me and dashed to the nursery where they showed
him that she really did have ears. Walter got a job with the State, the Public
Employees Retirement System, while it was very new. Ron was born in Columbus


photo
Janet with her Mother

photo
Walter and Janet


.17.

England Was My Birthplace (21)

Corresponds to page 18 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

at Doctor’s Hospital on October 4, 1950, and so our family was complete.
All three children are now married. Janet, married to Burrell Denune, has three
children, James, Charles and Laura. Janet teaches first grade at Big Walnut Local
Schools. She was never a problem child, taking after her father. She made the
National Honor Society while in high school and then went on to O.S.U. Barbara
is more like me, determined, and got married to Rick Budd when she was
nineteen. This did not work out, but they had two little girls, Jody and Robin.
Barbara worked very hard to support them as Rick contributed nothing to their
support. While Barbara worked at Ohio Bell Telephone, she met Gary Geng whom
she married. He is wonderful. He adopted Jody and Robin, and then they had two
more daughters, Melinda and Megan. Ron put himself through O.S.U. by
managing an apartment complex and painting because he wanted to be his own
man. He married Elaine Cotter and they have three children, Nathan, Mark, and
Sarah. I am very proud of my children, their spouses, and my lovely grandchildren.

Like my Mother, I am superstitious. One day an eccentric lady gave Ron a red vase
and told him she had had two on her mantelpiece and an evil spirit had smashed
one in the night. If bad things began to happen, he was to get rid of it. He promptly
brought it home. Well, Walter and I were not happy with it and we kept a light
burning. Everything began to go wrong. After Walter died, I took it outside and
turned it upside down. Well, in the morning it was smashed. Ron later asked for it,
but it was long gone.

We lived in Columbus until 1959 when we moved to Sunbury. I had gone to work at
the Ohio Bell Telephone Company when Ron was five. Walter strongly disapproved
of a wife working, and that’s fine, except if was a case of

photo
Janet and Dad

photo
Mother with Barbara
in Janet's Little Cart

photo
Barbara and Janet

photo
Janet, Ron and Barbara Myers


.18.

England Was My Birthplace (22)

Corresponds to page 19 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

balancing money. Walter had graduated from Bliss College and got hired by Public
Employees Retirement System and the benefits were very good but the pay was not.
One day after the children were in school, I saw an ad in the paper for Morehouse
Fashion needing a part time PBX operator, so I thought "I can do that" and he’d
never know. Well, when I got there the job had been filled so I said to myself "What
the heck" and I went around to the telephone company, got a job, and told Walter
when I left for work on Monday. I took driving lessons after we moved to Sunbury,
bought my own car, and drove to and fro.


WALTER’S FAMILY

Walter’s grandfather was the engineer at the water department in Circleville, Ohio.
Walter’s father, Walter D. Myers, Sr. was an engineer in Coldwater, Ohio. He married
Altha Belle Davis, who was a teacher. She taught her husband so that he could get
his engineering license. Before that, he had made flour at the St. Henry Mill. There
his wife had to use the first batch of flour from each making as a tester. Walter Sr.
and Altha had five children.

Walter was the oldest child. He was born on October 2, 1916. Walter did very well
in school. For a while he worked at the Buckeye Overall Factory in Coldwater
before he went in the service. He cut overalls and sewed them, and so he did
his own patching and everything in the house that needed sewing. I was no good
at it, but I had learned knitting. When Walter’s mother died in 1939, it was

photo
Altha Belle Davis Myers

photo
Walter Myers, Sr.


.19.

England Was My Birthplace (23)

Corresponds to page 20 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers



a very difficult time for him as they had done the gardening together and were very
close. He immediately joined the service to get away. He had big brown eyes and
very pretty wavy hair. He died in 1976 from complications of sugar diabetes.

Carmen, the only girl, was the next oldest. She married Kenneth Wallick and they
had one son, Keith.


photo
Altha Belle with Carmen and Waller Jr.

photo
Altha Belle Davis Myers with Children
Walter, Carmen, Howard, Forrest, and Roger

photo
Walter D. Myers, Jr

.20.

England Was My Birthplace (24)

Corresponds to page 21 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

Keith, who married a Mexican girl, have a son and daughter. Kenneth is now deceased.

The third child was Howard, who married Laura Mae, and they had five sons. They
lived in Alaska whilst he was in the Air Force and then they moved to Scottsdale,
Arizona. Then he disappeared to find a better life with a new lady.

Forest was next. He graduated from Purdue University and got a really good
paying job. He and his wife, Reba, live in Virginia. They have one son, Gary. Gary
had a shrimp boat up until the time he had a brain tumor and then he had a florist
shop.

The baby of the family is Roger who married Vonola. Their three sons are Larry,
Dale, and Carl. Larry has two boys, Dale has two girls, and Carl had a baby girl
who died when she was only a few weeks old. Roger worked for Delta Airlines
and has been all over the world.

All four boys and Kenneth were in the service, Howard, Forest, Roger, and
Kenneth in the Air Force while Walter served in the Army. While Walter was
in the Army, he served for a while in Iceland where he had pneumonia twice,
and then went to England and was in the invasion of Germany.

Myers
Children:

photo
Walter Jr

photo
Walter Jr.
Carmen,
Howard,
Forest

Coldwater,
Ohio


.21.

England Was My Birthplace (25)

Corresponds to page 22 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

TRIPS

When Walter and I left England and approached New York, everyone was on
deck to see the approach. When the Statue of Liberty looked like a needle, everyone
started singing "America". Many were crying. There were other trips

In 1953 my Father died. I decided to take the three children to England. We left on
Dec. 1 and sailed on the Queen Elizabeth (which one old sailor said sailed like a tug
boat and he was threatened with the brig if he didn’t shut up). On the ship, the crew
had one smoke stack put out so that Santa could come down the chimney. We
spent Christmas with my family and Janet and Barbara went to school in Rusthall.
We planned to stay three months, but Janet fell and broke her arm which was one
delay. About the time she was over that, she caught whooping cough. Our passage
was canceled. The next sailing we could get was from Liverpool on the ship
Britannica. When she was far out to sea, the ship was stopped, the Queen Mary
which was going to England was stopped, and in life boats they transferred a
stowaway to our ship. The sea became very rough and our ship broke a cylinder
and we took several extra days to get to New York. Many people have been
surprised that I took such a journey alone, but there was no problem except
one-we ran into a very rough sea off the coast of Iceland and everyone was sick
including me. My three children were the only ones in the dining room that night
and the crew let them have anything they wanted including ice cream. When I
came to, they were sifting in the center of the cabin eating oranges. So is seasickness
real or emotional?

Whilst we were in England, Ron was christened in St. Paul’s Church, Rusthall,
where Walter and I were married. We went through many woods, played hide
and seek at Happy Valley, and visited Toad Rock. I have not seen any territory
like this in America, but this maybe is prejudiced. I know the kids enjoyed the
rocks and commons.

My second trip to England was with Walter when the children were teenagers.
I had not flown before. We had an unpleasant happening. Our plane had been
delayed two hours arriving in New York and then the cleaning took place. Finally,

photo
Passport Photo - 1953

photo
Edith and Walter, Ron, Janet and Barbara
1953 before Going to England

22

England Was My Birthplace (26)

Corresponds to page 23 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

we were on our way to what we thought was a routine trip with the pilot talking to
us along the way. When we got to England, the plane kept circling and people were
looking up at the plane since it was so low. A canoe capsized with its people staring.
Then the pilot told us that on takeoff from New York we had blown two tires and
as a precaution there were many ambulances and fire trucks. He told us not to be
alarmed as it would be O.K. What a bump and then the plane had to be towed up
to the terminal by a tractor. By this time, I had lost my parents and four brothers.

The third trip back to England I made with Janet and Burrell. This picture was
taken over Beachy Head at Eastbourne. My sister, Dorie, said that this was one
of the happiest days of her life.

My fourth trip I went with Molly Wheeler, a friend from Westerville who also
had come from England, and Sister Marcelle, who I had met at a convent.
It was a pleasant trip. I went again with Molly and her husband, Jim. Molly
got sick and Jim wanted to return to the U.S. but I said "No". I felt Molly
could get good medical treatment in England and they were both
very grateful to me and ended up having a very good time. We went to Lands End
where the sea amongst the rocks is so rough, and of course that is where the pirates
hung out. We passed through the Douchy of Cornwall where all the land belongs
to Prince Charles, but the farmers are allowed to let their sheep graze there and
there are sheep everywhere. If you could see those sheep you would know why they
say sheep are dumb. They roam and sleep in the middle of the roads. We also went
to Plymouth where Sir Francis Drake was bowling when he heard of the Spanish
Armada. It is said that he insisted on finishing his game before meeting the
Spaniards. There is a small village in Devon called Appleforer. To this day the
descendants are what is left behind from the Spanish Armada. They still carry
Spanish onions to sell from long poles held over their shoulders.

I later traveled to England with Janet’s son, James, and Barbara with her
daughters, Jody, Robin, and Melinda. Later on, I took Charles when he turned 8.
Later on, Janet and Laura went with me. In December of 1994, I went back to see
Dorie who wasn’t well.

Finally, my last trip home was in July of 1996 with Janet to attend my sister,
Dorie’s, funeral. Afterward, Janet and I went to Bradford, Yorkshire and drove
through Sherwood Forest where we could envision Robin Hood. We went to Harden
which was the home of the Bronte sisters. We saw the school where one taught and
the little church where their father pastored. He must have been a strange man for
he ate all his meals in the sitting room. It was around this table that the sisters’

photo
Day at Beachy Head at Eastbourne in 1971
Janet, Edith, Alex, and Dorrie Having Tea

23

England Was My Birthplace (27)

Corresponds to page 24 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers


imagination and the bleak moors inspired the writing in their books. For many
years there had been many deaths in this area, especially of young children. In
later years, it was discovered that the water they drank from below the churchyard
had passed through the cemetery and was full of bacteria. One of the Bronte
sisters had a dog and when the girl was sick, it sat outside her bedroom door.
When she died, it sat by her grave until it too, died. We climbed on the moors.
One minute you can be in bright sunshine, and the next step can take you into
dense fog. There were many wild ponies on the moors and we passed by the
Dartmouth Prison which is surrounded by moors. We stayed with Nellie’s
granddaughter, Mandy, and her family for a few days, and then we went to Devon
to visit my nephew, Richard. He took us to see Stonehenge which is
unexplainable and awesome. We also saw the while horse down on
a hillside in chalk. Richard didn’t know the origin but said that there
were others. Richard and his wife took us to an old copper mine where boys of
eleven had to work a hundred years ago. The mine was so deep and it took them
so long to enter that they had to stay Monday through Saturday. The guide told us
that they died in their early twenties because of the chemicals. While underground,
they only had Cornish pastries to eat throughout the week. The only time the poor
people got to ride in a wagon was when there was a death in the immediate family
and they were given a ride to the cemetery and then had to walk back. The rich
were rich, and the poor, poorer. We also spent a day in Torquay which is like any
other seaside town. This trip was more than enough for me. All my family in
England was gone and England had changed.

I have been on three cruises with Gary, Barbara, and their children. The last
one was Melinda’s graduation present from high school and Laura was able to go,
too. We went to St. Croix, Jamaica, St. Thomas, the Cayman Islands, Mexico, and
San Juan. The cruises were nice, but I prefer rougher seas. St. Croix had millions
of termites and they looked horrible fastening themselves to trees. Caymen Island
was very clean, and St. Thomas was the place to buy gold. San Juan, I didn’t like.
Jamaica was very picturesque.

photo
Edith Dressed in a Costume of 100 Years Earlier-
Taken at the Copper Mine


24

England Was My Birthplace (28)

Corresponds to page 25 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers

I have also been to Myrtle Beach several times, sometimes with Janet’s family, sometimes with Barb’s family, and sometimes with both. It is one of my
favorite places to visit. I have also been to Florida several times, sometimes
with Barb and Gary as we visited with his folks. On year I went with Gary and
Barb and family up the east coast for the fall colors and then to Maine and
Rhode Island where the rich had their yachts parked.

After Walter died and the children were living their own lives, I told my Parish
Priest at St. Mathew’s Episcopal Church in Westerville, "I'm going away for
a few days and I am not going to tell my family, but I will let you know where
I am in case of an emergency." He replied, "I don’t like you doing this,
but I know just the place for you to go and deal with your grief-the Convent of the
Transfiguration at Glendale near Cincinnati. The nuns will not bother you, but will
be there for you if you so wish." I parked in the Convent parking lot and sat for a
few minutes and thought, "What the heck am I doing here?" A nun came out and
said, "Are you Mrs. Myers?" I replied that I was and she told me to come in. She
showed me to my room and told me I was invited to share in as many of their
services as I cared to and I’m thinking, "That’s easy, none." I got a tour of the dining
room, the chapel, the church , and the grounds. The Convent grounds and the
chapel are just beautiful. The next morning I met a young Sister, Sister Marcelle,
who had lost her father the same week as Walter’s passing. We spent most of the
day together and became very good friends. She later went on a trip to England with
me and Molly. When she decided to leave the Convent, I was the first person she
called to tell of her decision. She now lives in Baltimore, Maryland, and to put it in
her own words, “living in sin with an exMonk". She is physically disabled and if they
were to marry, she would lose her social security benefits.

It was through Sister Marcelle that I was introduced to Milford Retreat
Center which is also a beautiful place. There are vast grounds with a modern chapel
that still has the old world charm. There I met Ken, a priest, who was making a
retreat there. He was also arranging a trip to Italy. It had been five years since
Walter had died, and I had still not shed a tear. It was all held inside. I went to
Mass. The Priest was telling about the young priest in El Salvador. He had been
threatened to stop taking care of the poor or he would be killed. He continued and
wrote the song "Be Not Afraid". As I went up to receive, a tear left the Priest’s eyes
and my eyes answered. I became a babbling idiot, and when he left, I did, too. I
went to my room, throwing myself across my bed. Ken came in, picked me up and
rocked me, praying and singing. I said, "Put me down". He said, "Let it all go." I
said, "I’m hungry." He said, "All right, wash your face and I’ll be back." Well, I
thought about leaving, but Ken came back and we went to the dining room. He said
to the other table occupants, "Excuse Edith. She had wimpy soup for lunch." This
broke the ice and we became good friends.


photo
Edith and Jody at Myrtle Beach


.25.

England Was My Birthplace (29)

Corresponds to page 26 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland

The following summer I retired early from Ohio Bell and went on a trip to Italy
with Father Ken and ten others. We went from the toe of Italy up to Milan.
Sorrento was the first place we went to and we stayed in a new hotel which
unfortunately for me had no screens and the air conditioners were not working
yet and mosquitoes had a feast on me. Fortunately, we had a doctor traveling
with us and he was able to prescribe a quick healing.

One of the places where we stayed was Assisi that had a little chapel that St. Francis
had prayed in and some of the brothers grumbled that the order was too strict. St.
Francis asked God if he should change it and God told him that it was the way He
wanted it to be. The monastery was large and one of the brothers told me that
they pray for anyone crossing their threshold. It made me feel good. We visited
the spot where the Nativity took place. St. Francis, not being a priest, could not
say Mass. The creche in the rock was the crib, and St. Francis brought a live ass
and ox and stood with his hands on each of them. It was very mountainous region,
quiet, and peaceful. The paintings in Italy were so beautiful and the crown coming
out of the forehead with jewels. It was here where the body of St. Clare was lying
on a slab of marble and she looked exactly alive except for a little support for her nose.
A Jewish man, his wife and I were the only non-Catholics in the group. We stood aside and
the Jewish doctor said that I could make a fortune. My roommate bought what she
thought was a bottle of wine (not speaking Italian), we drank it by the glass, and got
sicker than dogs because it was a liquor. (WHAT A LESSON)

Rome was full of history and the Vatican was enormous. The Sistine Chapel
with the painting by Michelangelo on the ceiling put one in awe. In the church was
a black statue, and I still don’t know who it was, but each person passed his hand
over one foot which had been wore very smooth, and I thought, "O.K. I'll do it,too"
because I didn’t want to miss out on anything.

St. Mark’s Square was very impressive. In Venice we took a gondola ride and
although the pictures are all very beautiful, the water was filthy, I’m very proud of
the picture I took there --- the best I've ever taken. Naples was where the smell of

photo
Italy

photo
Father Ken and Edith
Trip to Italy

.26.

England Was My Birthplace (30)

Corresponds to page 27 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland

lemons was great. It seemed that everyone had lemons.

The road to Melfi was a nightmare. Traffic was backed up for miles. We met
a bride trying to get to the church and she as so frustrated that she had thrown her
veil off. We saw one wedding, so different from ours! The bride and the groom
arrived at the church together. All their friends and the Priest stood outside waiting
for them. The wedding pictures were then taken. The bride and groom led everyone
back into the church where every nook and crook was filled with gardenias. Another
day we went to the Isle of Capri where I had always wanted to go ever since it had
been the first popular song I learned to play on the piano. We saw the Blue Lagoon
which was really blue.

The Leaning Tower was leaning. The remains at Pompeonici were depressing.
So little was left after the volcano erupted. The people had become so wicked and
many felt this was an act of God, but I don’t agree. So many lost their lives and the
volcano ash got into everything. There was one figure by small fountain, which the
guide said "was two brothers who put wine it it so that their mistresses would get
drunk and their sexual desires were sated".

The churches in Italy were awesome and each one, to me, seemed to be more
beautiful than the rest. Again the group was each lighting a candle, and not wishing
to be left out, I did, too.

The food on the trip was good and they served wine at every meal and
everyone insisted it was safer than the water.

A sad part of the trip was the little girls begging and I was told that their
parents were watching from the perimeter to keep them safe. One day I was looking
in my purse to give a girl something when she reached under her shirt and pulled out
a beautiful leather pocketbook the likes of which I had never owned.

The Pope gave us a special blessing, reading our names out loud and he went
to shake hands with me, but I didn’t move, and he shook hands with a little Italian
girl next to me who promptly fainted. They do not use deodorant or shave their legs
and although she had beautiful white clothes on, she was not good to be next to.
The people stood with arms outstretched with rosaries and holy things for the Pope
to bless. I had bought three but they were back at the hotel. When we got to Milan
and went to the cathedral, I asked my priest friend to bless them, and brought them
black to my friends.

I was one of seven at the Vatican who got to go down where they are still
excavating under the Vatican. The early Christians lived down there. The Popes
were buried down there and there are bones they believe may be the bones of St.
Peter. The trip was in 1982 and this was before the Pope was shot and he walked
pass the crowd.

It was a beautiful trip. It was very hot, and in Rome when there was a traffic
jam, all the drivers would just let their cars sit and they would jump out to see what
was going on. When the traffic moved they'd jump back in their cars and away
they’d go. I threw coins in the Trevi Fountain which the superstition is that you will
return to Rome. A great hope, I'll grant you.

After I returned home, I stayed close to Ken who was a priest in Hamilton,
Ohio. I made visits to Milford, where we met, and visited Houston Woods where I
finally released Walter to Our Lord. I stood by a stream of water and said "As that
water flows away around stones or objects, I release Walter to You, Lord," and then


.27.

England Was My Birthplace (31)

Corresponds to page 28 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland

I ran and it was then that I was able to accept it and go on. As I said before, I had
taken early retirement to take the trip to Itlay because Ohio Bell would not give me
enough time off. I AM TRULY GRATEFUL FOR THIS TRIP.


CHURCH AND ORGANIZATIONS

I attended St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Westerville for many years and was the
Alter Guild director for seven years. The Cross outside the church was erected by our
family in memory of Walter. I was a Shepherd and prayer counselor and very active until I
was on a committee of three people to decide whether we should recommend my friend Ceci
for priesthood. It was most shocking to me how the priest, Ron Albert, reacted. To say
the least, Ceci left the church and turned to the Catholic Church. She had four Doctorate
degrees and is now at the Neumans Center on OSU campus where she teaches a class. She
and her husband taught English at the Josephinium College and are now divorced. I
later turned to the Catholic Church, too. Walter and I had joined the Moose and he
served in some positions. I went through the chairs, became senior regent and ultimately
a member of the College if Regents which meant I could wear a red stole. It is a good
organization, taking care of children whose parents have died, educating them through
college, and also some married skill. It also

photo
Edith - Top Left and
Friends of Moose Lodge

photo
Edith- Moose Lodge
Became a Member of College Regents

photo
Walter and Edith
Moose Celebration


.28.

England Was My Birthplace (32)

Corresponds to page 29 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland

cares for the sick and elderly at Moosehaven in Jacksonville, Florida. The Moose has
a bar, and many dances and dinners, so there was always much entertainment. Being
it’s in Worthington, I don’t go much anymore. Coming home late one night on the
Worthington Road, a man stood in the road and I stepped on the gas and he
jumped, but fear went through me and whether her needed help or mischief I'll
never know.

I joined the American Legion from Walter’s service record. I quickly became president
of the Westerville Post. We made trips to Chillicothe Veterans Hospital twice a year to
give the veterans who had had birthdays since we were last there a party. There was
lots of cake and dancing. I attended conventions twice in Toledo, once in Columbus,
and once in Cincinnati. We had reunions, marched in
parades on Memorial Day, made and put poppies on World War I veteran’s graves
on the Otterbein, Pioneer, and Blendon Cemeteries. We had Easter egg hunts and
Halloween parties for the kids, and sent Valentine and Christmas cards to our boys
in the service through Louisville, Kentucky.

We had moved from Columbus to Sunbury when Janet was in the eighth
grade, and found the community to be very tight, so our friends and acquaintances
lived in the Gardens, too. I didn’t have much time to neighbor, and also the English
in me didn’t want me to mix without a formal introduction. I worked at Ohio Bell
odd hours and eventually till 5:00 P.M. when Walter and I were able to travel back
and forth together. It seemed that things were beginning to shape our way, but
Walter became sick and then went blind. God moves in mysterious ways His
wonders to perform, and Walter’s blindness made a closeness that’s unexplainable.
I listened to tapes with him and read to him, and it seemed that he could read my
thoughts. When I read the Bible to him, he could tell me where I had left off
because I hadn’t a clue. He insisted that I keep my job and thank God he did for
it paid big dividends to me. I worked there for 22 years or so, met many people,
both black and white, and did some crazy things. One Christmas Eve before going
to the office, we went to a black bar, and the guys kept buying us drinks. When we
got to the office, the boss said, "Don’t open your desks." I fell asleep in the lounge
and there was poor Walter driving around looking for me. I first had worked as a
long distance operator and really enjoyed it, but I was promoted in a year to
supervisor. This looking for faults in others was not my bag. I then became a toll
investigator and from my desk could call anywhere in the U.S. to find people who

photo
Laura Denune, Megan and Melinda Geng
American Legion poppy Days


.29.

England Was My Birthplace (33)

Corresponds to page 30 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland


were cheating or equipment that was failing and correct it. It was very interesting
and challenging and it was amazing whom one met on line. I retired from toll
investigation.

In later life I’ve had some bad luck. An elevator at work fell with me, I’ve
had knee surgeries, a broken wrist, a broken ankle, a broken hip which needed
replaced and an hysterectomy. I’ve been bothered with back problems. Perhaps I'll
write more about this later.

I have a rotten, spoiled cat named Sunshine who spends time, sometimes
happy, sometimes crazy, but he keeps me mouse free which is one creature I really
fear. For that reason I was never able to go into an air raid shelter because of them
being underground and often the home of field mice.

photo
Edith at Home - 1998

photo
Ron, Elaine, Edith, Janet,
Walter holding James
Easter 1973

photo
Costume Party
Won 1st Prize


.30.

England Was My Birthplace (34)

Corresponds to page 31 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland

Family Photos

photo
Davis Cousins

.31.

England Was My Birthplace (35)

Corresponds to page 32 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland

photo
Four Generations
Walter Myers, Sr., Barbara, Walter Myers, Jr., and Jody

photo
Jody and Robin

photo
Jody, Robin,
Melinda, Megan Geng

photo
Melinda and Megan Geng

photo
Ron Myers

.32.

England Was My Birthplace (36)

Corresponds to page 33 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland

photo
Charles Denune and Dog, Bear

photo
Ron, Mark
Nathan, Elaine
Sarah Myers
1992

Charles, James
Burrell, Janet
Laura Denune
1992


.33.

England Was My Birthplace (37)

Corresponds to page 34 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland

photo
Gary, Barbara
Megan, Robin
Jody, Melinda Geng

photo
Cousins: Megan Geng and Sarah Myers

photo
The Grandchildren

.34.

England Was My Birthplace (38)

Corresponds to unnumbered page 35 of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland


The writings wore never concluded because my mother, Edith Hyland
Myers, had a heart attack on December 29th, 1998. If not for her
granddaughter, Megan, she would have died that night. Megan was able to get
help. However, Mom never regained consciousness and died a month later on
January 28, 1999.

I'm sure she would have had many more stories and pictures to include but
I decided not to add anything to her work - I just rearranged her writings into some
sort of order I hope she would a approve of. She had not done this yet as the book
was a work in progress.

Her daughter,

Janet Denune

England Was My Birthplace (39)

Corresponds to inside back cover of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland

England Was My Birthplace (40)

Corresponds to back cover of England Was My Birthplace by Edith Mercy Hyland Myers