Philippa Mary was the youngest daughter of Wilfred and Dorothy Thorley. She was born on the 10th February 1943 at the Common, Dilhorne. She was educated at Dilhorne Endowed School, St. Peter's School in Caverswall and Moorside Secondary Modern at Cellarhead.
She left school at fifteen and went to work at Betty Plant's sweet factory in Hanley. She worked there for six months whilst waiting for a place at the Elm's Technical College in Shelton where she had enrolled on a course to be a nursery nurse.
She then went on to work at Broom Street Day Nursery and Eaton Street Day Nursery, both in Hanley, Belgrave House Day Nursery in Dresden and Meir Nursery School.
After meeting her husband in 1959, she went to work at Barrs and Whalley, a ladies clothes shop in the Meir. She left shortly before having the first of her two children in 1966 and then became a full time mother.
Philippa was diagnosed with cancer in June 2009 and sadly passed away on 1st October 2009 at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.
Philippa was passionate about genealogy. She spent many years researching her family history and compiled a vast archive of information. This web site represents a small part of that research.
Thanks go to Vicki Justin (nee Backhouse), Ken Perkin in Canada and Philip Brayford for all the information they have provided. Ken's father, the late Jack Perkin, who was always willing to answer questions and identify photographs that were sent to him.
This site practices safe genealogy and respects the privacy of living relatives. Therefore, there is no data held on the database within this site that refers to any living person.