Helen Griffin

Mrs Griffin was born in Beverly, East Yorkshire, on July 15, 1933. She was the third child in a family of ten.

The grandmother of four, and great-grandmother of two, joined the St John’s Ambulance cadets at the age of 16 in 1949 and then carried on to do nursing training at Beverly Westwood Hospital. She left Beverly Westwood to carry on with midwifery at St John’s in Leeds.

Whilst growing up and Mrs Griffin was a keen swimmer and was asked if she would like to train for the Olympics, but she had her heart set on bring a nurse so declined. After qualifying in midwifery, Mrs Griffin applied to the Crown Agents for the colonies and got a post as sister and midwife at the European hospital in Tanga, Tanzania, where she met her husband-to-be David, who was working in Dar es Salaam. Their courtship was conducted courtesy of a Dakota airplane.

The couple married in 1958 and celebrated their honeymoon on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. Just one year later they were blessed with their son Stuart. After being told she could not have any more children, they were delighted when daughter Deborah was born in 1960.

The couple returned to England in 1962 after the African country’s independence, firstly living in Bristol before moving to Devizes in 1970 where Helen worked as a senior sister and midwife in the Devizes District Hospital.

Later in her career Mrs Griffin carried on her work in nursing and became the matron of Trowbridge Hospital, something she was very proud of. Sadly not long after her appointment her health began to deteriorate and she took early retirement. Mrs Griffin and her husband David then moved to Semington, where she took up making and selling porcelain dolls.

Her husband David, who died in January of this year, cared for her at home until she went into Cepen Lodge care home in Chippenham. The family would like to thank the staff at Cepen Lodge for their kindness towards her.

Mrs Griffin’s funeral took place on Friday, October 7.