Margaret Gill
Margaret Gill
Margaret Gill when she was a schoolgirl
Margaret Gill ‘Aunty Peg’
Not all superwomen wear a cape. My Aunty Peg was a superwoman without uniform or costume.
I don’t think that she ever saw herself as someone out of the ordinary let alone a superwoman, but she was extra special.
We, the Christisons, lived in 1 Leighton Buildings at Old Cornforth and my mother’s family, the Gills, lived next door at number 2.
Mam’s parents, Joe Dobbin and Elizabeth Gill had five children, Tom, William, Joe Dobbin, my mam Mary and Margaret (Aunty Peg) who was the youngest.
Her brother Joe Dobbin was killed in an accident at Thrislington Colliery.
We moved to 5 Birch Road in 1949. Aunty Peg and her parents stayed in Old Cornforth. Aunty Peg moved into a prefab in the 1950s.
My mam died of thrombosis in 1953 leaving Ronnie, Joan and Dennis, her three children aged 13, 9 and 7 in the sole care of my dad. When her sister, my mam, died difficult decisions had to be made.
Aunty Peg decided to support dad by helping care for us and look after our home.
Most people who bring up young children learn what to do gradually, acquiring and refining their child care skills from the birth of their first born and subsequent children as they each develop and grow.
Aunty Peg saw our family’s need, stepping in and stepping up to take on three motherless children and their dad.
Aunty Peg helped my dad keep his young family together at home with him. Aunty Peg’s support made it possible for us to stay in our home with our dad.
We had lost our mam but Aunty Peg made sure we did not lose the comfort of home and selflessly put her own life to one side to care for us.
Aunty Peg jumped in at the deep end. Learning as she went along she did a good job for which we were, and will always be, very grateful. At the time we didn’t realise what a big ask it was.
Every credit to her that we were allowed to take her for granted.
So who was this amazing woman?
Margaret Gill was my mother’s sister.
Born on the 1 May 1920 ‘Aunty Peg’ as we knew her was thirty three when her sister died leaving her husband and three children motherless.
During the war Aunty Peg worked at the munitions factory in Spennymoor.
Aunty Peg’s brother Tom and his wife Florence had a shop at 7 High Street and Aunty Peg worked there in the early 1950s.
Aunty Peg moved into her own prefab in the 1950s after her mother, our grandmother died. Aunty Peg had looked after her mother until she died.
When my mam died Aunty Peg extended her caring role to look after our home, our dad and the three of us, Joan, Ronnie and me, Dennis, her niece and nephews.
After her mother died Aunty Peg had moved to a prefab at the end of Sycamore Road. As Aunty Peg slipped into the role of caring for us she shared her time between her own home and our place.
Eventually Aunty Peg gave up her home and moved into Birch Road with us.
Dad employed Aunty Peg as a housekeeper. He ‘put her national insurance stamp on’ to cover her health care and pension contribution.
Aunty Peg took full responsibility for managing the house, which she did very well. Dad handed over his wage packet unopened and she gave him his pocket money.
He trusted her completely as all of us did. When we started work we all handed over our wages. Aunty Peg was an excellent Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Each day had its own routine of cleaning, baking, cooking, washing and ironing.
Aunty Peg was a creature of habit that included shopping for our needs each day.
Removed the photograph of Ronnie, Auntie Peg, Joan, Dad and Dennis.
Aunty Peg was a good neighbour and was loved and respected by each of them, their children and in time her children’s children. Many of them called her Aunty Peg and thought of her as part of their family.
On Saturday Aunty Peg liked visiting the markets in Bishop Auckland or Durham as well as, occasionally, Stockton, which was a bit of an adventure requiring her to change buses in Coxhoe.
More often than not Aunty Peg went to Bishop Auckland on Saturdays with our neighbour Mrs Miller. They had been neighbours in Leighton Buildings on the Green in Old Cornforth and were neighbours in Birch Road.
They caught the G and B at 1.30 and were back in Doggie on the 3.55. They usually had a few kids tagging along. I
It is testament to Aunty Peg’s care for us that the impact of mam’s death wasn’t more catastrophic. Looking after three children must have been hard work but Aunty Peg just seemed to get on with it.
Always neat and clean Aunty Peg had no interest in fashion. Every time she went out she wore a headscarf and continued to do so, like the Queen, long after they stopped being fashionable.
Her priorities were the needs of others. Aunty Peg always put other people first.
Aunty Peg used to go to the Guild and Women’s Institute but truth to tell she seemed happiest at home than anywhere.
That said Aunty Peg wasn’t anti-social, she was a good listener and a loyal friend.
Aunty Peg went round to have a cup of tea with her close neighbour every morning. Aunty Peg never took a holiday. The most she ever did was take a day trip.
Photograph of Mrs Miller and Auntie Peg
Photograph of Fun at the sea side
Aunty Peg was no pushover.
Photograph of Aunty Peg
I have had a lifelong interest in trainspotting and spent my free time at the Jubilee Bridge and Ferryhill Bank. In pursuit of my hobby I was allowed to travel as far as Leeds, Newcastle or York.
One day while on York Station we were advised that a certain loco would pass through Doncaster.
Unable to resist the desire to see it I jumped on a train to Doncaster.
On arrival in Doncaster I bumped into a friend of Auntie Peg who was on her way home.
Auntie Peg knew where I was before I left Doncaster to travel home. I had a lot to answer for when I eventually got back.
When Val and I married we moved to Blyth. Aunty Peg came to visit. Once there she found it hard to settle, was uncomfortable staying overnight and couldn’t wait to get back to Doggie. After we all left home Aunty Peg stayed on to look after dad. Dad died in 2004 and Aunty Peg continued to live in Birch Road until her death in January 2009.
Young people were drawn to Aunty Peg. Many people have fond memories of her and speak of kindnesses she showed towards them, recognising when they were struggling, and providing practical help such as taking their children to school when their mam needed to be at work before the start of school.
What goes around comes around, when Aunty Peg became ill friends and neighbours were there for her.
Aunty Peg was entirely selfless. Our lives would not have been good without all she did for us. We will always be thankful for her help and support through our lives.
Like I said not all superwomen wear capes.
Dennis Christison and Margaret Sowerby in discussion with Julie Leitheiser March 2020
