My Story: May and Norman Carter

Members of the parish from 1951 until 2011

My mum and dad’s story is a love story.

Let me explain,

My mum (Mary Terese Ryan) was the eldest of six children, her mother was

a district nurse and her father would be in this country classed as a civil

servant. Nana Ryan (Maisie Etna Flynn) was born in Kells, County Meath

and my grandfather (Martin Joseph Patrick Ryan) was born in Dublin.

Maisie decided to leave the then small hamlet of Kells, famous for Book of

Kells, to go to Dublin City and train to be a nurse. It was there that she met

my grandad. In later years later generations produced three more nurses.

Life was good for the family, in Dublin, until they were rehoused during the

war when a land mine landed to near where they lived.

Then things began to change, my grandad became ill, sadly in October

1947 he passed away, after being nursed by his beloved wife. Unbeknown

to the rest of the family, my grandmother had become ill during the time she

was nursing my grandad. On the 10th January, 1948, she joined her

precious husband in heaven.

Life had changed dramatically, my mum became head of the family, difficult

times with the youngest being 9 and 13.

Jumping ahead to May, 1950, a holy year, mum was planning that year to

go to visit Rome with the choir she was part of, it was not to be. Instead of

Rome her best friend persuaded her to spend a weekend in Bray, a coastal

town which is famous for its “Bray Head”, which for the Holy Year a large

cross was placed on top of it. It’s still there now.

It attracted lots of visitors, from around Ireland and Britain. At the same time

Norman Carter, my dad, came to Bray the same weekend with his best

friend. They, among other things wanted to climb Bray Head and see the

famous cross.

As my mum was walking back to the sea front, her friend noticed a brownie

camera on the wall ahead of the beach, her friend was convinced that one

of the two men ahead of them owned the camera. She made it her

business, much to my mums annoyance to run ahead and give the camera

back to the young men. She later admitted to my mum that she did it in

order to meet them!

The four (three really, my mum was rather shy) agreed to meet at the new

ballroom that evening. My mum and dad sat talking most of the night, they

both said to me after it was love at first sight. My dad travelled to see my

mum on a regular basis, in fact the crew on the boat were on first name

terms with him.

He bought her a gold locket, which I still have and he told her that he loved

her. Sometime later before meeting her he went into Dublin City and

bought a beautiful diamond engagement ring. He could hardly wait to

propose to her! Seven attempts later, she said yes! Each attempt my mum

gave him a condition, for example, their own house, any children would be

baptised as catholics, married in a Catholic Church in Crewe and finally

the big one, her two youngest siblings would be coming with her!

They were married here in this church on 31st March, 1951, a very low key

wedding , my mum didn’t want a fuss, her parents were not there to witness

it, the money that was saved went in to providing a home for themselves

and my mums siblings.

My brother Norman arrived first and then, ten months after I was born, in

1955, on Christmas Eve, my dad was received into the Catholic Church at

St. Gabriel’s in Alsager. My mumhad no idea that he was receiving

instruction.

My Uncle Tony attended St Mary’s school, next to the church, my Auntie

Kath after leaving school worked at Marks and Spencer’s. Upon leaving

school my Uncle Tony worked in the Electric Shop in Crewe Works.

In September 1955, my brother, young Norman as he was called, was page

boy at Auntie Kath’s and Uncle Den’s wedding, I was just seven months

old.

From the time of my Mum and dad wedding , there have been, in our

church, seven baptisms, four weddings and sadly three requiem masses

and a requiem mass that wasn’t able to happen because of Covid.

I still visit Bray, I always pause at the wall where the camera was left, and

thank god for that moment, it’s wonderful that I can sit with Conor Martin

Ryan, my grandson on that wall and tell him this is where grandpa and

grandma met.

Anne Walker nee Carter