Derbyshire woman to sell wartime gift of doll - cherished for 84 years - 'a memento of hope amid conflict'

Mary Cox’s family was torn apart when her father Cyril was conscripted into the British army and forced to leave his wife and two children.

Despite the deeply traumatic time, the arrival of a special delivery from France cheered them up. A parcel from France landed at the family home in Poole, Dorset in time for Mary’s fourth birthday. Inside was a charming Brittany doll in traditional lady folk costume. Sent with love hy her father, she immediately adored the gift.

However, at the age of 88, the retired teacher has finally decided to let her treasured toy go and it will be auctioned on January 25, with an estimate of £60 to £80.

Mary, who lives near Derby, said: “It seems sad to part with the doll now but my younger family members are not especially interested in keeping her, so I hope she can find a new home where she will be treasured and her wartime history and travels around the country remembered.

“The doll wouldn’t have spent a lifetime with me if there hadn’t been a war. It’s difficult reflecting on those wartime experiences as they were so traumatic. The memory of those years has lasted a lifetime. It’s probably hard for those who haven’t lived through a war to appreciate the emotional effect, but as a family we would readily be in tears at mention of the war and even now, some 84 years later, days like Remembrance Sunday are hard to get through.

“My mother coped with looking after two children but the war years were difficult and our experiences were chequered and traumatic, from having evacuees planted on us, or us being the evacuees!

“My father’s French experience came to an end in June 1940. Many soldiers were rescued at Dunkirk but his regiment was stranded. After a long March to Nantes with the enemy advancing, he eventually evaded the Germans by boarding a stricken vessel, the Oronsay, to attempt the journey to England.

“Enemy aircraft circled overhead. The ship was bombed but stayed upright.

“A neighbouring ship, The Lancastria, sank. He witnessed the horror of its loss with some 3,000 people aboard. After several days at sea his ship limped into Plymouth harbour. He was then posted to Chilwell Barracks Toton, Long Eaton, Nottingham, to work on munitions. He stayed there for the rest of

the war.

“After a period of family separation he found a house in Toton for the four of us. So we moved from Poole leaving behind our beautiful house. This next residence was short lived as within three months the house was requisitioned by the army. Unable to return to Poole as our home had been rented, we were homeless.

“With difficulty we shared a small house with the family of an army friend. After some time we managed to find a house to rent in Beeston, Notts, but immediately had evacuees billeted on us. We had no furniture and used orange boxes for cupboards. We had no toys of significance and spent time

skipping, jumping, climbing trees and playing on bombed building sites. However, as a child I accepted what we had and do not remember being unhappy. During all these upheavals the doll and a teddy came too and had pride of place.

“Eventually after six years the war ended. My father, looking to improve his position, became a director of a House Furnishers company in Haslemere, Surrey. We moved on my 10th birthday in 1945 and, having not yet made friends, I had a little birthday party with the doll and the teddy bear!

“At first we lived in cramped conditions, all sharing the same bedroom, but eventually we were able to build our own small house and resume a life something like that experienced before the war.

“I went to the local grammar school, took college and university courses, became a teacher and spent most of my career training and educating teachers in various parts of the country - Salisbury, Leeds, Lancaster and Coventry. My final post was at the University of Derby. Throughout many moves possessions came too, including the doll. She continued with me wherever I went.

“In their latter years, my parents came to live near me in Derbyshire until they died, both aged 83, in 1987 and 1989 respectively."

The doll will be offered in Hansons Auctioneers’ January 25 Toy Auction with an estimate of £60 to £80.

Hansons said: “This special doll has an important tale to tell that will resonate with people all over the world. Millions of families have suffered, and are still suffering today, due to conflict. Mary’s story is one of many but it’s important that it should be told. The toy is a memento of hope amid conflict. It’s a reminder that family love will always find a way to rise above war and separation.”