大象传媒

When the war ended thousands of women faced a harsh future alone without their husbands. Annie Marriot from Camp Road (now Oatland Road), Leeds, lost her husband George a couple of years after the war ended and faced a difficult life running the family dairy business and raising their two sons on her own.

Her grandson Alan and his wife Rene believe Annie didn鈥檛 receive a widow鈥檚 pension from the army as George died in 1920, after the war had ended and she needed to keep on working. His death certificate cites George鈥檚 cause of death as a 鈥渟hell wound in left leg鈥� and 鈥渟eptic broncho pneumonia鈥�.

After his death George鈥檚 two young sons, William and Harry, sometimes had to collect the milk for the dairy from the railway station before they went to school and Annie pushed a handcart around Leeds. Rene describes Annie as being a 鈥渉ard northern woman鈥�.

William went on to marry a woman of similar character and this had an impact on William鈥檚 son, Rene鈥檚 husband, Alan. She adds: 鈥淭he war has cast long shadows over our family鈥�.

Location: Oatland Road (formerly known as Camp Road), Leeds LS7 1JR
Image: Annie Marriot, who lived on Camp Road, courtesy of Alan and Rene Marriot
Presented by Jane Chesworth

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