In loving memory
In loving memory of Murial Hine, 1915 to 2007.
Murial Hine, was born on June 15th 1915 in
Birkenhead, Cheshire. Her proud parents Ernest Hine,
a Warwickshire man, had moved to the area from South
Wales to take up a new job in Spiller Mills. He was
married to Esther Jones, a young woman he had met
whilst working as a Laundry Man in Canton, Cardiff.
Murial was the first of three children and
represented a new start in life for her family in
England. She used to tell me how she was a bit of a
live wire, looking for mischief and sneaking out
through bedroom windows when she supposed to be
grounded for having arguments with her sisters!
[Sourced BMD Record]
Ancestry of Murial Hine.
Murial as a young woman.
Nanna told me that it was during her work at Kodak
(adding colour to black and white 'snaps' by hand
painting the details), she first set eyes on a young
man called Charles who used to deliver the
photographs to customers. She would watch him coming
in and out and knew that he was the one for her. Not
that she didn't have other young men after her, as
she recalled.
She married into the Smyth family just before the
start of the second world war. Charles survived the
war and they went on to have three children; Chris,
Malcolm and Pauline.
When the family moved to wales, Nanna worked long
hours in a roadside cafe they set up in Prestatyn.
She said it was one of the hardest things she had
ever done but if you didn't put the effort in then
you got nothing in return. Later the cafe was closed
and a new part of the business flourished - Lobitos
Tyre Depot.
Nanna and gardens go together like strawberries and
cream. She loved her flowers and plants. Taking
displays to several local horticultural competitions
and most times coming home with a winning bloom.
Sometimes we would enter into the events in the
children's section with a painting, miniature garden
or some such thing. I think I won 50p once. Her
gardens were open to the public on some days as part
of the national scheme to raise funds for various
charities. I remember being enlisted, with several
others, to wash the china after all those cups of tea
for visitors! Oh how we loved them.... not. She
thought it was funny when I told her how dreadful
doing the washing up was and at least we could joke
about it now because we didn't dare complain at the
time.
On the subject of gardens, every year when I was a
child, they would come with us, to the Isle of Man,
on holiday. She was always plucking parts of plants
she would walk past in the glens and other places '
to take cuttings' and buying things in garden
centres. I remember we came home one year not being
able to put our feet on the floor because of the
biggest plant pot and plant you have ever seen,
stuffed between the seats in the back of the
Volkswagon! How funny it must have looked!
Next to garden her work for the church at Nant Hall
was an important part of her life. She said she
hadn't intended to get on just about every committee
- it just kind of happened and she was stuck with it!
She was treasurer for lots of things and secretary at
one point. Her Ladies Guild, jumble sales and tea and
coffee mornings - mostly to raise funds for the
Leprosy Mission. Up until she died
she still enjoyed reading the Leprosy Mission news letters and
always talked about how devastating the disease
still is, even though a cure is now available. It
was something she believed in passionately.
Nanna discovered painting later in life, using oils
and water-colours. Her favourite was an oil painting
she did of a photo of the Mona Lisa. She kept the photo she
worked from in her draw by her bed and the
painting on the wall. She said her eyes always
followed her. She did hundreds of paintings of
woodlands and countryside scenes from wall
calendars.
Murial Smyth died on December 21st 2007.
You will be missed by everyone who knew you. Thank
you for your presence and the memories you left with
us. May you find a gentle welcome in Heaven. Love
Donna Louise xx
