I Remember, I Remember BY THOMAS HOOD I remember, I remember, The house where I was born, The little window where the sun Came peeping in at morn; He never came a wink too soon, Nor brought too long a day, But now, I often wish the night Had borne my breath away! I remember, I remember, Where I was used to swing, And thought the air must rush as fresh To swallows on the wing; My spirit flew in feathers then, That is so heavy now, And summer pools could hardly cool The fever on my brow! I remember, I remember, The fir trees dark and high; I used to think their slender tops Were close against the sky: It was a childish ignorance, But now 'tis little joy To know I'm farther off from heav'n Than when I was a child.

SHIRLEY HIPWELL Thank you all for coming today to celebrate the life of my mum Shirley Hipwell. Born Shirley Elizabeth Rose Fishenden on 17th September 1937. She grew up in the small village of Goudhurst, in Kent. As a child she lived through World War Two staying in Kent, experiencing rationing, and the subsequent austerity years that followed. She was quite academic passing her 11+ exam but sadly never went on to grammar school. She married a local Goudhurst boy Leslie John Maynard (my dad) on 17th August 1957, and subsequently bore two sons, Trevor and John. Early married life consisted of a string of military "married quarters" as dad was in the Royal Navy in various locations around the world including Malta where incidentally my brother Trevor was born! They finally settled down and purchased a home in Elm Grove, Hayling Island. As a family we spent some happy years in Elm Grove but unfortunately for mum and dad it ended in divorce. After this mum was lucky enough to meet and marry Bert Hipwell. Bert was a great partner and stepfather, he did everything to make her happy, they spent their time together travelling to various locations around the world. When Berts health began to fail they relocated from Elm Grove to Harvey Brown House where they found a great circle of friends and fun. Sadly Bert passed away in 2013. Mum always loved and looked after her family ensuring we never went without, a good example being at meal times and her Sunday roasts were always the best! As a family we were lucky enough to be able to spend time together at my brothers in Cornwall just prior to her death. Barbecues and visits to the pub were the order of the day along with a few pints of the Cornish cider "Rattler" which she did enjoy. Mum will be sadly missed. We will always love and remember her. Thank you.

Thank you for setting up this memorial to Shirley. We hope that you find it a positive experience developing the site and that it becomes a place of comfort and inspiration for you to visit whenever you want or need to.