Evelyn was born in Halton, Buckinghamshire at an RAF hospital.
Her mother, Dorothy was a trainee nurse, but unfortunately caught Scarlet fever which halted her career progression. She was instructed to rest and live life at a slow pace whilst in recovery, so she joined the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI), supporting the soldiers and selling goods to them when they were home.
This is where she met her husband George, who was an RAF instructor. They got on really well and became a couple soon after.
As Evelyn’s father was an instructor in the RAF, she remembers moving frequently, depending on where he was stationed. This meant Evelyn went to many schools in her early life.
Four years after Evelyn’s birth, her parents gave birth to her sister, Vivienne. From a young age, Vivienne was very academic and years later went on to study History at Oxford University.
At the age of 15, Evelyn was called by the ministry of education to work in a typing pool. She found the job very boring and despite paying her some money, she left to work elsewhere.
Her next role was working at a theatrical agency for Lord Lew Grade, a well-known business mogul in the media industry. She started as a short-hand typist but was promoted to Secretary after a colleague became ill.
While working for Lord Lew, Evelyn met Tony Hancock. Little did she know at this time, but Tony would go on to become a well-known actor and comedian.
They would go to dances together, but remembers he wasn’t very good so she would often find other partners. She remembers this making Tony quite jealous and after dating for four years, the couple parted ways but always stayed friends.
Later in life, Tony went on to host his own BBC TV show called Hancock’s half. It was a comedy show with actor Sid James and very popular at the time.
Evelyn met her husband, Arthur in London’s Nuffield club where he played the piano. She said it was love at first sight and the same night, asked if he would play the piano for her friend's band. He agreed and after an enjoyable evening, the couple soon began dating. She said he was a real gentleman and would always pay for her taxi home.
He knew she was the one and proposed soon after they started dating. Evelyn was delighted and they got married at the English Martyrs Church in Streatham. Tony came to the service too as by this time he was a good family friend.
Her career after marriage was spent working in Heffers book shop. During her 15 years’ service, she read many books and enjoyed learning.
Now living at Brook House Care Home, Evelyn still enjoys reading and learning. She recently started to learn Latin and has grown such an interest, she is considering taking up an Open University course in the subject.
“You’re never too old to learn something new”.