Ada Edith Johnson was born on 20th May 1922 and married twice, first to Frederick George Robert Smith and then second to Charles Bellamy. Ada died in July 2003 at the age of 81. She is my G Aunt on my mother's father's side. This picture was taken when she was 21 in 1943.

See Epitaph below

Ada's Epitaph

Most people live their lives in seperate compartments that are usually divorced from one another, the Ada (or Joan as she was known in the lab at County Hall) was probably vastly different from the Auntie Ada I knew as the wife of one of her Great Nephews, but the essence of a person prevails. So hopefully you will recognise my Ada as a young woman during the 2nd World War who worked in a municions factory. Alone with many other girls she used to put notes into the boxes for shipment to the troops. One of her notes was received by a young soldier named Fred Smith. The Pen Pal relationship that developed turned to courtship and ultimately to marriage. Sadly the marriage didn't work out and Ada subsequently met and married Charlie Bellamy who she outlived by some 30 years or more.

Ada wasn't blessed with any children of her own, but there can't be many children born into the family who's shawl of knitted clothes weren't designed and created by Ada. The one for my son was exquisite and by her own admission, my husband's was the best she ever did. She loved all of her Nieces and Nephews and as far as I know called them all Pet. But her greatest love was reserved for her brothers Harry and Benny, it was always my Harry or my Benny through good or bad times.

My lasting impression of Auntie Ada is that of a petite snappy dresser, with never a hair out of place, I can still see the neat blue rinse bobbing in a swimming pool on holiday in Spain - looking no different than if she'd just stepped out of the hairdressers.

She had a wonderful sense of the dramatic, a quick whit and sense of humour and a turn of the phrase, (that to quote Professor Higgins), would make a navvy blush.

This combination especially when in the company of her brothers meant that anecdotes would reduce you to tears of laughter, from the time the baby, (Ann), was nearly left behind in an air raid, to the early Spanish holidays that resembled Carry On films. Memories that wont ever be forgotten by those who shared the experience.

Buts lets remember Ada as one astonished bus driver did, on the day a lady wearing a white tee shirt, mini skirt and high heels sprinted after his bus, imagine his surprise when she climbed on and calmly presented her bus pass.

That was Ada, forever young at heart

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