1904 Alan Sheard’s mom Florrie Eastwood was born to Pheobe (Nee Mayall) and Harry Eastwood. Now not much is known about Pheobe but Harry Eastwood had an interesting history. He was the son of James Eastwood and Sophia (nee Gray). He had a two brothers; one who was a barber and another, John, played the violin.

Harry served in the Boer War with the West Riding of Yorkshire’s 33^rd Regiment (known locally as the Dirty 33rds.) He was a signaller, by means of a heliogragh. He served, therefor, as a heliographer in the company of the great scout Sir Baden Powell (founder of the Boy Scouts.) His grandson Alan seemed to be a chip off the old block when he later became radio officer in the Merchant Marine during World War II, but we’ll get to that later...

Harry had two daughters Florrie, who was the eldest, and Mary (her sister born in 1906.)

Florrie Eastwood was a good student and enjoyed school but was unable to continue her schooling after 11 years of age. As with everyone else in her time boys and girls had to go to work to contribute to the family earnings, as wages were so low that working 10-12 long hours a day was the norm.

Although Florrie had to go to work at a cotton mill she never lost her keen desire to learn. She went on to manage a restaurant called the Pavilion Pantry, which was attached to the Pavilion Hotel in Scarborough. It was owned by the renowned actor Charles Laughton and his family. After that she became the manageress of a dry goods store.

Florrie was ever an avid reader and always kept up with current events, adding to her store of knowledge throughout her long and interesting life. She was an interesting person, a lively conversationalist, and a joy to talk with. You never doubted what a gracious lady, in the most traditional sense of the word, that she was.

Florrie’s teen years were very happy ones for her and her sister Mary. Mary later married William Shaw and had one daughter Patricia. William was an avid cricketer.

Florrie belonged to a local amateur theatre group which staged mostly Gilbert & Sullivan plays. What a pity they didn’t have video cameras then or we could watch her performing as she played many plays including H.M.S. Pinafore, The Gondoliers, and The Mikado. Her favourite part was playing one of the Three Little Maids and she would often sing that particular song. Her memory was so vivid that she knew all the words and songs of the many plays they did.

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Last Revised: 10/20/1997