Synopsis Of The Life Of Gladys Florence Kay (Née Denton)
Compiled by Alan Kay

Gladys Florence Denton was born on December 12th 1903, the eldest daughter of George Richard and Florence (née Sanders) Denton. At the time of her baptism on March 6th 1904 her address is given as 27 St John's Road, Penge, S.E. and her father's occupation, that of Grocer. The officiating Minister was the Rev. Thomas Henry Bickerton of the Primitive Methodist Church, Penge, Surrey.

George Richard Denton, the father of Gladys, her brother Jack and younger sister Eva, was brought up on the family farm at Mold, Flintshire, where he learned the grocery and catering trade. Some time towards the end of the 1800's he went to London to seek his fortune. It was as a grocery manager in South London that he married Florence Sanders on Christmas Day 1902. During WWI he owned a café and shop in City Road, London where Gladys and her brother and sister helped out. They lived near to the Honourable Artillery Company barracks at Bunhill Fields and Gladys held memories of those days and of the young soldiers who frequented the café there. She also knew well the nearby Bunhill Burial Ground, where a number of famous people are interred.

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When Gladys was about 18 her mother, Florence aged about 50, died of tuberculosis. A few years later her father contracted smallpox and later married the nurse who had cared for him during his illness. While the house was quarantined Gladys would let down an empty basket on a rope from an upper window so that her future husband, William, could shop for the family and send the basket up aloft again. Gladys married William on October 12th 1927 and they lived in Kings Square, off Goswell Road, where their three children were born, before moving to 76 Morton Road, Islington.

On the outbreak of WWII Gladys, determined not to be separated from her children who were then aged 10, seven and five applied to become a billeting officer's assistant and was thus able to accompany her children when they were evacuated to Bletchley in Buckinghamshire. Like many other families at that time Gladys had to bring the children up almost alone, because William was a fireman stationed in London with the National Fire Service.

Eventually, with the war at an end and the family reunited, Gladys enjoyed watching her children grow up - leave school - start their careers - and finally, all marry and leave home to have families of their own. Her grandchildren, to whom she was a loving and supportive grandmother, was a source of great joy to her, as also were her great-grandchildren too. Unfortunately, in about 1980 she was diagnosed as suffering from Parkinson's disease, which made things increasingly difficult for her as the years went by. However, despite the effects of this debilitating illness she retained her quiet dignity until dying quietly at home on February 27th 1990.

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