Banstead Village

Smartie's Retirement Party – October 1967

Miss Smart (Smartie) ran the warehouse above F.W. Woolworth in Banstead single-handed, apart from a nice Saturday boy called Eddie, who was a Mod and had a scooter. His father was a local policeman.

Miss Sharp was taken on when the two warehouse men went off to fight in 1939. She did such a good job that after the war, she was kept on.

She also looked after her elderly parents and her Sheltie and at lunchtime could be seen going back to the flat opposite the church she shared with them to walk Laddie and get her parents' lunch.

I never called her Smartie as only adults could do that. She was feared by most of us, but it was only because she cared about her job; it was her life after her fiancé was killed in the war. She knew where every item was and how many she had of everything it was all in her head or in her ledger.

In the photograph, the first three ladies on left are old members of staff who had come to wish her a happy retirement.
No. 4 is Mrs Smith, 5 another old staff member, above her Peggy, 6 unknown, 7 (half a head) Betty from Yewlands Close, 8 (only her hair) Maxine, 9 Jean, 10 Janice Kemp, 11 Mrs Hollis’ sister, 12 &13 ? 14 Minnie Bowers (cook) 15 Ivy (cleaner)
Front row 1 or 2 Mrs Hollis (Staff Supervisor), 3 Miss Smart 4 Pat Vanstone (Supervisor).