Sometimes when I am browsing through the Arcade, I come across the most unexpected items.
Today, I had a little time on my hands so I decided to pop into the Arcade to see if I could find any ballet related items for my granddaughter who has commenced ballet lessons in her home town. On this occasion I could not find anything on ballet, but I did find an old cardboard tube and four certificates which aroused my interest as they had once belonged to a Irene Hewitt and are dated between 1938 and 1944. They were just four random certificates sitting next to an empty tube amongst many other items in the Junk Shop, as it is affectionately known. The ticket price was all of fifty pence, but what I had found was a window into the life of a woman during some of the most turbulent years of the last century.
In date order, the first certificate was issued to Irene by The Institute of Commerce on the 4th of April 1938. It informed her that she had been awarded a first class certificate in Handwriting This certificate had been issued in Birmingham but noted that Irene was from Warrington.
The second certificate was issued on the 18th January 1939 by the Pitman’s Shorthand Institute in London. It tells us that Irene had been taught her shorthand by The Business College in Warrington and that she been examined by Pitman’s and was able to copy shorthand at a rate of one hundred and fifty words a minute. One might have thought that Irene was destined for a career as a secretary and that she might have passed other similar examinations at the time. But, the two remaining certificates that I found showed that Irene had appeared to have changed direction in the years after 1939.
The certificates in question were issued in 1943 and 1944 by the same institution namely The Royal School of Music in London. The 1943 certificate notes that Irene had achieved a Grade Seven Advanced on the pianoforte under the instruction of a Miss Fry. The 1944 certificate is similar but notes that Irene had achieved a Grade Eight Final on the pianoforte under the instruction of the same teacher. And that was it.
I met Irene in 1938 but did not see her again after 1944. Her life was contained on four certificates which are rich in detail but shrouded in mystery. Had she changed her ambitions after the war started, although it is quite a big jump from the office to the pianoforte? Or, was the office only a filler whilst she pursued her main ambition? After all, I only have four certificates in my possession and for all I know, there might have been many others detailing her achievements in both fields. It is unlikely that I will ever find out unless I engage in a forensic examination of her life and times.
Looking at the dates on the certificates I would hazard a guess to say that Irene was born between 1910 and 1920 so there is a chance that she might still be with us. This said, as you are aware, I purchased these certificates from the Arcade which does tend to indicate that they were part of an estate. I am not an expert, but I have seen this type of ephemera show up there before as the result of house clearances and the like. In a way I do not want to find out as I am satisfied with this small window of Irene’s life.
I would like to think that Irene excelled on the pianoforte and lived (or is living) a long and happy life and that she did not sink in the boredom of office life as many of us do.
Music is a gift from the Gods but sadly shorthand is not a gift from the Gods, however brilliant it is.
If you knew Irene or are/were related to her please drop us a line. The Arcade will be glad to hear from you.
Happy Hunting
Stuart Miller-Osborne
