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Note: her knuckles persuaded her to encourage her children to use predominantly their right hands. She won a scholarship to a grammar school but was unable to attend as her parents moved from Wales to Wokingham at that time. Instead therefore she attended George Palmer School, Wokingham, walking 3 miles there and back each day. Rose worked at the Reading and Caversham Laundry before her children were born. Both Daphne and Alan were born by Caesarian section after twins had died in 1941 - one being stillborn and the other living only a few days. She weighed only 6 stone 12 lbs at the time of her marriage and her internal measurements were too small for the size of children (9 lbs 4oz and 10 lbs 8 oz respectivelty) for a natural birth to succeed. She encouraged both her children to achieve their highest potential and was adamant that they should have the education she missed out on. She had beautiful cursive handwriting and enjoyed knitting, embroidery and other creative pastimes, making things for her family, Sunday School and Girls' Life Brigade. At the time of her death from cancer of the pancreas, she was a member of Whitley Hall Methodist Church, its Cradle Roll Secretary, Leader of the Explorer section of its 1st Reading Girls' Brigade company and the Deputy Leader of the Beginners' Department of its Sunday School.
A Children's Corner was erected at Whitley Hall in her memory and 4 guide dogs (Topsie, Rose, Rose and Phine) were bought, named and trained as a result of her encouraging the 1st Reading Explorers to collect milktops then halfpennies as part of their Collectors badge. She also involved her work colleagues at the Abbey Junior School and the Beginners Department of Whitley Hall Sunday School in collecting milktops then money for the Guide Dog for the Blind Association.
She had also encouraged the youngsters to support the Save the Children Fund and the Explorers had received several awards from SCF for their help under her guidance. She was renowned for always being surrounded by children as she would walk several from the Home Farm Close area up the hill to Sunday School and Girls Brigade each Sunday and Thursday after their parents had seen them safely across the Basingstoke Road to her home at 232.
Note: Rose was naturally left-handed but her experiences at school of being rapped on
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