Cathy Lambert

Mother - Jean Billington nee McLeay born The George Inn Chertsey 4/1/1927 Father -Peter Charles Billington born The Garage at the back of The Shakespeare, Northampton 4/5/1926

Maternal Grand-Mother – Lillian McLeay nee Turner born in Tipperary Army Barracks Grand-Father – Robert Gosby McLeay born in Greenock, Renfrewshire

Paternal Grand –Mother – Florence Mabel Billington nee Welch Northampton Grand-Father - Charles Edwin Billington Northampton

I was born on 2nd October 1955 to Peter and Jean Billington. We lived at 7, Ashley Way, Westone, Northampton. My sister was born on 13th May 1958. We moved to 47 Woodside Avenue Boothville, Northampton in November 1966.

I married Gerald Lambert on 7th August 1976. We met at the County Ground Disco in Northampton. We have four children Andrew born at The Barratt on 1st January 1978, Michael born at The Westbury, Newport Pagnell 1980, Nicola born at The Barratt 5th July 1983 and Jessica born at Milton Keynes Hospital 19th October 1985.

We have two Grandchildren with Andrew Dylan born 25th January 1999

and Peter born 3rd March 2002.

I have lived in Wolverton Milton Keynes since August 1976 and been involved in various organisations in my time here.

My Timeline

I was educated at Weston Favell Primary School from 1960 to 1969. I then moved next door to Weston Favell Secondary School from 1969 to 1972. When I left school, I started as a bank clerk at 41, The Drapery, Northampton for National Westminster Bank Ltd, as a cheque book clerk. This job involved standing at an individual printing press and printing up the cheque books for customers.

Andrew born 1st January 1978 9.20am after celebrating with the Conga at 2am at the Royal Engineers Stratford Rd, Wolverton. Michael was born on 4th May 1980, on my dads 54th birthday. He arrived 21 days early at the Westbury Nursing home in Newport Pagnell. By 12 noon we were in Northampton Hospital as the fluid to keep his lungs apart hadn’t developed sufficiently for him to breathe unaided. He was born at 6.10am and weighed 6lb. 10oz. He is now a 6 foot, 14 stone rugby player and sports technician at the Upper School he was educated at in his childhood.

Nicola was the next one to be born. She arrived on 5th July 1983. As she was breech I was not allowed to have her at The Westbury, so she was born at The Barratt Northampton, where both my husband and I were born. Nicola was married to Scott Belfitt on 9th April 2005 at Newmillerdam in Yorkshire and they have set up home in Puerto Del Carmen in Lanzarote.

Jessica was the last of our children to be born on 19th October 1985. She is the only one of our children that was born in Milton Keynes as the hospital was built then. She was born at 8.03am. I went to the hospital on my own as my husband had to look after the other three children. He phoned at 8.15am to find out how I got on.

Family life was quite hectic at times. We enjoyed many family holidays and outings. All the children now have partners and Andrew has two sons, Dylan, who is 6 and Peter, who is 3. The others are all settled now away from home and look like they are set for life with their partners.

Gerald and I now have the house to ourselves along with my various archives of documents, photographs and now family videos. The addition of my parents furniture adds to the clutter of the place. I am trying to organise myself ready to celebrate my 50th birthday this year. I am visiting my auntie Barbara, my mums 85 year old sister, who emigrated to America after marrying an American and going over as a G.I. bride. My mum was an evacuee and my auntie 85 year old, Auntie Betty, on my dads side, was a Sergeant in the 2nd World War and a wireless operator in Jersey when the Germans invaded. She was in contact with Bletchley Park.

On the day of my 50th birthday I hope to be drinking Champagne in an Indian tepee having flown down by helicopter at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Before I am 60 I aim to be a Barrister having studied with the Open University and going on more summer schools.

My husband’s granddad was in Libya in the 2nd World war and has a fantastic photo album of the Holy Land when he was out there. He also found a film with a picture of Rommel on it, one of my many treasures.

My life now is very hectic as a Wolverton & Greenleys Town Councillor. Wolverton is in the process of great change, within Milton Keynes, in the South-East of England. In fact the village where my Auntie Betty lives, St. Mary Bourne, Hampshire is also going through similar changes. It is the same distance from Waterloo station, London, as we are from Euston, in Wolverton. The two communities are quite different with St. Mary Bourne being a rural village and Wolverton a Railway Town.