A great-grandmother who moved into her house the day before the Second World War started is celebrating 75 years living in the three-bedroom property.
Beryl Willson, 79, moved into the semi-detached house in Ipswich, Suffolk, as a four-year-old in 1939.
The classic inter-wars property was built in 1935 - the year Mrs Willson was born - and had been bought by her parents Mason and Maud Garrard for just £375.
It has since been handed down to Mrs Willson, who bought it off her parents for £2000 when she married in 1961, and the widow is now celebrating living in the property for several decades.
She said: 'I can't believe I've been here so long.
'It's been a very happy home.
Great grandmother has lived in the same three-bedroom semi for 75 years, they moved in the day before WWII started.
'Our house was never damaged, but we had incendiary bombs dropped in the middle of our road.
'Although it was wartime we always walked to school by ourselves.
'They made it fun down the shelters for us children.
'I can remember the big barrage balloons down Sproughton Road on the Co-op site.
'We watched as two German soldiers came down on parachutes near there and they landed on Bramford Road railway bridge.
'My mum told us not to worry and said if they'd landed in our back garden she'd give them a cup of tea.'
Mrs Willson grew up in her beloved house with brother David, 76, and younger sister Veronica, 66.
The keen church-goer recalled: 'It was much more innocent in those days.
'We children walked to school on our own and neighbours looked out for one another.'
She married her sweetheart John Willson in 1961, when she was 26, and the newlyweds promptly bought her house from her parents.
The couple went on to bring up their own children there, having a daughter Roz and son Nigel, and have added several extensions including a conservatory to the property.
'Over the years new housing estates have gone up around here and neighbours have come and gone,' she said.
'But we've been so very happy here that we've never wanted to move.
'We've had good neighbours and we found that if we are friendly to people, they are friendly to us.'
She celebrated her golden wedding anniversary with John in October 2011 but he sadly passed away earlier this year.
Mrs Willson added: 'All my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren come here all the time.
'They all love coming here and I like their company.
'I'd like to think that one of them keeps the house when something happens to me!
Source: the dailymail
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