(1896-1988)
The only child of wealthy parents, Hilda had a plethora of talents. She was gifted in multiple forms of arts and crafts, including needlework, painting, photography, gardening, flower arranging, dressmaking and woodcarving. She wrote newspaper and magazine articles, published children’s books and designed and produced toys. She also volunteered as a nursing auxiliary through two world wars.
Wartime
Hilda was 18 when the First World War began. Before the war her life had consisted of lessons at home with a governess, horse riding, tennis and tea parties. When war broke out she was keen to do what she could to help. After a short training, she left her comfortable home to work as a Red Cross volunteer at Southampton General Hospital. There she looked after wounded soldiers. They arrived direct from the trenches in France, muddy, lice-ridden and stinking. This must have been a shocking experience for a girl from a sheltered upbringing, but she stuck it out.
Hilda married Clement Cotterill-Davies, an army officer, in 1917. He had been involved in several fierce battles on the Western Front, including the Somme, and was wounded several times. Money was tight during the depression years so Hilda devised various money-making schemes. She wrote numerous magazine articles and two children’s books, all of which earned small fees.
In 1933, when times were hard due to the economic downturn, Hilda and Clement made good use of Hilda’s craft skills when they set up a toy factory called Pixie Toys. They produced teddy bears, other stuffed animals and dolls. Their teddy bears, especially ‘Honey Bear’ made out of silk plush, are still sought after by collectors today.
Hilda’s sons, Hugh and Roddy, joined the British Army when the Second World War broke out. Hilda returned to the Red Cross, where she volunteered once more. This time she was a commandant in the Staffordshire branch, responsible for leading a team of auxiliary nurses.
Lymington
After the war, Hilda and Clement moved south to the New Forest. Considerably older than his wife, Clement died not long after the move, but she lived for many more years. She played a leading role in the Lymington branch of the Women’s institute, the Needlework Guild and the Community Centre. She led the Flower Club and founded a society for button collectors, another of her interests. A natural leader, she was in demand as a speaker to local groups on her various hobbies and interests. When her large house became too big to manage, she designed and built a smaller one in the kitchen garden. Fearless and fiercely independent, she lived alone until her death at the age of 92.
For more information on this story see: Angela Coulter, A Stream of Lives, Matador Press 2021, available from Troubador Bookshop