Gone from us exactly 50 years
I remember that day when I waved my Grandpa Hibbitt (Charles George Hibbitt) off in Greenbank Hospital in Plymouth fifty years ago. Although I was only nine years old, I had a sixth sense that it was the last time I would see my Gramps. There he stood in his red dressing gown with a rope-type belt tied tightly in the middle of his emaciated frame. He was dying of lung cancer and it wasn't too long before he succumbed to his illness.
The Hibbitt Family 1968 - Gran and Grandpa, dad, me and my elder brother
I woke up on Sunday morning, the 8th October 1972, to find mum downstairs in the lounge. She told me that dad had set off in the car to East Allington to collect my Gran from the village she and Grandpa lived in. There had been a phone call earlier to say that Grandpa didn't have long. He had previously been moved from the hospital in Plymouth to the one in Kingsbridge, some four and a half miles from where my grandparents lived. In the time it took for my dad to fetch Gran and then get to the hospital, it was too late, they had missed him by a few minutes. I still have the goodbye note which he left for my dad and the rest of our family. I presume Gran had one too but I don't know for sure.
The funeral took place on the 12th in the Church at East Allington but, as was often the case with children in those days, I had no idea it was happening. I was probably at school and I wasn't told anything about it. Grandpa was buried in his sister's grave at Drake Memorial Park and I have a photograph of the flowers which were laid on the grave afterwards.
Flowers laid shortly after Grandpa's burial
Some will know that Drake Memorial Park is on the outskirts of Plymouth and I pass it every time I visit my parents. The plaque was repainted a few years ago and every now and again I go into the cemetery and pay my respects. I will never forget you Grandpa!
The plaque after it was repainted
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[Note: All content on the Hibbitt & Barnes Family History website and blog is copyrighted. Click here for conditions of use.]
The Hibbitt Family 1968 - Gran and Grandpa, dad, me and my elder brother
I woke up on Sunday morning, the 8th October 1972, to find mum downstairs in the lounge. She told me that dad had set off in the car to East Allington to collect my Gran from the village she and Grandpa lived in. There had been a phone call earlier to say that Grandpa didn't have long. He had previously been moved from the hospital in Plymouth to the one in Kingsbridge, some four and a half miles from where my grandparents lived. In the time it took for my dad to fetch Gran and then get to the hospital, it was too late, they had missed him by a few minutes. I still have the goodbye note which he left for my dad and the rest of our family. I presume Gran had one too but I don't know for sure.
The funeral took place on the 12th in the Church at East Allington but, as was often the case with children in those days, I had no idea it was happening. I was probably at school and I wasn't told anything about it. Grandpa was buried in his sister's grave at Drake Memorial Park and I have a photograph of the flowers which were laid on the grave afterwards.
Flowers laid shortly after Grandpa's burial
Some will know that Drake Memorial Park is on the outskirts of Plymouth and I pass it every time I visit my parents. The plaque was repainted a few years ago and every now and again I go into the cemetery and pay my respects. I will never forget you Grandpa!
The plaque after it was repainted
Please feel free to follow my Blog on Facebook
[Note: All content on the Hibbitt & Barnes Family History website and blog is copyrighted. Click here for conditions of use.]
Category: Sharing Memories