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My mum is mystery factory girl

Marie Burchill
15/11/2007

A PICTURE in the Reporter brought memories flooding back for Carolyn McKenzie.

The 53-year-old from Burnage was leafing through her copy of last week’s paper when she stumbled upon a picture of her beloved mum – Betty Hampson – captured from a piece of film, taped during the 1940s.

The picture shows Betty – who sadly died six years ago – working in a clothes factory in Manchester at the age of about 17.

Mum-of-two Carolyn, who lives on Broad Lea Road in Burnage with husband Charlie, said: “I’d just picked up my copy of the Reporter and when I saw the picture I knew straight away that it was my mum.

“I was really emotional because I just hadn’t expected it. It was a big shock too because I had never seen this specific picture before, so it was as if I was discovering something new about my mum.

“Most of my older relatives have passed away now and it’s difficult to find out any more than I already know about my mum’s life, so I feel so lucky to have found this picture.

“When I showed the picture to my daughter, Alison, she said straight away, ‘That’s my nanna.’”

Betty Hampson was born in Levenshulme and grew up in Chorlton-on-Medlock. She married her first husband – Carolyn’s dad – in 1951, and when Carolyn was about seven years old the family moved to Green End Road in Burnage.

The couple then had a son before they divorced. Betty remarried in 1961 and had another daughter.

Carolyn said: “My mum lived on Green End Road for a long time and she really was part of the community. She used to clean at a local church also looked after many of the elderly residents on the road. She worked 24/7 to keep us all going.

“My mum and I were very close.”

Betty’s picture appeared in the Reporter as part of an article on the 1940s film, A City Speaks.It was screened in Didsbury by Manchester Metropolitan University’s North West Film Archive on Thursday this week. Carolyn said: “I contacted the people who are screening the film and they said that it had made their day that somebody had recognised a family member because of it. They are sending me a DVD of the film footage, as I can’t make it to the screening.”

Marion Hewitt from the North West Film Archive said: “We are always especially glad when we are able to bring back fond memories for families.”