James Terry Court resident shares wartime story to mark International Women’s Day

To honour International Women’s Day on 8 March, a resident at James Terry Court, in South Croydon, recalls her own experience during the Second World War. Selsia Churchill, aged 100, was a telephone operator in her hometown, Salcombe, in South Devon. She says:

During the war, there was only one telephone in the village. I was the telephone operator, and was responsible for answering every call that came through and passing on messages to people living in the area.

It was a huge responsibility. No one else had a phone!

Resident Selsia with her husband, Anthony Churchill, on their wedding day in 1939, just before the outbreak of the Second World War. Selsia’s husband was a distant relative of Winston Churchill, the UK’s wartime Prime Minister.

Selsia was born on 20 June 1922. Despite her age, she partakes in all the Home’s activities at James Terry Court. She is also an avid reader who likes both fiction and non-fiction books. What’s her secret to a long life? She says:

My secret? That’s an easy one: enjoy everything and maintain a good sense of humour!

[Summary: A resident at James Terry Court, in South Croydon, recalls her own experiences during the Second World War to mark International Women’s Day.]