Memories of Rainbow who lit up Walsall photo studio
Her name was Eva Rainbow, and now, thanks to her daughter, we can shed some light on her life.
A little while ago we featured some photo studio portraits in our archive from the 1930s featuring young women from the Walsall area and asked readers if they could tell us something about them.
Alas, we heard nothing back about Maisie Toddington, Olive Powell, Nancy Jones, Gladys Jones, Doris Clarke, Nancy Woolley, or "Hilda," but the good news is that we can colour in the details about Eva Rainbow.
David Stanford of Wolverhampton had come across the clutch of portraits some years ago. They all had come from either "W Richardson. M.P.P.A. Portrait Specialist" in The Square, or Photocraft in Park Street, both Walsall.
Whoever had originally owned them must have known the young women, as he or she had written their names on the back, and on Eva's portrait was written in ballpoint pen – which means it must have been written in more modern times – "she lives by us."
Those portraits which bear dates are from the 1935 to 1937 period, and while Eva's is undated it looks contemporary, which if correct would make her no more than 13. However, she looks older.
Her daughter Marilyn Bonam, who lives in Nottingham and read the article on our website, dropped us a line to say: "I was excited to see the picture of my mum Eva Brewer, nee Rainbow. l have the very same photo, although mine is very faded."
Marilyn has kindly sent us some of her pictures of her mother for comparison.
"My mum was born in 1924 and I have often wondered how old she was in the photo. Unfortunately she died in 2007.
"She was from Broad Lane in Bloxwich and I seem to remember her having a friend called Hilda who also lived on Broad Lane. That could explain the 'lives by us' comment, but I can't be sure. I presume her photo was taken after 1937 as I don't think she's only 13 or so.
"I know my mum was 21 when she got married so I think she was probably late teens or 20 when the photo was taken."
Marilyn added: "She was a lovely mum. She made a lot of my clothes. I wonder if she made the dress she had on in the photo.
"When she married my dad she became Eva Brewer. It's a shame the Rainbow surname got lost, although I have a cousin Diane who has kept it in her married surname.
"She moved to Wolverhampton where myself and my two brothers were brought up. Thanks for the memories this article has evoked.
"Mum worked part time most of her life. As I said, she did some tailoring when she was young and I remember she used to do some sewing at home for money.
"When we were all at school she was a cleaner for a local doctor and I remember going with her in the school holidays. I went to training college in 1967. My brothers were no longer at home so mum got a part time job at Sainsbury's in Wolverhampton, working there until she retired.
"As children we never wanted for anything. We used to go to Margate for holidays. My mum's aunty and uncle had a boarding house so every last week in July and first week in August off we would go in the good old days when the factories used to close. Dad worked at Goodyear all his life.
"I no longer live in the West Midlands. I got a teaching job in Nottingham and so have lived here since 1970. My older brother David lives in Lichfield now."
Thank you too to Diane Rainbow-Roberts, of Short Heath, Willenhall, for getting in contact.
She tells us: "Eva Rainbow was my father’s sister, so my aunt.
"My memories of Aunty Eva are limited but happy. I was also born at 75 Broad Lane, Bloxwich. I remember Aunty Eva coming to our house each Thursday. She was very close to my mum, her sister-in-law.
"Each Sunday morning my dad would take me to church and then take me straight over to Bushbury, where she lived, for the rest of the day. I seem to remember we always listened to the forces programme on the radio at lunchtime. We would have lemon meringue.
"Sunday tea would be sandwiches and Battenberg cake. The meal would be served on a china three-tier stand. We would listen to Sing Something Simple."
