Frank was the fourth child of eight brothers and sisters.
His oldest brother, John, was a member of RAF bomber crew in the Second World War and lost his life.
He had three younger brothers and three sisters. The youngest, Eddie, was a few weeks old when Frank's father died so his mother had to bring up 8 children single handed.
He went to Bemrose School in Derby but was later evacuated to teh Herbert Strutt School in Belper. In Belper he became involved in the church and was head choir boy, and served as an altar boy.
Hit first job was with the Health Department at the Council Offices in Derby and he began training as an accountant. However he was called up for National Service and trained as a Radar Mechanic in the Navy. He was first at college in London and then served on his ship HMS Magpie in the Mediterranean.
When he served in the Navy he was meticulous about the care of his uniform. He was the only one who owned an iron. He hired it out - at a price!
Marjorie's best friend at Homelands Grammar School, Jean, was Frank's sister. When he came home on leave, he offered to take them to a Saturday Night Dance. This led to Marjorie being literally swept off her feet... and they continued their romance learning to dance ant the London School of Dance in Derby.
Younger brothers Bill married Hilary, and David married Cynthia, also pupils of Homelands. Later they were all to live in flats belonging to their mother at Green Lane in Derby.
When demobbed from the Navy, Frank started at the Treasury Department, Derby City Council, and began his career as an accountant. Over the years he was often co-opted as honorary treasurer for allotments, sailing clubs and Nalgo.
He married Marjorie in 1949 and had three children Elizabeth, Susan and Andrew and eventually had 8 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. This year they celebrated 71 years of marriage.
He was very patient with his grandchildren, teaching them to swim for the first time without armbands and helping them learn to sail dinghies.
Piggy Backs were so popular he had to make up an imaginary sign saying "None beyond this point on the Lane".
Family was very important and the grandchildren loved to hear the stories of his childhood. They especially loved the one about his Teddy Bear being left up a tree and eventually ending up in the dustbin - which always reduced them to tears,
He entertained them at Twycross Zoo with 'Animal Magic' style conversations with the monkeys.
Marjorie's family were equally important and he regarded them as his own. "Golden Oldies" meetings with Marjorie's brothers and sisters and spouses were held regularly until the Covid 19 lockdown.
Again the church played an important part in the early years of marriage, living in Utley, Keighley in West Yorkshire. An active member of St Mark's Church Utley, he launched the pensioners club which was responsible for social gatherings, visits to entertainments and celebratory meals with an afternoon tea every Monday.
At various times Frank had a go at embroidery, rug making, and cooking being renowned for his hot cross buns, boiled fruit cake and whole dressed wild salmon. However the quick curries shared with Sue at the office in Long Eaton were not so popular!
Frank helped for several years at Portway Infant School which his two youngest grandchildren, Caroline and Michael, attended. He loved his Wednesday afternoons, helping the children with their reading and telling them about life during and before the War. He also enjoyed his trips to Elvaston Castle for which he dressed up in Victorian style.
Frank's main two interests were sailing and gardening. He enjoyed doing practical tasks. He also loved listening to classical music and comic operas, as well as watching ballet. Most mornings he and Marjorie would be singing.
Most especially Frank loved talking to young ladies!
Marjorie adds this next story...
Frank was going to decorate the living room, so Marjorie said "people are now having a bit of colour and pattern in their living room". Frank armed with pots of Magnolia paint replied
"Marg, we are the colour and pattern in out lives!"
Frank Willatt: Gardening Enthusiast
Frank was a gardener - a great gardener! By the time the family lived in Utley he maintained three allotments ( and allotments were much bigger then than now).
He supplied all the neighbours on Birchwood Drive with fruit and veg - for a small fee. The money was saved in the 'Lotto tin' - one of those Players 50 cigarette tins with a picture of a sailor on the front (whilst in the Navy, Frank was a smoker but he gave up after a bout of laryngitis). The money from the tine then paid for his seeds for the next year.
He entered Horticultural Shows. Before he had a car the exhibits were loaded into a large Marmet pram (which had been Andrew's) and trundled by foot to the show. He grew carrots, parsnips and leeks down pipes of sandy soil to achieve long straight roots. He kept his prize potatoes in the dark under the bed. Not realising that they were for a show Marjorie found them and made them into chips - this doid not go down well!
He loved Sweet Peas. To achieve show standard they had to be grown as a single stem up a cane, carefully tied and tendrils nipped out! There had to be 5 flower heads to a stem, and usually 9 specimens had to be selected for a show. They were arranged in tall conical tin vases. packed with reeds (before the days of 'Oasis') collected from down by the river.
The whole family became involved, though it was said that picking and eating was preferable to weeding. Peas picked straight from the pod - delicious - and rhubarb sticks dipped in sugar...
Marjorie made jams and pickles, and baked cakes. Not always easy, remembering when three Madeira cakes had to be baked to achieve perfection. Elizabeth and Sue made huge collections of wild flowers for the children's classes (this was allowed in those days) and made funny animals out of mis-shapen veg.
Elizabeth helped out at Keighley Show (the important show!) as a 'Judge's Runner'. The prize winning exhibits had a number which related to a name. Elizabeth had to run with the ticket to the desk and take the prize certificate back to the exhibit. Of course she often heard comments and criticisms by the judges which lead her to picking up some useful tips! This attention to every detail might lead to the ultimate accolade: "Best in Show"!
Gardening has been one of Frank's legacies to his children and their partners, including helping out with his final allotments at the Welbeck Road site until 2019.
Frank Willatt : Sailing Enthusiast by Andrew Willatt
Living in Yorkshire until 1966, Dad was thinking of building a pram dinghy for us to sail on the tarn, maybe a 'gremlin'. I had the book "Building your own boat' for my Sunday School prize.
However Dad got a new job back in Derby. Uncle Pete had bought a canoe so we all had a go on the river at Darley Abbey.
This led to Mum, Dad, Jean and Peter going on a sailing course at Butterley Reservoir - then later Sue, Liz and me.
Both families (Burdens and Willatts) joined Derwent Sailing Club. Mum and Dad bought our first dinghy - a Graduate. We sailed it on the river, at Rudyard Lake and then a whole two weeks at Abersoch.
The following year we started competing in the Menai Straits Regattas.
When I was 16, Mum and Dad bought our first new boat - Scorpion 1199 'Will It'. This was very successful and much loved. Dad and I sailed this boat until I built 1641 at college.
Dad's next expense was to have a third share (with Kevin and Pete) in the Sonata 'Tonic' which enabled the family to experience big boat sailing. Sophie had her first trip on this at 10 days old.
Dad's love of sailing, tides, charts, navigation all led him to being very competitive and he would often re live the day going over each decision many times. He loved racing and was very fond of 'going for gold'. Dad allowed me to helm from an early age. He was happy to crew and had a love/hate relationship with the spinnaker!
Dad hung up his sailing boots when he was 80 but keenly followed sailing activities and loved watching until quite recently.
We could talk 'boats' by the hour! When he was on HMS Magpie he had often watched the Officers launch and sail a whaler off the ship. Maybe this started the idea for owning his own boat...
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