Family pay tribute to Clacton resident Beryl McBride

Beryl McBride, of Connaught Gardens, died aged 103, on September 22 after a short illness which led to her heart failing.

Wife to the late Bill McBride, and mother to Anna and Beryl-Jean, Beryl was a much-loved matriarch of the family, which spanned five generations before her death.

The centenarian was born in North London on March 24, 1921, and at the age of 20 signed up to join the army during the war.

Old photo - Beryl McBride as a child (Image: Kelly Clark) She told her parents she had been called up for service, but really signed up because she wanted to learn how to drive. 

She became a radar operator in Scotland for the Auxiliary Territorial Service.

While serving in the army, she met future husband Bill.

The couple married on her birthday in 1945 at St Mary’s Church, Cheshunt.

Wedding day - Bill and Beryl McBride (Image: Kelly Clark) In her mid 20s, Beryl became a seamstress and helped make undergarments for Princess Marina, Prime Minister David Lloyd George and singer Paul Robeson.

In her 30s, she worked for the retailer John Lewis where she made curtains until her retirement in her 60s.

Beryl and her family moved to Clacton in the 1980s.

Good times - (left to right) Beryl McBride and daughter Beryl-Jean in Clacton in the 1990s (Image: Kelly Clark)

In 2021, Beryl, who was a big fan of snooker and word searches, celebrated her 100th birthday with a card from Queen Elizabeth II.

Throughout her life, Beryl was amazingly independent, sprightly, and had a real lust for life, said granddaughter Kelly Clark, 52, of Clacton.

Kelly said: “She lived in her flat and was absolutely fine.

“She just had a really strong thirst for life. She was always interested in anything anyone was talking about, she was always quite fit.

“She was a kind lady. She used to look after me, my sister Joanne and my brother James after school, and always made a wicked crumble.

Amazing - Beryl in 2021 (Image: Kelly Clark) “She has always been a constant, right up until the age she passed.

"She always called the shots - she was very strong and loving.”

Kelly had told her grandmother she needed to aim for the age of 105, so she could get a card from King Charles III.

Beryl loved spending time with her family which included her two children, three grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchild Dorothy, who was born this year.

Kelly said: “She is going to be massively missed, but she couldn’t stay for ever.

"Luckily, she had a very peaceful passing at the flat.

Family - Beryl pictured in red with family members (Image: Kelly Clark) “She was very calm. Although we are all missing her, we just want a celebration of her life, as that is what it should be.

"She made it so far, we are so lucky to have had her for so long.”

Beryl’s great-granddaughter Lola Garlick, 21, also paid tribute.

She said: "Not many people get to say that they have a great-grandmother.

"We were so lucky to have her and, of course, to show off how independent she was at 103.

"I will miss her phone calls to catch her up on what I’ve been up to at university as well as my surprise visits to chat, with a tea and a ginger nut biscuit which were her favourites.

"It’s been a long time since she saw her husband and twin brother, so I’m happy in the knowledge they are reunited now."

A funeral will take place on Tuesday, October 22, at Weeley Crematorium.