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Royal Navy helps woman celebrate 100th birthday with gift of cap
24 January 2025
A former headmistress who was recently presented with a cap from the first school she taught at has now also been presented with a special Royal Naval cap on her 100th birthday.
Margaret Grey celebrated her birthday on 22 December last year with family, friends, former pupils and staff at the St Monica Trust’s Charterhouse Care Home in Keynsham.
But had Margaret been able to follow her dream she might have been wearing a very different cap on her special day.
After studying for her A Levels after the Second World War, Margaret was determined to follow in her father’s footsteps and join the Royal Navy.
Margaret’s father had joined the service aged sixteen and sailed the world on a number of warships as a Chief Petty Officer, before moving to Bristol and working as an electrician on HMS Flying Fox.
Margaret said: “I’d needed my A Levels to join the Women’s Royal Naval Service and become a Wren. I was so looking forward to earning that lovely cap with the white stripe.
“Unfortunately, both my parents became seriously ill, which meant I couldn’t join the navy as I wouldn’t have been able to go overseas and leave them on their own.”
After studying English Literature at Bristol University, Margaret started her teaching career at Colston’s Girls’ School.
When her father died, Margaret changed schools to be nearer to her mum and became deputy headmistress at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School. She then became headmistress at Merrywood Girls School where she taught until she retired in 1984.
“Despite not being able to become a Wren, I did eventually warm to teaching and quite enjoyed it," she added.
"But I’d never have become a teacher if I’d been able to go and serve overseas.”
Margaret lived with her mother’s family in Northumberland while her dad was at sea and his three-year postings on warships meant she didn’t meet him until she was a toddler.
“I met my dad for first time when I was three years old. I saw my Mum with a strange man in the parlour and they wouldn’t stop chatting. I got fed up waiting for them to finish and went into the kitchen to ask my granny who the man was, and she said: ‘That’s your father'.”
It’s a really great honour to be able to present this Royal Navy Cap to Margaret and chat with her about her wonderful life.
After moving to Bristol, Margaret lived in her family home in Whitehall for more than 90 years before becoming a resident at the St Monica Trust’s Charterhouse Care Home in June 2022.
Margaret lived an active life but admits to enjoying a good meal and a drink. She puts living to such a great age down to the lessons she’s learnt in dealing with whatever life has thrown at her.
She said: “Whether it was the Blitz, coping with my parents’ illness or dealing with a class of unruly children, you’ve always got to get on top your work and make sure that everything gets done. If you say something is too hard, or you can’t do this or that, then things will just go from bad to worse.”
Presenting the Naval Cap to Margaret was Royal Marines Warrant Officer John Morrish from the Naval Regional Command Wales & Western England.
John said: “It’s a really great honour to be able to present this Royal Navy Cap to Margaret and chat with her about her wonderful life. It’s genuinely inspiring to meet her and share memories of her father’s time in the Royal Navy and serving onboard HMS Flying Fox.”
Charterhouse Care Home Manager, Gail Stone said: “Margaret is much-loved and makes a big contribution to our community here at Charterhouse. She has a lovely sense of humour, a real appetite for life and being a former head mistress, she’s very good at keeping us all in order.
“Looking at how many of her former pupils joined her for her birthday is a reflection of the lasting impact she had on not only those she educated, but also provided a wonderful example of overcoming life’s challenges too.”