A LOVING grandmother who gave a lifetime of service to her country as a nurse, Salvation Army and naval officer has died after 97 selfless years.
Few people would expect the Christchurch Hospital award for Pupil Nurse of the Year to have ever been won by anyone over the age of 20 but, at 50 years old, that’s exactly what Hilda Fleming achieved.
She did, after all, spend her entire life working in the service of others.
Hilda Charlotte Fleming was the second child born to Emily and Albert Golding who lived in Chatham, Kent. She had an elder brother named Sonny.
Life in those days was not easy for Hilda and her family, who often struggled to make ends meet. Despite this, Hilda was able to excel in different activities in her youth – receiving piano lessons from the age of eight and being an accomplished runner at school, winning many races.
One day, having returned home from school for lunch, 14-year-old Hilda was greeted by her mum who told her there was no need to go back in the afternoon as she had found Hilda a job as a shop assistant at the local Co-op.
She duly started work there but always harboured dreams of becoming a nurse. She soon joined the St John Ambulance Brigade and began her nursing training at St Stephen’s Hospital in London – now the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Hilda had only been there as a student nurse for a few months when on night duty, and without enough experience and training, she was put in charge of a ward of 40 chronically ill patients. Worried that she was not ready, she went home to Chatham and told her parents she could not go back.
Aged 17, Hilda registered for war service in the midst of the Second World War. The next year, she was called up and joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRENS).
It was around this time Hilda met Fred Goodwin, a Salvation Army bandsman at Chatham Corps. They became friendly and, in due course, engaged. Fred joined the RAF and trained as a gunner and wireless operator. He eventually joined 156 Squadron – ‘The Pathfinders’ – and flew on Lancaster bombers. Tragically, however, Fred was later killed when his Lancaster was shot down.
Years later, Hilda would meet the love of her life when she met a salvationist and sailor named Harry Fleming. Following the conclusion of the war, the pair married on June 1, 1946. Hilda then left the WRENS and Harry was demobilised from the Navy.
The couple had two daughters, Hilary and Heather.
Having started a family, Hilda and Harry both decided to train as Salvation Army Officers in the Standard Bearers’ session at Denmark Hill Training College. Soon after they moved to Wood Green in London, then to Nottingham, then Dartford, then Bexleyheath, before moving to Boscombe and ultimately settling in Bournemouth.
Soon after arriving in the seaside town, Hilda was once again itching to return to her dream job as a nurse – despite the struggles faced in her early career. Age proved no barrier for Hilda who started with auxiliary nursing before training as a state enrolled nurse – later being named Pupil Nurse of the Year at Christchurch Hospital aged 50.
She then spent more than 20 years serving her community as a dedicated district nurse, in a job she loved. It wasn’t until Hilda was 72 that she finally retired – however she more than kept herself busy for the rest of her life.
Hilda and Harry both worked with young people in Bible study classes and enjoyed helping with retired officer’s lunches at the Salvation Army hall. The pair were also keen travellers and visited many corners of the globe including the USA and Australia where they would meet and make friends.
However, there was nothing the pair loved more than being surrounded by their five grandchildren – Emma, Fiona, James, Ben and Josh. They would later be followed by a further seven great-grandchildren.
Eventually, for practical reasons, Hilda and Harry moved to San Remo Towers in Boscombe. Then, in 2008, Harry passed away. Hilda nursed her husband until the very end.
She was further devastated when she lost her daughter Hilary in 2013. However, her family said Hilda’s faith and love from the rest of the family helped her get through these difficult times.
Hilda continued going on adventures into her 90s. She went on a cruise for her 94th birthday and wore a sash which read ‘94 years young today’. In late 2019, she went on a trip to her hometown of Chatham and was able to see her old house. She and her daughter Heather also went to a coffee morning at the Corps where her army life started.
During the pandemic, Hilda moved to a residential home near her daughter in Fareham. She later suffered from ill health and died peacefully on February 15, 2022. She was 97 years old.
Her funeral was at Boscombe Salvation Army on Wednesday March 16, followed by a service of committal at Bournemouth Crematorium. Donations were made to the BH1 Project and Macmillan Caring Locally.
Speaking about her mother, Hilda’s daughter Heather said: “Mum never liked to ask for help.
"She was fiercely independent and quite determined. I think that’s what helped her get to her late 90s.
"She was thankful – always grateful for any help she was given. Kind and selfless, mum was a very positive person and looked for the good in people.
“I miss her.”
Hilda Fleming is survived by her daughter Heather Pugsley, her five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
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