Born 19th March 1922 in Camberwell South London. One of 8 children, raised in and around the Camberwell area. One of her many jobs was that of a machinist making coats for military personnel during the second world war. Her brothers were sent away to fight, her younger sister was evacuated to Wales. Lillian was to live through the war, spending days and sometimes weeks living in air raid shelters, whilst London was being bombed. Not an easy life for anybody.

It was during her engagement to my grandfather, who was a soldier, that she was to spend two years in Parkwood Studios T.B asylum after contracting T.B. Having survived this life threatening disease, she married my grandfather on xmas day 1943 aged 20 whilst he was home on. During their 65 year marriage, they had two children, one of which is Linda Skinner, my mother.

My Nan was the best Nan anyone could have asked for, and the best person anyone could meet, everyone loved her, and its going to be very hard to condense her life on to one page, so as to give an insight to what she was like, but here goes lets give it a try...she was hard working, independent and very strong the real king pin, the queen within our family. She did her best to keep everyone together. She was a real peoples person, and a family person, she once felt sorry for a tramp in the street and made him some sandwiches and a cup of tea...problem was every tramp in the area was to knock on her door for a ham sandwich for the next five years. She went through her life caring and helping others, No one passed through her door without being fed and watered, gas man, postman, milkman, you name it they all got a cup of tea, and of course a ham sandwich and a cake or two... She was very house proud and was always cleaning, I guess that�s why the tramp got his sandwich in the street, he would have been far too dirty to have been invited in.... she would have an apron she would wear to clean the house , and her hair was always in curlers blue and pink plastic curlers worn under a scarf, she would put them in every night, would even sleep with them in....she would do anything for her family, her love for us was unconditional we were her every breath we were her life...

I was the first born of four grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, from the moment I was born till the day she died she doted on me, and I on her, we had a real special bond that no one else would ever have, with either her or myself. She was not only my grandmother she was my best friend.. I never realized until she died that she carried my photograph in her purse for 41 years. The bond we had was something really very special, she was my everything, I would have done anything for her, and her for me...I even took her aged 86 and of course my granddad aged 88 to Morocco on holiday two months before she was diagnosed with cancer, a third world country. When she was diagnosed with cancer August 08 I was devastated I bought an old car, itv'd , insure and serviced it the same day, and left for the UK to be with her, I drove with my two children then 10 & 5 years from Malaga, Spain to Orpington, Kent without stopping ... I was to stay with her for most of the next few months spending most nights sleeping on a chair beside her bed in a London hospital and was to be there with her, holding her hand when she died October 9th 2008 aged 86. This was also the birth date of her youngest great grandson, I was devastated, my whole world had fallen from beneath me, the one person in my life who never let me down , who I could rely on 100% was gone. My Nan was dead. And a part of me had died with her!!!
It was a life changing experience for me, one that I have never gotten over.

Upon returning to Spain, determined that my Nan's memory was to live on, I decided to do something about it, in memory of her. It was then I approached Margo Dalby a very good friend of mine, with my ideas, within no time at all, two2timbucktu was born!!! In loving memory of my lovely Nan.

My Nan passed quietly with no fuss, even though she was in much pain. She had waited a long time to be with her family gone before her, and now she could be with them once again
sleeping now and with no pain we had loved and enjoyed each other for many years. I still miss and think of her every single day even saying her name brings a tear to my eye but I know Nan, you are with me forever in my thoughts and that special place within my heart. I'll love you forever more, not even death shall keep us apart, so I'm doing this for you Nan. May your name live on, as shall you in me, so goodnight Nan, until we meet again
R.I.P Lillian Skinner, My lovely Nan

I Love you xxxxxxx