She recorded a CD at the age of 100, but who was she??

I had an Auntie May - actually she must have been my father's aunt. I'm fairly sure she was born (nee Walker) in 1902 and lived in Radford during the 1950s. Dad used to take me and my sister to visit our cousins each Christmas. The name Gordon rings a bell and he may have been her husband or perhaps a son. She was always a happy person, but her moment of fame came very late in life. She was living in the aged persons home near the Swanswell and, if my memory serves me well, she recorded a CD of (Christmas?) songs when she was 100 years of age. She was not a bad singer either! Somewhere, perhaps lost in a recent move, I have a photo of her on the CD launch, published in the CET. It must have been in 2002 if my memories are right, and I have tried to search the CET archives without success. Can anyone add anything to these vague memories? Thanks, hopefully!

Unfortunately the newspaper archives do not go as far as 2002 but looking on Ancestry I have found a May Bastock who died in 2004 aged 102. May Walker married George R Bastock in 1927. A May Bastock is also mentioned in a Telegraph in 1957 when she rescued a budgerigar from a cat! She lived at 17 Treherne Road in Radford. This could well be her. Perhaps you remember the budgie incident!! Just also found her on a tree on Ancestry, she had a son called Gordon! Keep finding bits. Gordon Bastock played trumpet in Coventry Jazz band, this article also mentions the budgie! Sorry this does not help with finding the CD but may give you a few clues.

According to the death certificate Anne found, May Bastock's birth date was 26th July 1901, so the article would have probably have been in the Coventry Evening Telegraph between 26th and 28th July 2001. The newspaper you're looking for is available, on microfilm, at the Herbert Family History Centre (link). If I go into the centre soon I'll try & see if I can find the article on the microfilm machine. Hope you find the info you're looking for, Best wishes, Luke.

Many thanks AW and GJS! I had vague memories of the surname Bostock, not far off, but I think he was the policeman in Allo, Allo! I got the Gordon right - so he must be a second cousin or something like that. Treherne Rd also rings a bell, as does the jazz connection. So that all links up - I wasn't dreaming it after all! Many thanks again!

That was Arthur Bostrom, JW - I think he was from Rugby

Hi Johnnie, I was in the Family History Centre today: the article you were looking for was in the Coventry Evening Telegraph, Friday, 27th July 2001 (page 3) [see below] Also looked in the 1962 electoral roll - May & George Ralph Bastock were living at 17 Treherne Road, Radford (as suggested by Anne).

That' s lovely

Brill, brill and brill, Luke

Fantastic - many thanks GJS! I remember her from our visits in the 1950s as a lovely person, and then again almost 50 years later when I visited her once at the Swanswell home!

The picture appears to show an audio cassette rather than a CD. The British Library's legal deposit scheme covers digital audio only and even that is a more recent innovation, so cassettes are not included in their archive. Maybe Abbey Park nursing home would have a copy?

Hi McSporran I'm sure I have seen and heard a CD at some stage - I might even still have one, but with our recent move nothing is easy to find! My guess is that the songs were originally on cassette tape when she was 91, but nine years later cassettes were virtually a thing of the past, so they would have been recorded to CD. If I ever find it, I will see if Rob can make some of the tracks available on the HCF.