Kenneth (Ken) Hollaway was born on the 7th March 1920 in Epsom, Surrey to Bernard and Lillie Victoria. Bernard, a teacher, was an only child, whilst Lillie was one of eight children. The family lived in Epsom and Ken, an only child, was first educated at a local primary school before attending Epsom County School for Boys. Whilst here he gained his General Schools Certificate, was a school prefect and enjoyed sport particularly cricket which he played and then followed all his life.
In 1932, the family went on a summer holiday to stay on a farm with Frank and Caroline Sayer and their five children in Over Stowey, Somerset. They obviously enjoyed it so much that they returned there over several years. It was there that Ken met his future wife Kathleen (Joan) Sayer.
He left school in March 1936 and went to work as a clerk for a firm of insurance brokers in the City of London. In 1937 the family moved to East Ewell, Surrey. In April 1939 ,he joined the Territorial Army, and then in August 1939 he left the insurance company to enlist into the Royal Artillery.
Between September 1939 and June 1941, Ken was trained in and then served in anti-aircraft batteries in different locations in this country. Then in June 1941 he was transferred to North Africa as part of the Eighth Army. He served throughout the North Africa campaign before seeing action in first Sicily and then Italy between 1943 and the end of the war in 1945. He was discharged from the army in mid April 1946 and married Joan at Over Stowey church on 27th April 1946. Ken returned to work for the same company in London and was promoted over the years to become Company Secretary. They lived in East Ewell which is where Diana (b. 25th November 1948), and Derek (b. 12th December 1951) were born and brought up.
In May 1960 the family, including his widowed mother Lillie, moved to Banstead where they lived for 20 years. His mother died in 1979 and they then moved to a bungalow in Burghill, a small village just a few miles out of Hereford. They celebrated their Golden Wedding with a large family celebration in Somerset and they continued to live in Burghill until his death on 27th April 2001. Joan carried on living in Burghill until her death in April 2007.
Ken was a committed Christian and was devoted to his family. He was a member of several church choirs, enjoyed playing cricket in his younger years and then following Surrey County Cricket Club where he was a member for many years. He enjoyed gardening and started playing bowls once he had retired.
My research into Ken’s ancestors can be found here.
Andrew Hollaway Family History 