Stanley Cole was born at Lower Moor on May 13th 1917 to Doris Annie Cole. In the 1911 Census, Doris was the eldest child of Walter and Lizzie Cole living in Lower Moor, but what happened to her in the intervening years up to mid 1916 when she became pregnant, at the age of only just 16, is unknown. If, as assumed she went into service, then it is likely that according to “family whispers” that the putative father was her employer, a well to do Solicitor and Mayor of Evesham or alternatively an Auctioneer at the Central Markets. Research does not bring forward any obvious person responsible for the deed, so the mystery probably will remain just that – a mystery!
Stanley was brought up by his grandmother Lizzie, and for much of his early life always thought of her as his mother. Lizzie had her penultimate child Raymond Charles just 4 months before Stanley as born and her last Beatrice 3 years later, with all 3 growing up assuming they were siblings. His mother Doris married Ewart James Hunt in 1921 and had two half siblings, Gladys Joan (b 1923), and Jimmy (b unknown) and they lived 5 miles away at 2 Green Gates, Wolverton. Stanley, went to school at Pinvin and arrived in his early twenties at Moreton in Marsh where he was working for the Curfew Garage as a mechanic, which he continued to do until early in the 1970’s.
Beatrice, Stanley, Joan, Jimmy outside Green Gates c 1928 
A Service Training confirmation letter to The Curfew Garage 
Stanley Cole at The Curfew Garage
It was in Moreton that he must have met Daisy Moseley, who at that time was working and living in service at Lemington Grange, just a mile from Moreton. They married on 17th June 1939 at Moreton in Marsh, with the witnesses being, Raymond Charles Cole, Beatrice Cole, Stanley’s uncle and aunt – but as mentioned previously, they were a similar age and brought up as siblings, Thomas Moseley and Joyce Moseley, Daisy’s father and sister. They had obtained a house at 25 Redesdale Place, on a newly built housing estate, just before their marriage and both lived their for their entire married life, when Daisy finally died in 2011.
Stan, as he was known, joined the Royal Army Service Corps, later known as the Territorial Army, on 16th February 1940 and served in Europe from June 1944 through to March 1946 and was a WO11 in the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers at the time of his discharge in June 1946. He continued in the Army Reserve untill August 1956. During this period he was issued with 4 medals, the 1939-45 Star, the France & Germany Star, the Defence Medal and the War Medal 1939-45. During his early service Stan and Daisy had 3 children, Valerie Ann (b 1940-d 1989), Phillip John (b1943) and Stephen Alex (b1944) followed 11 years later by Elaine Louise (b1955). As mentioned previously Stan worked as a Motor Mechanic, commencing sometime before 1938, for Sarah Tyack who was the owner of the Curfew Garage and later to be owned and managed by Gerald Tyack her son, until in the early 1970’s when he took the step of working for himself, out of Fred Reynolds Agricultural premises on Station Rd. He was then persuaded in the mid 70’s to go back into employment with Nigel Maby of Spook Erections, the market trader, servicing their fleet of vehicles and vans. He continued to also do his own private servicing, being a popular and well respected mechanic, using their premises before finally returning to self employment operating from Jim Smiths farm premises on the Stow Rd. This is now The Fosseway Garden Centre. He continued to work, if only part time on clients vehicles until 1990 at the age of 73.
A family holiday circa 1950 
Phil, Elaine, Stan, Val, Daisy, and Steve at their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1989
Stan passed away on 31st October 1990 aged 73, following a second heart attack in Moreton hospital. Daisy outlived him by almost 21 years suffering a fatal stroke in September 2011 aged 91.