My mother, Dorothy Bottle, who has died aged 95, was an active trade unionist and Labour party member. She was always ready to stand up for her beliefs and argue her corner.
She was born to a large working-class family in a poor part of Liverpool, where at times, she said, her siblings were the only children in the street to have shoes. Her father, George Ferman, was a marine engineer, and her mother, Mary, a housewife. Dorothy was orphaned in her early teenage years, and left Granby Street school at 14 to train as a nurse. She left the profession, though, when she started having fits. During the second world war, she worked in a Naafi canteen, where she met Charles Bottle, then a soldier. They married in 1943 and moved to London after the war.
She became a mother of two girls, Barbara and me, and brought us up to be happy and fulfilled. It is hard to see how she and Dad could have been better parents, despite money being hard won. In 1963 we moved to Chesterfield where Mum joined the civil service to work full-time for the post office, and became an active trade unionist, undertaking duties as branch representative for the Union of Post Office Workers (now the Communication Workers Union) and attending national conferences.
A firm Labour supporter throughout her life, she was a party member when Tony Benn became MP for Chesterfield in 1984. Much to her delight, he visited her and drank tea in her kitchen.
An avid reader, Mum continued to learn about the world and keep up with current affairs until the loss of her sight. Even after becoming bed-bound, very hard of hearing and losing the use of her hands, she remained philosophical and was always pleased to see visitors.
Dad died in 1988. Dorothy is survived by Barbara and me, her grandchildren, John and Jill, and her great-granddaughter, Isabelle.
