occupation

Dairy maid, manager/administrator,
shopkeeper, landlady

dates

Born: 1901, Iffley, Oxon

Married: Sydney Charles KNIGHT, 5 Oct 1945

Died: 15 May 1991

residence

Iffley, Oxford

submitted by

Margaret LUDLOW

related faces

Percival LUDLOW (father)

Background information

Alice Amelia LUDLOW was the daughter of Percival LUDLOW who was a boat builder at Salter’s, Oxford. The family lived in a cottage in Church Way in Iffley. She was one of seven children and attended the village school there but was always a bright child and was a model pupil gaining several awards over the years for scripture and needlework.

When she left school she became a dairy maid on the Morrell estate; she milked the cows twice a day and made butter and cream for the MORRELL’s at Headington Hall. Later she left to go to a staffing agency and rose to a senior post very quickly, interviewing potential staff. She helped her sister Maggie, when she was widowed with five children that came to live with her at Iffley.

She worked at Morris motors at the Cowley works and progressed there as well. As the men were being called up to war she had greater responsibility in the export department. She kept all the records of wartime shipments and she worked for Sir Miles THOMAS. Her other sister Mabel came from London to escape the Blitz to live with Alice at Isis Bank, Iffley. She lived and looked after Percival for several years when he was widowed. When he died in 1941 she was his sole beneficiary.

On 5 October 1945 she married Sydney Charles KNIGHT who was an aircraft fitter, who she had met while at Morris Motors. They took on a butchers shop and she kept all the accounts and worked out the rations and made sure that her customers got any extras that were going. They also had student lodgers.

Sydney unfortunately had a stroke soon after his retirement and Alice nursed him for many years until he died in 1972. She was devastated but she put her mind to help her sister with her disabled daughter Audrey, 
but again she was left alone when Audrey had to go to hospital for care. She took a great interest in her students and they came back to see her with their families. Alice had good health and was always very sharp and lived to be 90 years old. She was very much loved by all who knew her.