Just When Everything Seemed Right Fate Struck Again

Born in London’s East End in 1919, Lily Birkett grew up in Plaistow. She vividly describes the scenes of her youth, ex-soldiers selling matches in the street and the fierce conflicts of the General Strike of 1926. Gaining a scholarship to a commercial college at age 13, by 16, she was demonstrating her high speed typing in exhibitions in Switzerland. She returned to England in 1939 and was directed into armament engineering. As the first female employee in the factory, she attracted much attention. At 20, she married the Chief Inspector, Charlie Woodard, and when he was moved on, she was appointed Chief Inspector in his place, with a hundred other women now added to the department. Her life became a roller coaster of love, loyalty and courage that took them from the East End to South America, Chile, Machu Picchu, and many places in between, and always she fought for the underdog against injustice. Despite the succession of blows that fate dealt her, happiness continues to rise out of tragedy.