Beattie Rogan is 102 years old and is one of the Trust’s oldest beneficiaries. She’s a Birkenhead girl born and bred and worked for 25 years at the Owen Owen store on Grange Road in Birkenhead (the store later became TJ Hughes and moved to the precinct in the 1970’s). She started work at the Owen Owen store in 1956 where she mainly worked on the cigarette kiosk but also worked in fruit and veg and on the bacon counter. She recalls people queuing outside the store for their weekend cigarettes and takings on a Saturday being over £2,000 which in the 1950’s was a huge sum of money.
Beattie was born in November 1920 and she grew up in New Brighton. Her family lived very close to the promenade and she recalls her mother bringing her and her siblings down to the seaside and having picnics. Her mother would pay 2 old pence for some hot water to make the tea. Beattie’s younger brother Geoffrey who is now aged 88 still lives not far from her on the Wirral.
Beattie’s first job was at Irwin’s store in Oxton Village. She was 19 years old when the Second World War broke out in 1939 and she served for six years in the RAF until she was 25 years old working in the uniform department kitting out the soldiers. She started off in the office but wasn’t fond of office work as she’d been used to working in a shop and missed the chatter and sociability of shop life so she moved to the uniform store which she really enjoyed.
During the war she remembers the River Mersey being full of ships. Now she says there are far more cars than boats. She returned to her job at Irwins after the war but left when she got married and started working part time at Owen Owen in 1956 where she stayed until her retirement in 1980.
Beattie enjoyed her time at Owen Owen and TJ Hughes and is still in touch with some of those she worked with who attend the Trust afternoon teas. She laughs when she recalls the PG Tips chimps having afternoon tea at the store. There were regular promotional events and the chimps always drew the crowds as they were very popular with the children. They were very well behaved too she remembers. The store was a very sociable place to work and she recalls staff days out to the Grand National and to Blackpool to watch the ice skating.
Beattie is still in remarkable health and enjoyed our recent lunch out at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton.
Pictured is her card from Queen Elizabeth 11 which she received when she celebrated her 100th birthday in November 2020. She has now outlived the Queen of course and is amazed that she has lived such a long life. What is the secret I wonder? Perhaps it’s Beattie’s favourite tipple – the occasional half pint of Guinness.
