Jean Alison Preston was born on 25th April 1921 to Herbert Alison McLuckie and Daisy Gertrude McLuckie of Bowes Road, New Southgate, North London. As a family they were involved in the New Southgate Methodist Church, Jean’s father ran the church Eisteddfod and her mother, a trained singer, performed. Jean went to a private school first in New Southgate, then in Muswell Hill before moving to Tollington High School for Girls at the age of 10. When she was 16 she attened a fashion and design school off Oxford Street for two years. It was then 1939 and Jean, her ten year old sister Joyce and her mother evacuated to Malvern to stay with friends at the outbreak of war.
The first 18 years of Jean’s life were very special and privileged, living in a family and society that still treasured many of the Edwardian values and lifestyle. Her mother engaged in charity work occasionally taking Jean with her and her father worked in the City. Family friends were mainly from the City and the Church, all well respected in their community. Evening dress was the norm for Christmas dinner!
At the end of September 1939 Jean wrote to her father and asked for permission to join the Services. He readily agreed replying that he had done the same, and so on boxing Day 1939 Jean reported to West Drayton to join the WAAF.
Basic training at West Drayton led to a posting in the Equipment Section at Abingdon near Oxford. With only 12 WAAF’s on the station her social life was well catered for, dances in Oxford, tennis and boating on the river. After two years in Abingdon and rising to the rank of sergeant, having refused the offer to take a Commission, she was posted to 39 MaintenanceUnit Colerne, near Bath, to train to take over a specialised job which had been created on the unit due to the special priorities required by he Air Ministry and the Ministry of Aircraft Production.
On the day of her arrival, Sgt. McLuckie sat at the desk beside Sgt. Preston. That first day they went into Bath for the evening, although Jean told Pres that she was due to be engaged on her 21st birthday.
Work on 39 Maintenance Unit was very busy. In April 1942 Jean was given leave for her 21st birthday and went home to Muswell Hill, returning from leave wearing an engagement ring. However, for two sergeants working closely and socialising together, it wasn’t long before they realised that their friendship was turning to love, and after long talks the engagement ring was returned and, to quote Pres’ own words, “the two sergeants became an item”.
Jean and Pres went on leave together to Muswell Hill and ‘Pop’ agreed to their marriage and arrangements were made for the ceremony to take place in September 1943. When Pres received an overseas posting he asked for permission to get married immediately and so on 3rd June they were given 14 days leave. Pres rang Jean on the Thursday and said “We’re getting married on Saturday”. On the Friday Jean’s mother travelled to Sutton Coldfield with all the tinned fruit she had in store and a borrowed wedding dress and organised a wedding in the local Congregational Church and a reception at a bed and breakfast nearby. On the Saturday the Preston family travelled by train with a 3 tier wedding cake. At 6pm instead of being waved off on honeymoon, the bride and groom saw their parents off on their journeys home, and then went to the cinema.
Jean and Pres were married for 64 years, having two children Pauline and Martin, and four grandchildren. Although Jean worked for a short time when Martin was a teenager, she was most happy at home as a wife and mother, doing lots of cooking for the family and the church. She also enjoyed doing voluntary work, working with both a club for the disabled and a pensioners club.
She worked tirelessly for the church – this church – which Jean and Pres joined in 1954 when they moved to Woodvale Avenue, before moving in 1968 to Southern Avenue..
Despite suffering serious illness as a child and later in life, Jean had an indomitable spirit and coped with all these difficulties including a lot of discomfort during this last year with trips to and from hospital, but even up until the last week of her life she was able to get out and about and to visit others – many of the cards that Pres has received are testament to the affection Jean holds in so many people’s lives.