Gillian Marguerite Ada

19/11/1909 — 11/2003
A brief biography

Ancestors


Rebecca Ada — 1770±
Thomas Ada ±1734 —
William Ada 1767 — 1837
William Ada 1807 — 1883
John Fletcher Ada 1840 — 1917
John Edmund Ada 1878 —
Gillian Marguerite Ada 1909 — 2003
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Mentioned in

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Letter by Gillian Ada [page 3]
From the George Ada papers (Scan 111.jpe ...
2002 Letter from Gillian Ada to Tim Rich ...

Gillian Marguerite Ada


Daughter of John Edmund Ada. .

Born in 1909, the eighth year of the reign of King Edward VII, and died aged ninety-three in the fifty-first year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II

Early Years


Gillian was born in November 1909, her birth triggered a bout of madness in her mother who died a month later and may have influenced why Gillian never married.

She studied at Queen Mary College, London University - her subjects being English and Latin. She then obtained a teaching qualification at Cambridge.

Her first teaching post was at a school in Sutton in Ashfield. Remarkably she remained in touch with some of the girls she taught there.

Gainsborough

Gillian moved to Gainsborough in 1937 and spent the rest of her long life there.

She took charge of English at the Girls' High School. She also had responsibility for the school library, which was her pride and joy, and for the school plays. One of her ex-pupils who joined the school in 1947 describes her as an inspirational teacher.

Though small in stature, she never raised her voice and her criticisms were always helpful and meaningful. She had no place for superficiality or sloppiness but on a rigorous foundation of grammar she built an understanding of vocabulary and a love of literature, poetry and drama.
Who else would have dared to abandon the A level syllabus for two terms in order to show her Lower Sixth the breadth and beauty of English Literature - yet still achieve excellect examination results?



Postal Service affected


Gillian kept in constant touch with her past pupils, she had a list of the 275 persons to whom she would send Christmas cards, letters, and presents. The Library includes correspondence with George Ada and Tim Richardson.

In the Service of Thanksgiving at the John Robinson Memorial Church Gainsborough, on November 7, 2003, concern was raised that her passing would have a knock-on effect on Gainsborough Post Offices, somewhat prescient as within five years, four local branches closed down.

The Portrait of Thomas Ada Exciseman

When George Ada met Tim Richardson and compared noses in 2002, George showed Tim this photo of Gillian Ada who he had just visited in Gainsborough.

Tim visited Gillian when she finally had a free day (her 93rd birthday celebrations stretched over several days as she had so many friends) and in her living room was this picture of The Unknown Ada which had been handed down in the family.

In 2004 Tim inherited the portrait (it was handed over, boot to boot, in a petrol station on the A3) and it turned out to be in poor condition with a large gash in the middle. Fortunately Tim's neighbour Beatrice Musgrave had a cousin in Lavender Hill who was a picture restorer, and although it took a year it eventually returned in excellent condition and took pride of place in Tim's home.

Further research on the picture determined it to be of Thomas Ada the Younger, Exciseman, painted around 1850.


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