From spending the first few months of their lives sleeping in a chest of drawers and being fed milk via part of a fountain pen, 90-year-old twins Mary and John have many a tale to tell about life as multiples.
Although they weren’t particularly close growing up together, their bond tightened as they grew older. Listening to them recount stories of their childhood, it’s clear how much has stayed with them, and how their shared start has always been part of their identity, even when their personalities pulled them in different directions.
For families of twins, triplets and more, closeness can look different at different ages. Some multiples are inseparable, while others connect more strongly later on, especially as they grow into their own people.
A busy home and a remarkable mother
John and Mary grew up in a large family, with many of their early stories passed down through older siblings. Their parents ran a butcher’s shop in Brentford, and John remembers their mother working tirelessly, right up to the end of her pregnancy. In a household with nine children, life was full and demanding, but Mary’s memories are rooted in steadiness and love.
Mary remembered her mother, Hilda Louise, as “an extraordinary woman”. “She never raised her voice, even though there were nine children, there was so much love for us all,” she added.
Arriving early, and making it through
In November 1933, Mary and John were born prematurely, around a month to six weeks early, at a time when medical care looked very different and families had to improvise. John was tiny at birth and Mary was slightly heavier. With no scans beforehand, their twin arrival was not expected, and there were fears they might not survive. John has never forgotten the determination in his father’s response, and how that confidence seemed to carry them through.
“He told the nurses that if they came back in 20 years, we would still be here. It was like we heard him say that as twins and we made it through.”
Their earliest months were shaped by practical solutions. In their bedroom, a wide chest of drawers became a cot, lined with cotton wool to keep them warm. Feeding, too, required creativity and patience.
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“To feed us, they used the inside of a fountain pen and put the milk in that to drip it into our mouths. We spent the first six months of our lives in the chest of drawers.”
John was a weak child and later discovered one lung was underdeveloped, something he believed was linked to being born early. Even so, both twins survived and grew, carried by family determination and the care available at the time.
Growing up together
As children, Mary and John began school in the same class at the Bluebird school in Brentford. There were no other twins in their school, and their education was disrupted as war began and the family was moved around. John remembers evacuation vividly, including how he, Mary and two sisters were placed on a village green to be taken in, and how their mother insisted on keeping them together. When the placement was not right, their parents brought them home and arranged another move.
Despite their shared experiences, the twins did not have the closeness some people expect. John bonded more with their youngest sister Annette, and Mary felt that shift.
“We were always friends. But Annette was more of a tomboy and I was more feminine and into dolls, so Annette almost took over being the twin.”
John’s feelings were complicated too. “We weren’t close as twins, we hadn’t bonded as such but I looked out for her. The girls got me into trouble. It was many years before we became closer.”
Over time, their lives took shape in different ways, but a shared strength emerged. Mary built a career as a top dressmaker, working at Fenwick in London and making dresses for the singer Petula Clark. John also worked with his hands, becoming a carpenter and joiner. For John, that practical skill is one of the clearest links between them.
As twins, Mary and I are very different, looks and character wise. The one thing we have in common is the skills we have learnt.
Now, later in life, they still look out for each other. Mary says she can tell when John isn’t feeling well, as she always has. John still notices twins when he’s out and about, and sometimes stops to chat, grateful for the life they have both had. Mary’s feelings are simple and sure.
“I think the world of him, as he does of me.”
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