Mary Elizabeth's Story.
Mary was born in 1907 in New Brighton to parents Charles and Mary. On the 1911 census she was living with her parents and brother in Dovedale Road New Brighton. The family also employ a domestic servant. Her father Charles is a pawnbroker.As an adult Miss Fry lived in Wallasey where she owned and managed two jewellers’ shops.
During World War 2 Mary joined the ‘Women’s Auxiliary Air Force’ known as the WAAFS.
Women supported the RAF servicemen in a variety of ways including parachute packing, aircraft maintenance, radar, transport, communication duties and they also worked with codes and ciphers. Women also played a vital role in the control of aircraft in radar stations and they were plotters in operation rooms.
Sadly, Mary Elizabeth died in December 1944, aged 37, while she was stationed in Cornwall – her body was discovered on Thursday 7th December lying on a beach.
At the inquest it was stated that Flight Sergeant Fry had been in the sick bay for some time but had returned to duty on Monday and Tuesday. On the Wednesday morning she made her bed but did not eat breakfast and left camp. A witness, who was a Leading Aircraftswoman, said that about 9.20 on the Wednesday morning she was walking to Redruth, Cornwall when a car stopped and gave her a lift. Flight Sergeant Fry was sitting in the back of the car – the witness did not notice anything abnormal about the deceased. The post mortem showed that the skin had been immersed in water. There were numerous injuries and several bruises but there were no fractures. It seemed that a blow had rendered Mary unconscious at once. The blow could not have been heavy and there were no broken bones. It seemed that she fell on to a rock from a distance of four to five feet – a fall would account for her injuries. Mary must have remained in the position she was found until she died from cold and exposure. The pathologist’s opinion is that she died as the result of slipping rather than of a determined fall.
She had in her possession a return ticket from Redruth to St Ives which had been bought on Wednesday - the day before her body was found.
The coroner said there was no evidence to say how Mary had met her death and an open verdict was recorded.
The body of Flight Sergeant Mary Elizabeth Fry was brought home and her funeral took place at Flaybrick Cemetery, Birkenhead on Wednesday 13th December where she was buried in her family grave, which is also recognised as a Commonwealth War Grave.
Research by Chris