Sr Maroun (Florence) Baxter 20.11.1897 - 11.05.1990

Away back in the late months of the World War 1, many girls living in English homes as children’s nurses and other house maids and shop girls found it better to fill some of the places of the boys who had to become soldiers. Soon girls from Ireland transferred to the larger towns of England, some as house maids and children’s nurses. This was because they found that they could have better wages.

My first experience of the Irish came when our next door neighbour’s nurse left to help with war works. An Irish girl took her place. I was very often in our next door neighbour’s family. They were very good Jews, especially Mr Levy who was a dentist. He was really an admirable man. He had a little girl aged 4 and a 3 year old boy when the new baby came. Alice who had been the children’s nurse decided to enter the war service. That is how Nan Conlan from Dublin came to Highgate, a suburb of London, to carry on her work as children’s’ nurse.

It was there that I had anything to do with Roman Catholics, and because I spent as much time with the little ones I came to help the parents on Sundays when Nan had to go to Mass. I had never heard of this before. Mr Levy was a real and true Jew, but Mrs Levy did not seem to know much about any Religion but so loved her husband that they were a very happy family.

On one afternoon after playing with the children I went into the next room which was used as a dining room so that they could be near the children. The talk came up about Nan and Religion. I was asked to take Nan’s place because she had to go to Church on Sunday. Of course I was only too happy to help out. In the conversation about Church rules, Mr Levy said, “well you know it was the Roman Catholics who for many years believed that Jesus Christ was God.” This was news to me, seeing that I had learnt nothing about religion or God. Nan began to bring home from the Church small booklets about Religion. She never mentioned these to me, but used to leave a booklet where I could see it on the mantle shelf in the Nursery. I made use of this and so began to think very much about God. Very soon I began to question Nan, and we did have little talks. Finally, she told the Priest about me and he said perhaps it would be good if Nan took me to see him. This was just what I wanted and after questioning me, he gave me a course of talks.

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