Obituaries
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Sylvia Manley (King-Rooney)
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Sylvia Doris Manley was born in Colchester on 12th April 1925 to Cyril and Doris King-Rooney. Her father was a First World War I hero, mentioned twice in despatches, wounded three times and awarded an MC for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. Sylvia first attended Miss Chignall’s School. She then proceeded to Colchester High School for Girls.
Her father signed up for service in the Second World War and was stationed in Cairo. The letters between Sylvia and her Father are telling in their tenderness. Cyril was a very fine tenor and was a frequent performer with Sylvia, who performed as a ballet dancer.
In 1942 the family received a telegram to say that Cyril was missing at sea. He was involved in an infamous incident in the Atlantic that has been retold in books and a film: The Sinking of the Laconia. The survivors of the torpedoing of the Laconia were put into lifeboats. One of the principal survivors, Nurse Hawkins, remembered a soldier in her life boat that she was sure was Cyril – he shared his last emergency ration with all the others in his boat. They were taken aboard the U-Boat that had sunk the Laconia. When the US Air Force bombed the U-Boat they were again put in lifeboats before it submerged. Cyril was never seen again. Sylvia’s mother hoped that he had landed in North Africa, had lost his memory and one day would come back. For over 20 years she held that hope. It was a vain hope as the evidence was very much that Cyril had severe injuries.
In 1949 Sylvia married Harold Manley. It was 1957 before John was born, and two years later David.
This family of four together with Sylvia’s mother lived in Athelstan Road. In 1980 Harold died of bone cancer. Both her sons were away at University doing PhDs, John in Bristol and David in Sheffield.
Sylvia and her mother went on many road trips to Sheffield and Bristol in an increasingly old Renault 5 – overtaking police cars at 80 mph on the M4! This was the time that Sylvia started much overseas travel, first visiting John at University in Milan and then Toronto. After that she and a couple of friends went abroad regularly, being more adventurous than the younger people in their tour parties taking light aircraft flights, but not bungee jumping.
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Her mother died in 1993 leaving her on her own in Colchester. She moved to a flat in Shrub End and had an active social life with CCHS friends, bowls and art classes.
In 2013 she moved to Sheffield in a warden-controlled flat. In 2016, it became clear that she needed a care home environment, largely because of her reduced mobility. She moved to Bristol, and died in Druid Stoke Care Home on Monday, 18th November, at the age of 94.
She had been without a father for 77 years, and a widow for 40 years. She was independent and determined to be in control of her life. She particularly valued the friendships created through school, work, sports and other interests. She was very loyal to her friends. And in return they were very loyal to her. The last family event she was part of was the wedding of her eldest Granddaughter, Alice, who married Sebastian, another medic, in Bristol at the end of August 2019. It was a day of fun for her.
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John Manley (son)
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