An Andover woman has discussed how finding her mum’s writing helped her come to terms with grief after losing her.

Rosemarie Martin found the diaries and letters of her mum, Eleanor Lockyer, after her death, and discovered many adventures she never knew about. These included her mum working for the royal family at Buckingham Palace, as well as being a cowgirl on a Texan ranch.

Now, Rosemarie has decided to tell the world about her mum’s adventures in a new book, ‘Ahead of her Time,’ which details her mum’s life and journeys.

“It helped me come to terms with losing my mum,” she told the Advertiser. “Some days I couldn’t wait to do it because it felt like she was still here and I was hearing it all through her voice.”

“Other times, it was upsetting because I realised she isn’t still here.”

Rosemarie discovered her mum’s papers shortly after she died, and got to see a side of her that she’d never thought about before.

“It all started when I found her diary from when she was 17,” Rosemarie said. “Reading all these letters and diaries as well, it’s quite strange thinking that your mum was a person before she was a mum. You always think of them as being older!”

Growing up in the 1950s, Eleanor had one thing on her mind – finding a husband. “All through the books, she’s talking about trying to get a husband,” said Rosemaire.

“There’s one part I really like where she says: ‘I wonder what my future husband is doing right now, right this minute.’”

In 1955, Eleanor decided to take matters into her own hands, writing a list of everywhere she wanted to go and what she wanted to do, hoping to find a husband along the way.

“She wanted to work all around America,” said Rosemarie. “She went to Texas and was a cowgirl on a ranch. She worked in the Waldorf Astoria as a lift operator and worked for a Saudi Arabian royal family in Texas.”

After working for Saudi royals in Texas, she returned to the UK, where she found a job as a maid at Buckingham Palace. However, it wasn’t all plain sailing.

“She worked at Buckingham Palace for eight years as a maid to the Queen,” Rosemarie said. “I think she got fired and then got her job back!”

After leaving the palace, Eleanor returned to Chilbolton, where she worked as a local correspondent for the Advertiser, and as a local historian. She also achieved the one goal she’d been working towards for so long – getting married.

“She went all around the world looking for a husband, and found him in Chilbolton in the end,” said Rosemarie, “just down the road!”

Eleanor also took to writing, writing a series of books about Chilbolton airfield. Rosemarie says that as a result, writing a book is in her blood, and that her mum would be very pleased.

“All the way through the diaries, she’s talking about writing stories,” Rosemarie said, “and asking if she’ll ever get published, and then towards the end of her life she managed to publish the airfield books which were really successful, so it’s lovely.”

‘Ahead of her Time,’ by Rosemarie Martin, is available from Etsy now.