Born Roman Catholic, eldest child of shipyard welder Albert & Joan Pank. In the family of 9 children, Eileen (Edith) was the eldest of the 4 girls and 5 boys.
Christened Edith, a name she disliked intensely, she adopted Eileen when a Wren.
Her father was ambitious and rose to manage the shipyard, earning very good money for the time and able to send all his children to catholic schools.
Eileen was intelligent but society at the time offered little opportunity to intelligent women.
An unfortunate car accident resulted in a 3 month hospital stay but fate put her next to a Wren who told her of the service that had just been resurrected at the end of 1938.
Upon discharge she applied, was accepted with some grudging parental approval and rapidly gained recognition in service.
She trained as a signaller and started serving on costal command shore stations but was soon picked for MTB inshore mine clearance work in the Thames Estuary.
Her crack shot reputation (later to manifest in archery) was earned during the period when "spike" mines that floated up were shot at to break the spine that detonated the mine.
Eileen could do it with one shot!
Unfortunately, sometimes the mines hit the MTBs with devastating consequences. Eileen survived 3 such episodes and was then transferred to Convoy Intelligence on the Isle of Sheppey.
Her naval offices monitored all shipping through the Channel, helped develop signal interception in tandem with Bletchley Park (but unknown to the naval contingent who were not briefed on Ultra)
Her work there and her award for operational bravery on the MTBs (DSM) resulted in a recommendation for a commission whereapon she went to Chatham WRNS depot for officer training. Her leaving lunch party was held at the local pub in Blue Town, Sheerness and emptied the office except for a duty rating who was to ring the pub if any signals arrived.
A stray Luftwaffe raider dropped a string on the town, one hit her offices on Naval Terrace, demolishing the building, killing the rating. If not for that party, you would not be reading my post!

Following her commissioning as a Third Officer (equiv to Sub Lieut) she was assigned to Naval Intelligence (Ops) as support staff for the Rear Admiral COIC.

As she worked she displayed obvious talent and was moved into more demanding roles as liaison with Joint Forces Command for operational briefing support then carried out some parts of briefings, to the constenation of the senior officers receiving it.

But her command of operational details, quick problem solving problem skills, her confident manner and obvious capability won her friends in high places.

She used to say it was her 38, 23, 36 inch figure and her 5'2" height that grabbed their attention and earned her the name of "Scharnhorst" - the pocket battle ship that seemed to be unsinkable at the time!

Her COICs deputy at the time was Lt Comdr Ian Fleming, known as a playboy who tried it with every woman in the office.

Many years later, she described Fleming as a " groper" who tried groping anything in skirts.

When questioned on how she handled it, she commented that she grew up with 5 brothers, could punch better than most men, and carried a steel ruler around the office!!!

Her obvious talents resulted in more involvement in operational planning, debriefs and analysis and near to DDay, she was promoted to second officer (equiv to Full Naval Lieut) and became an aide to the Rear Admiral in the Overlord operation. Ian Fleming was also in that team but no longer her boss.

In the months until European Hostilities ended she worked on operation evaluation and planning
And it was hinted she would be offered a posting to Gibraltar to join the SEAT command but she was expected to sign for another 5yrs to be able to take the 3yr posting and she declined.
At the time, she could not reveal that she had met my dad and got engaged and was expecting to marry soon.
This would have ( and later did) ended her commission sooner than she wanted at the time, she wanted to complete a project!

She did eventually, admit it to her ex boss Ian Fleming, that she was pregnant with my brother and that she was married.
He put in a word for her and she was not disciplined but offered a " Hostilities ended demob - good conduct discharge" which she took. She left with the usual gongs for service and her DSM which she kept very quiet about!

She set up home with my dad in Leeds whilst he trained to be a teacher. (See memorial wall post for Harold Robinson MBE and you can also Google - 1940 Dunkirk Veterans Association)

A chance encounter by Harold led to a lifelong friendship with Donald Kaberry MP for NW, Leeds and enventually made Lord Kaberry of Adel.
This led to an introduction, at an event, to the association of The Bowmen of Adel, an archery club steeped in history and chaired by Donald.
The family started attending, Eileen quickly developed a passion and skill and in 1962 subsequently became a contender for Olympic Qualification for Tokyo 1964.

Sadly, sudden onset rheumatoid arthritis hit Eileen and put her in a wheelchair, ending her Olympic hopes.
After being written off by Dr's and told to expect even worse pain, they turned to Acupuncture. Which whilst accepted today, was seen as quack medicine then.

In 1964, after 3 treatments she walked again, after six there was no sign of the condition. It never returned!

Harold Robinson held old fashioned family views and did not want his wife working!

When the youngest son was at school, Harold returned home one lunchtime expecting Eileen to be home, found the house empty and when enquiring from a neighbour, found Eileen working at her part time job in a bakery shop.
Incensed at the perceived shame of his wife working, he went and dragged her home - literally!!
Upon getting home and resting her the riot act about disgraving him in public, letting everyone think he could not support his family. She picked up the frying pan (cast iron) and hit him, once!
When he woke up, she gave him a choice, her way or the highway!

He gave in, she worked at the bakery a bit longer then applied to be a Max Factor beauty salesperson in a local department store
" Schofields of Leeds",
She was accepted in 1965 ( aged 46 but claimed 30 and looked it!) & became the most successful in the north of England.

Offered a training position in London, she negotiated a change of location to Leeds and in the swinging 60s, trained hundreds of young girls to be beauty specialists for Max Factor.

She realised her real age would catch her out so applied for a got a job in Leeds City planning department in early 1970 (aged 51 but claiming 35!)
She quickly worked up the ladder to senior planning officer but her age was discovered by the pension officer and she was asked to leave. She did so but was repeatedly asked to come back and help out as a temp until her official age of 60 in 1979 when she retired fully.

Harold had received the MBE for services to veterans charities in 1970, and the family attended the investiture at Buck House by HMQ Mother ( which pleased them both as she was "their" queen)
Afterward, Eileen decided to take us to a club she knew. All puzzled, a taxi dropped us outside the Special Forces club! The concierge was asked to call the club secretary who upon arrival greeted Eileen with a surprised whoop and hug. He was a former officer in the operational arm of the Naval Intell dept she served in.
The family knew nothing as Eileen, like many others, was bound by the Official Secrets act and kept "mum* but the long time since her role and the special occasion caused her to want to open up and she had kept tabs on old friends. Don't ask how!

Harold was amazed! The secretary swapped tales with Eileen but a lot was still left unsaid!
Eileen was not a passive person, her intelligence was fierce - eg, when Trivial Pursuit was launched, she beat all comers! Chess was a blood bath, she could lean you out at any card game, unbeatable at poker and bridge, and was a gold medal ballroom dancer.
She had been chair of the RNA women's branch for ten years, advocated for equal rights through local authority groups, sang soprano in Leeds Gilbert and Sullivan opera society, been Champion Bow for 4yrs running in Yorkshire Archery circles, and raised money with her skills playing *Darts* with her bow against pub darts players, and winning!!
She travelled the world with Harold as he commissioned DVA branches across the commonwealth.
Her world ended when he died in 1988 and she followed him only months later.
Her ashes joined his at Dunkirk and some in her beloved English Channel.