Tributes to Windsor mayoress in 1940s with an ‘incredible love for music’

A former mayoress of Windsor who lived to the age of 97 has been remembered as a ‘lovely mum and granny’ with an ‘incredible love for music’.

Elizabeth Swain died on February 22 in a West Sussex care home but had ‘a life-long loyalty to Windsor’.

Born in May 1927, Elizabeth attended Windsor County Girls’ School during World War II and forged an interest in arts and music. She started learning the piano at age seven.

Pictured: Elizabeth as a 10-year-old in 1937.

When her father, Frederick Inkerman Fuzzens, became the mayor of Windsor in 1946, Elizabeth was his ‘mayoress’ because her mother had died when she was 15.

Frederick was elected ‘on a Labour ticket’ by canvassing on streets ‘that never got any attention’ and was later honoured with a road in Windsor named Fuzzens Walk.

Elizabeth’s daughter, Diana Keiller, 72, told the Express that her mother was ‘very popular as mayoress’ despite being 19 years old.

During their three mayoral years, they gave then-Princess Elizabeth a Freedom of the Borough of Windsor honour, were invited to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's royal wedding, and attended garden parties and a ball at Buckingham Palace.

But Diana only learned these details through her grandfather’s diaries, now exhibited at the Imperial War Museum.

“She was modest about it, and she would have felt that it was not something you want to boast about,” said Diana.

“She was incredibly young and probably very nervous, but by all accounts, she carried it off, and Grandad says in his diary, he doesn't know how he could have done it without her.

“She never really told us about it, mostly because she didn't feel it was her achievement; it was her dad’s achievement.

“It seemed like she carried it off with grace and aplomb, and [Grandad] definitely wasn't one to throw compliments around.”

Elizabeth married George Swain, her best friend's brother, at Windsor Parish Church.

Pictured: George and Elizabeth Swain on their wedding day. Credit: Windsor, Slough & Eton Express.

The pair didn’t meet until after the war, despite Elizabeth visiting his family home in Victoria Street for many years.

“They got married in September 1949, and the streets were lined with people waving flags and cheering – a bit like a royal occasion, which is amazing,” said Diana.

“She was quite well known locally. I think she always thought of Windsor as home.”

The couple bought a house in Egham where 'green-fingered' Elizabeth 'created a really nice garden out of a muddy field – a suburban blank canvas'.

The couple had three children, Diana, Alison and Richard and five grandchildren.

Elizabeth worked as a primary school teacher at Thorpe Church of England School in Egham, playing the piano in assemblies and drama performances until retiring at age 65.

“She didn't believe in chastising children; she believed in distracting them, and that's how her teaching was,” said Diana.

“If children were being difficult, noisy, and not settling to their work, she would take them to the school hall, give them a little bit of exercise to music or singing and then go back to their work.”

Elizabeth then played the piano for playgroups and a kindergarten and taught at a Sunday school for another ten years.

“Music was very important to Mum. She was always bursting into song. I don't think she was exactly eccentric, but she was quite exuberant,” said Diana.

Elizabeth’s first time abroad was when their family briefly moved to Singapore in 1974 for George's civil service work.

“It was a tremendous experience to go to Singapore, somewhere so foreign when you've never been out of the country,” said Diana.

“I don't think she ever got used to the heat [or] embraced the expat lifestyle where everybody talked about their houses and boarding schools and played tennis and bridge.

"She wasn't really into that kind of thing, but enjoyed the people, the culture and the food.

“It was a life-changing experience for the whole family.”

Elizabeth's funeral will be held on April 15 at Holy Trinity Church in Bosham, Chichester, where George's funeral was in 2007 after he passed aged 84.

“It’s a celebration of life, and it’s going to be a musical tribute – this is the music that rang through the house when I was a child, and she was always playing and singing," said Diana.

“She was very loving, interested in everybody, and people gravitated towards her.

“She was just everyone's friend.”