Phyllis Moran, born in 1936 in Firozpur, Punjab, reflects on a life shaped by colonial India, Partition and migration to the UK.

Raised in a convent boarding school in the Himalayas, her childhood was disrupted by the violence of Partition, prompting her family to relocate within Pakistan before eventually settling in Swindon, England in 1952. Arriving with limited resources, her family faced cultural shock, cramped living conditions, and employment challenges particularly for her father, a former railway manager who refused to accept lower-status work.

Life in post-war Britain was challenging, with cramped housing, rationing, and prejudice, but Phyllis adapted. She worked as a typist, married an Irishman and raised a family of 5 children. Remembering both India’s warmth and England’s opportunities, she embraces her Anglo-Indian and Irish heritage, cherishing family, community and resilience throughout her long life.