PAULINE Alicia Browning was born to Thomas and Marguerite (Rita) Browning in 1926 at their home in St Catherine’s Road, Southbourne and was baptised in the temporary Catholic Church of Our Lady of Victories and Holy Souls in Belle Vue Road, Southbourne.

Pauline was the first girl and later had five sisters and two brothers.

She also had four half-sisters as Thomas’s first wife Daisy had died five years earlier leaving him a widower with four daughters to raise.

Pauline was like a second mother to the younger children but her ambition was to see the world.

After her education at the Convent of the Cross, Boscombe and a Domestic Science Course at The Municipal College, Bournemouth, she joined the Wrens in 1944. She was kept in English waters for the duration, serving on HMS Pembroke, HMS Victory, HMS Shrapnel, HMS Northerner and HMS Mercury.

After demob Pauline worked at The Kings Arms Hotel in Dorchester, before realising a dream and emigrating to Canada in 1948, firstly to Toronto where she worked as a nanny and then to Montreal where she worked for the Sun Life Assurance Co.

Whilst in Montreal she joined the Ex-Wrens Association. On her return to England she joined the Bournemouth Association becoming an active member. Because of this, she was invited to Buckingham Palace last year to a Garden Party for ex-Service personnel and met Prince Harry.

She lived in Canada for three years before sailing home on the Mauretania. She was met at Southampton by her parents and all her family as her father hired a bus to get everyone there.

Pauline worked in London for Shell Oil Company, her knowledge of computers proving to be very useful. Then she moved to Southampton with British Tabulating Machine Co. which became ICT and then ICL.

Many happy years followed with Pauline travelling around the country as a Systems Analyst. She also spent a year training people on computers in Iran.

Later she joined BDH (British Drug Houses) in Poole which later became Merck. Pauline never married but she was a favourite Aunt and Great Aunt. Pauline was a wonderful cook and would always run either a home-made sweet stall or a cake stall at numerous fetes and summer fayres at Corpus Christi Parish Hall or garden.

Pauline will be remembered by her family and her very many friends all over the world, as someone who was always there, who always made you feel welcome and always fed you well.

Pauline died of a cardiac arrest in December, not having been ill beforehand and having lived her life right to the end. Her funeral was held at a crowded Corpus Christi Church where her long and fulfilling life was celebrated at a Requiem Mass.