A forgotten stash of poems has been rediscovered.
Widower Derek Mansfield, 85, of Quarmby, was amazed to come across notebooks packed full of verse written by his late wife.
Former textile worker Lily died after a stroke in January at the age of 84 and Derek stumbled on the ‘lost’ poetry when he was clearing a bureau in the living room.
The works shine a light onto Lily’s memories of a once-booming textile industry in Huddersfield, as well as her love of Yorkshire.
The couple’s daughter Audrey Wilde, 62, said: “Dad was surprised when he found them as he didn’t know she’d written so many.
“She worked for over 20 years at Joseph Hoyle’s mill in Quarmby as a warper and started writing down her memories a long time ago, which turned into poems.
“We knew she’d written some poems in the past because some got published in two collections – Sunlight and Shadows and Island Moods and Reflections.
“But these notebooks had been put there before she became ill and then forgotten about.
“Most are around a few verses long.”
Derek met the then Lily Kaye at the mill where they both worked. They married in 1952 before having children Audrey and Robert, 56.
The family don’t know what they will do with the rediscovered works and Audrey said: “We may try to publish them but we need to read through them all first.
“It’s a legacy to her and it’s nice to read her memories. It’s brought some comfort to us as it’s a part of her that we can keep.”
