Betty Pattinson

Betty Pattinson OBE (1922-2019): Born in Conwy town walls, earning the title 'Jackdaw'; Betty (or 'Beti' as she preferred to be called) lived most of her life in and around Conwy town. Her father was injured in Passchendaele and died when she was 12 years of age, and her family had strong maritime connections - with a number of extended family members having worked as fishermen/women or mussel fishers in the estuary. At 3 years old she was a pupil at Ysgol Bodlondeb, Conwy, but did not stay long at the school. Betty became heavily involved in safeguarding the heritage of Conwy, campaigning to save the Telford Suspension bridge when threatened with demolition - the bridge passed to the ownership of the National Trust in 1958. She campaigned with a group of locals for the erection of a tunnel system underneath Conwy estuary, a project which became known as the Conwy tunnel (opened 1991). Beti, since she was 75, had also written two history books about Conwy, and was an avid collector of historical memorabilia, antiques and artefacts from the town.