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Matthew Pritchard

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15 Sep, 2015

Talks about grandmother on 125th anniversary

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To mark the 125th anniversary of her birth, Prichard, Christie’s grandson, opens up the family archives and photo albums to show a side of the writer many of her fans won’t know about.

The early years of my grandmother, up till her 30s really, she was a different person to what she became after she became famous and was known for her writing. Then, you might say, she was herself.

The images show Christie roller-skating on the pier in Torquay, on the southwest coast of England; traveling to Paris before World War One, serving as a volunteer nurse during the war, and crossing the globe with her husband, soldier and airman. On Miss Marple:

She had this in common with my grandmother. that although a cheeky, cheerful person, she always expected the worst, of anyone and everything — usually proved right.

Pritchard:

She gave me the rights to The Mousetrap for my ninth birthday. Not that I knew very much about it at the time, but I don’t think she realized how generous she was being.