1900-1994
“Do what you like with me but let my dogs alone”
Believed to be Romany, Bertha lived in a caravan on Christian Fields. She was well known for pushing a pram around Lichfield city centre accompanied by a number of stray dogs. The dogs were well fed and cared for but she was thin and undernourished. In 1981, one of her dogs was accused of biting a child and magistrates ordered it be destroyed. A local pensioner started a petition and another wrote to Prince Charles. The dog was not put down. In 1989, Bertha’s caravan was gutted by a mystery fire. A local dealer replaced it and the people of Lichfield brought her food and furnishings. One said “Bertha was a hell of a character. She was very proud and a law unto herself…….very forthright, very suspicious and would take no nonsense from anyone”.
