Stella McGuire obituary

My sister, Stella McGuire, who has died aged 70 of lymphoma, was an archaeologist who worked on civil defence at the height of the cold war.

She was born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, the daughter of Eric Strong, an accountant, and his wife, Irene (nee Smith), a secretary, who brought up their children to love walking, reading, nature, history and socialism. She lived in Warwick and Leamington until she was 16, when the family moved to Wendover, Buckinghamshire. Attending Warwick high school for girls and Aylesbury high school for girls, she went on to get a first in French from Sussex University.