A native of Banbury, Phyllys married Wing Commander Owen Rupert Pigott (1901-1966) in 1927, the year in which she obtained her medical qualification, and moved to The Old House at The Terrace, Wokingham, which had been in the family since 1917.
They had a son and daughter, Gillian Mary (b. 1930), later Mrs Cozens, who was Mayoress during Phyllys’ first term as the third lady Mayor in the history of the borough of Wokingham.
In 1928 Phyllys went abroad, where she spent six years in Egypt and Palestine. For half of this period she served on the staff of the hospital of St John of Jerusalem and her work there was recognised by her being made an Officer of the Order of St John.
Two years after her return to Wokingham, Phyllys moved to Crescent Road, Wokingham, and later returned to her home at The Terrace.
In 1938 she was asked by the then Mayor of Wokingham to give first-aid lectures to ARP personnel, and in September of the following year she took medical charge of all evacuees to the town. In 1940 she went into general practice, assisting Dr R Rose, and continued to do so until joining the RAF Medical Service, from which she retired in 1946 with the rank of Squadron Leader, having previously been mentioned in dispatches.
Her association with Wokingham Town Council began in December, 1939, when she was elected a co-opted member. She remained on the Council until October 1945, although her duties as a medical officer with the RAF prevented her from taking an active part in council affairs from 1942 onwards.
In 1957 Phyllys returned to local government and topped the poll in the election to fill two vacancies in Emmbrook Ward, the other seat being won by the then Mayor, Councillor Mrs La Bouchardiere.
Locally, Dr Pigott became well known for her work for the Wokingham and Bracknell Society for Mentally Handicapped Children, of which she was also Chairman. Also for her interest in the Oakfields Hostel for old people on Barkham Road, where she was Chairman of the House Committee. She was also member of All Saints Church Parochial Church Council.
For nine years she was honorary medical administrator at St Luke’s Hospital, Chelsea. She was also a member of the Chelsea and Fulham Group Hospital Management Committee.
The Queen and Prince Phillip visited Wokingham on the 25th June 1962, during her second term as Mayor. She was first presented to the Queen at Easthampstead Park training College. Later at Wokingham Town Hall, Phyllys presented the official welcoming party to Her Majesty. Phyllys’ grandaughter Eleanor presented the Queen with a bouquet of flowers.
When she retired, she planted a walnut tree near the junction of Molly Millars Lane and Finchampstead Road. She died in Banbury in 1981 after a long illness. Pigott Road was named in her memory.
Wokingham Town Museum Unique Identifier: WTH0071