The Leas School,  Hoylake

Nora's parents were Clement Joseph Laxton (1870-1951), printer, and Edith Jane Furnival (1871-1956), daughter of William Furnival, wheelwright. Nora never married.

In the pre-Second-World-War national register of 1939, Nora is recorded in Harrogate, Yorkshire, occupation kindergarten teacher. Barrie Lees reports that in 1948-50 he was taught by her at Westbourne School, Wood Lane, Neston, Wirral. This all accords with her later job at The Leas, where she was form-mistress for the Seventh Form, the starter form for most entrants (aged 7 or 8).

Nora was Akela, the leader of the cub troop at The Leas, assisted by Evelyn Greenhalgh as Bagheera. Ian Blake recounts a tale about Nora: shortly after her arrival at the school, she had to organise the flagpole ceremony on Empire Day, when the school was to be visted by the local District Commissioner or County Commissioner of Scouts. (Empire Day was 24 May, renamed Commonwealth Day in 1958, moved to March in 1973.) Everything was proceeding well, all scouts and cubs and staff and dignitaries assembled round the foot of the flagpole; in a reverent hush the Union Flag was raised and broken out - but it was upside-down. Akela was ever-afterwards most fastidious in teaching the cubs how to tie and raise a flag.

Nora was usually known as Miss Laxton (when she wasn't Akela), or occasionally by the nickname Aggie.