Joan Beddoe (1913-2008)

Joan was born in Loughborough in 1913. Her mother Bertha was married to a church organist, who sadly died shortly after the war from an old head wound, leaving three young children, Ronald, Joan and Dick.

Bertha badgered the war office for a pension and took in lodgers to supplement the family income. The children all did well. Ronald went to Cambridge and into the Church, Dick to The London Hospital to become a doctor. Joan to Loughborough College where she got a diploma in commerce. She subsequently got a job in Leicester.

One of the lodgers, Neville, arrived when Joan was 12 and he was 22. He was entranced by this pretty little thing and by dint of becoming an advisor and confidante he courted her, calling her little Jo - eventually declaring himself, in a letter which survives to this day, when she was 18. They were married in 1936.

Neville was now an electrical engineer in the admiralty, and posted to Portsmouth. In 1938 he was posted to Simonstown in South Africa, and because of the war, when all movement stopped, they stayed there for nine years. Life was good, they made many friends and entertained many people from the visiting warships. Joan worked for war charities and in the dockyard canteen where sailors would come to relax.

Joan and Neville had four children, Michael, Anne, Janet and David. Sadly Anne was brain damaged at birth and had to be helped constantly. Eventually Joan had to put her in a home, this was a source of sadness to her always.

The highlight of their time in South Africa was the visit of the Royal Family to Simonstown during their tour of South Africa in 1947.

Back in England they lived in Bath in the wing of a lovely house belonging to the Kirkwoods. Another great friendship. When the Kirkwoods moved to a farm in Gloucestershire many happy holidays were spent there.

In 1951 Neville was posted to Gibraltar for three years. Again, a good life and many more good friends, Joan learnt to play bridge and speak Spanish (about three words).

Back in England and Portsmouth, first Moreland House and then Billet Avenue in Waterlooville. They joined the Conservative party and Joan was chair of the luncheon club and the Dr Barnardos Society, and a regular communicant at St George’s Church.

Neville died 28 years ago and Joan carried on visiting family and friends ever driving in her little Ford Fiesta - getting lost and having little scrapes much to the consternation of the community. Many came to stay, always warmly welcomed and always very well fed - in spite of her WW2 kitchen.

She was a wonderful mother, grandmother and great grandmother - always determined to live to the very end in her own house. She will be much missed and never forgotten.

Michael Beddoe

• Michael, Janet and David wish to thank St George’s for their love and support to our dear mother Joan (Beddoe). Without your care and attention she would not have been able to stay at home.