OBITUARY
Mrs Joan Nicholls ATS
1926 – 2017
The ‘Listeners’ – Ladies Beaumanor Watches: Joan Nicholls 2nd from the left.
It is with a great deal of sadness that I have to convey the news that Mrs Joan Nicholls passed away peacefully in the early hours of Friday, the 19th of May. For those who didn’t know Joan, she was the driving force behind the creation of the Y Services Memorial Plot at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas on Shropshire.
I never had the pleasure or privilege of meeting Joan in person, but everyone who I spoke to about her painted a picture of a generous and determined Lady, who was rightly proud of her wartime service with the ATS at Beaumanor Hall. It was also clear from these conversations that she was much loved and highly regarded by members of the Branch and the wider Y Services community.
She realised her dream of establishing a permanent memorial to the many, many men and women of the Y Services, who received no recognition either during or after World War 2 (raising over £6000 in the process) in September 1998 and this continues to provide a focal point for those, past and present, who “…maintain a constant silent watch…” on our behalf. It is a fitting legacy for a remarkable Lady.
Her daughter Jenny, has informed us that Joan’s funeral will take place at 2 pm on the 13th of June at the Randalls Road Crematorium in Leatherhead, Surrey, with donations to the Y Services Branch of the Royal British Legion.
I’m sure all Branch members will join me in expressing our heartfelt condolences to Jenny and the rest of Joan’s family.
Nick Berry,
Chairman, Y Services