Joan Mary Layard DOWBIGGIN [1914-2005]

Extra notes AS TOLD BY JOAN FULLER (NEE DOWBIGGIN), courtesy of Jane Herasimenko:

Joan was born in Birmingham, England. Her father had married her mother Hilda while he was on long leave from Mercantile Bank in Hong Kong (6wks passage to England and back to orient so leave was usually 6-7 months) and during that leave became pregnant (within a month of marriage) Hugh was to have returned to Hong Kong however he felt it would be best if Hilda stayed in England during her first pregnancy and child bearing. [...]

Hugh told Hilda to bring baby formulathinking she had plenty of milk she did not bother. When Joan was four months old Hilda took her via PO boat to HK. Due to the war (German submarines in Mediterranean WW1) the liner went around the Horn and picked up Copra shipment on its route. Hilda became very ill from Copra Fever, lost her milk and Joan arrived in HK skin and bones. Hugh had gone to Shanghai (transfer with bank) so Hilda who was still ill stayed with her parents Dr. Francis William Clark and Gertrude (Gertie) Clark until well and Hugh had found accommodation for them.

[...] Joan had red hair and green eyes very attractive and very involved in sports of any kind. Very competitive. Very unfair that Hugh would often say to her "You are my oldest, my ugliest, and my Favorite!" but they had a very loving relationship. In fact the girls were away from HK so much after they had finished school it was Hugh's desire to have them spend time with him in HK so that he could get to know them. Joan, being the oldest was the first to come out to HK after completing a years Domestic Science at St. Monica's.

Left St. Monica's Easter 1932 and went to the Grand National and in June was presented at Court. {This was Uncle Gordon's (Godfather) idea and he, Joan believes, financed this endeavor}. [...]

Shortly after this Joan's Grandmother Clark died and Joan sailed for Hong Kong with her father and mother. Joan spent much of this voyage attending to the needs of Cicily (the daughter of Lady Clementi and Sir Cecil Clementi the Governor of Singapore) who had an appendix attack and was put ashore in Port Said. Joan was in HK until early April 1936 and during this time she exercised horses at Happy Valley at 2am for several owners, learned and played golf, tennis, cox rowing in the harbour, fencing, taught at Diocesan Girls Boys Domestic Science (Kowloon). Joan's mother had only spent a few months in HK, was increasingly ill and returned to England.

Joan returned to England to do her Nurses Training, only to find out that she had to wait to get into St. Barts and she was determined to go to St. Barts as her Grandfather Francis Clark had gone there for his training and she had a very close relationship with him. [...]

Started St. Barts 2 days after Xmas 1937 and passed exams successfully and completed training in April 1941 and was accepted as Queen Alexander's Royal Navy Nursing Service (R) and was stationed Chatham Royal Naval Hospital. WW11 means transfers for Joan...Sister in Charge, Devanport Barracks, Royal Naval College Sick Quarters, at Mold in Wales, rushed to Plymouth to help with June who was very ill and was working as a naval Engineer on the Duty Boats, Royal Naval Base Trincomalee Ceylon (NW coast of what is now Sri Lanka)....once again chased by German

Substhrough Mediterranean once through the Suez Canal the Jap Sub were after thema convoy of 28 ships. All put off the boat in Bombay and over land by train (a week) to Ferry to Ceylon....more train to Colombo and then by Train again to Trincomaleenot enough water, most were sick by the time it was over.

This was towards the end of the warAugust 1945 and she was one of the first to be sent back to Englandthinking that her father, who had been a Japanese Prisoner of War, would need nursing she was eager to return.

However, Hugh had been put in a boat to go to Australia. He and one other man got off the boat in Manilla....there was nothing there but put into an American Army Camp in the mud and not being healthy he got sick. A Canadian vessel came into port and took him aboard. Hugh ended up with double pneumonia ended up in Canada....port of Vancouver (where he had wanted to go at any rate) as a stretcher case. He spent his recovery with Anne. He eventually made his way England. Meanwhile, Joan visited Grandpa Clark then started TB and Cancer training at Brompton Hospital. While there took a TB case to sanitarium in Switzerland. Finished this training and did private nursing while making some arrangements to go to Australia

[Joan moved to Australia and lived there for the rest of her life.]

Family tree at Geni.com  http://www.geni.com/people/Joan-Dowbiggin/6000000027822832387