1954-1965

During the 1950s JPJB became a partner in his father’s firm, and his financial position improved.

A third child, a son, was born in 1956, but there was no question of further children, and Joan had been strongly advised not to have any more children after her second daughter. By the start of the 1960s, the last tenant in Stanley Avenue had moved out, and the family had full run of the house, to which some improvements were made. 

Joan developed a “career” in Ladies Circle, including service at District level from 1961; this ended after 1963, when JPJB finally left Round Table, and Mum flew to a Ladies Circle conference in Douglas in the Isle of Man. JPJB also developed in Round Table, and later in Rotary; his father Horace was President of Wallasey Rotary in 1960-1. Joan attended Inner Wheel meetings with her mother-in-law Phyl from 1959, and herself became president in 1964-5.

Family holidays were held in caravans in Wales from the 1950s, the last one being sited near the Clwyd Gate between Llanferres and Ruthin. JPJB took a boat holiday from Gailey to Ellesmere in 1963, and acquired a small boat at Christleton, Chester, in the next year. This began a long series of boat holidays, starting from Nantwich. When President of Wallasey Inner Wheel, Joan arranged the annual outing in 1965 to a boat base at Calf Heath, near Gailey, and was “piped” on board.

The house in Stanley Avenue had become too much to manage, and when the opportunity to move to a house in Grove Road, that JPJB had long admired, this was taken in 1964. This would be Mum’s last house – she was there for nearly 50 years.