Tributes paid to Second World War veteran and former Grantham mayoress Joan Briggs after death aged 101

Tributes have been paid to a former town mayoress and Second World War veteran following her death aged 101.

Joan Briggs (née Brew), 101, died peacefully at Richard House Care Home in Grantham on April 30.

Born on the Isle of Man in 1923, Joan grew up in the town of Douglas.

During the Second World War, she answered the call to serve by joining the Women’s Royal Naval Service as an ‘immobile Wren’, allowing her to contribute to the war effort close to home. She was stationed at HMS Valkyrie in Douglas, working in the officers’ mess.

In her early 20s, Joan was posted to Scotland, where she met fellow serviceman Ron Briggs, an anti-submarine detector. The couple fell in love and were married in 1946 in Little Ponton, Ron’s home village near Grantham.

In 1947, son Chris was born, followed by daughter Lynda in 1948.

Chris said: “She was immensely proud of her service as well as her Manx heritage.

“We still have relatives over there who Mum kept in touch with.”

Memoirs from Joan’s wartime experience, compiled by Chris, are lodged with the Manx Museum in Douglas.

Chris said Joan was “eternally cheerful”.

“She enjoyed life and took every opportunity to do so,” he said.

“She was always interested in leaving the house with family and friends, enjoyed eating out, and generally continued to get whatever pleasure she could out of life.

“She had a great number of friends whom she loved dearly and who clearly loved her, as well as immediate family around her, plus this contingent of relatives in the Isle of Man who were extremely fond of her and very proud of her too – as are we all.”

Joan had to leave the Navy after marriage, as required at the time, but never forgot her service.

Settling in Grantham, Joan and Ron built a life devoted to public service, and they also spent 11 happy years running the White Lion pub in Colsterworth.

In 1963, Ron was elected mayor of Grantham during the town’s quincentenary celebrations and later served as chairman of South Kesteven District Council.

As mayoress, Joan accompanied Ron on civic duties, including official engagements where she met the Queen Mother and then Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home.

Coun Ian Selby (Ind), who won the by-election for the Isaac Newton Ward following Ron’s death in 1995, remembered Joan as “kind-hearted” and a “dear friend”.

He recalled how Joan showed great character and warmth despite her daughter Lynda also standing in the same election.

Coun Selby interviewed Joan last year on his Hive FM radio show, where she shared vivid memories of the Queen Mother’s 1963 visit to Grantham, describing it as “the icing on the cake, the cherry on the top”.

She also shared her light-hearted take on longevity, saying: “I’ve not had an alcoholic drink for eight years, I’ve never smoked in my life, but I like good food and I hate exercise.”

Coun Selby said he would dedicate this year’s charity Spud in a Pot competition in her memory, as she had entered regularly and planned to take part again.

Throughout her life, Joan remained deeply proud of her wartime role and kept alive the memory of those years through stories and, later, her written memoirs,

She continued to take part in Remembrance commemorations and was honoured in a silhouette display commissioned by South Kesteven District Council in 2023 outside Grantham’s Guildhall.

She marked the occasion with an immaculate salute, which caught the attention of Grantham College film students.

That moment inspired a documentary, Joan, produced by students and lecturer Steve Healey. The film, which premiered in April 2024 at the Savoy Cinema in Grantham, moved Joan and her family deeply and was warmly received by the community.

She said at the time she was “still coming down from cloud nine” following the screening, which included a tribute from her son and the presentation of a new ship in a bottle to replace one from her Navy days that had been broken.

In the documentary and public appearances, Joan was known for her remarkable memory, dry humour, and pride in both her family and her country. She was said to have loved “every minute” of telling her story.

She is remembered as a spirited and graceful woman who served her nation, supported her husband’s civic leadership, and left a lasting impression on everyone she met.

She is survived by her son, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her daughter Lynda died in 2014.

Funeral details have not yet been released.