Joan Pepperday was born on November 24, 1924, in London and evacuated from the city during the early part of the war before she joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), commonly known as the Wrens.
Throughout the war, Joan was one of 8,000 Wrens who received training for various roles, including radio operators, meteorologists, and bomb markers. By 1944, at the height of the service, there were 74,000 women involved in more than 200 different jobs. Joan served in the Wrens for four years and left the service in 1946 when she met and married her husband, Barry, in Pleasley. The couple had a son together, David. David said: “We are so proud of mum and all she has achieved. It is local people like her who deserve to be celebrated and have their stories heard.”
