Francis Drake Bowls Club

Frances Anne Ward 1946 - 2020

Frances joined FDBC soon after retirement, spurred on by the memory of her mother who regularly bowled in Inverness. She always said she had “rather inadequate bowling ability” but despite that she did became Ladies’ Captain for our North West Kent League team.

She was always keen to assist the club in any way she could and was soon editing our Newsletters and web pages, assisting with coaching and, most famously, cleaning the clubhouse windows. Last year, after rewriting our Constitution, she became a member of the FDBC Committee.

Frances, for many years a Local Historian for Greenwich, also showed us her skills as a tour guide when she led over a third of us on a most enjoyable “walk & talk” around the Woolwich Arsenal site.

Early this year she was diagnosed with lung cancer which had spread to her neck. But, despite regular chemotherapy at Guy’s Cancer Centre, her fight was not to be a long one.

When her cortege passed Francis Drake Bowls Club many members and neighbours lined the street to pay their respects. Numbers at the funeral service were strictly limited by Covid-19 so it was live streamed and members were able to watch it online from The Brockley Jack!

See also this tribute page