Joyce Mabel Foulds

Joyce Foulds was born in 1913, the daughter of a surgeon in the Royal Army Medical Corps. She married Archibald Agard Evans on 20 Aug 1938.

Archie’s father Ernest Evans, who had moved to Switzerland in 1899, was the first cousin of Molly Downing (nee Evans). Archie was working for the ILO (International Labour Organization) in the 1930’s. However, in 1938, Molly’s diaries and photos do not reference Archie, but rather Joyce his fiancee.  She is recorded as coming to visit the Downings in Edgbaston, staying for a few days on her own.

On Sunday 20 March 1938 the family motor up to Beacon Lodge for the day. Joyce is photographed there in groups and  with Pamela Downing, Molly’s oldest daughter.

One idea that must have come out of the ‘long conversations’ that Joyce and Molly had was a plan for Molly’s eldest daughter, Pamela, to visit Archie and Joyce in Switzerland by the end of the year after their wedding.

Pam travelled to France on 1 Sep 1938, stayed six weeks in Marseille with a school exchange family and then went to Switzerland and stayed with Archie and Joyce. She took a French course of some kind for a few weeks in November 1938 at Chateau D’Oron. Chateau D’Oron is just outside Lausanne.

As to the wedding on 20 Aug 1938 in Great Alne in Warwickshire, Molly, Noel and Pamela all attended. Molly kept photos and newspaper cuttings of the event. Exactly fifty years later in 1988, Pam attended the Golden Wedding celebration in the same church.

Sources and Notes

  • Archibald Agard Evans was the grandson of Thomas Evans and Sarah Agard
  • Molly Downing’s Pocket Diary and Photo Albums
    • Entry for Mon 21 Mar – “Breakfast 7.30. Joyce down. Routine. Children and Noel off. Meals. Long chat with Joyce. Her departure…..”
    • Entry for Sat 20 Aug – “Joyce’s wedding – Breakfast 8 all well -Homekeeping jobs and beds. Off for car – ready at 10.30 in wedding garments! Good run. Arrival punctual. ..Church. Guests. Crowd in village hall. Speeches. Cake. Sign. Old Parson. Evelyn Chance. Photograph on Lawn. Took Dawn back to Stratford. Tea. Comic bride and bridegroom! Theatre. Home. Dinner. Bed.”
  • Although Archie was born in Lausanne where his father’s business had been founded, in 1938 his address was in Geneva. It is not clear if there is any connection between the Evans in Geneva and Pam’s ‘course’ in Chateau D’Oron, as the latter could have been organised through Pam’s school.
Last updated on 10 February 2021 by JJ Morgan