John Lloyd (1911 - 2007) - my father

My father Johannes Cornelius Human Lloyd was born on 30th September 1911 in Krugersdorp in South Africa. He was the second child of Thomas Sydney Lloyd and Elizabeth Human. His father sent him and his elder brother, Bill (John William Henry) to England in 1913, promising to join them in a few months. He never did. His mother Elizabeth became unwell and died on 2nd July 1914 in the Wesham workhouse infirmary. Rather than leave the boys to the tender mercies of Dr Barnados, their grandparents took the two boys in and brought them up even though they were in dire straits themselves.

My father got himself an apprenticeship as a plumber, did his City and Guilds exams and eventually set up a small building business with his brother. During the second world war, he eventually got enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Petty Officer and served in a number of areas on a fleet minesweeper (Seabear)

He resumed the building company on his return and the company did reasonably well building and renovating houses in the Lytham St Annes area of Lancashire.

Unfortunately my father became ill in 1958 with bladder cancer and was not expected to survive. However he was referred to a new radiotherapy unit at Christies hospital in Manchester and, to everyone’s surprise, made a complete recovery. On his return to the business he was shocked to find what had happened in his absence, fell out with his brother, and with the help of Manchester based solicitors and accountants extracted himself from the business with a reasonable settlement.

The family moved to Southport to a small detached house at 214 Scarisbrick New Road. Dad did a variety of jobs in the local area mainly working for estate agents and auctioneers whilst playing golf at the Southport and Ainsdale golf club in his spare time.

His health deteriorated after the millenium and he became increasingly forgetful. After a frightful accident on his mobility scooter when he was mown down on a pedestrian crossing by a Post Office van, he went rapidly downhill and developed full blown dementia.