Tribute: Barbara Maude

Barbara Maude, a stalwart of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the National Association of Women Pharmacists (NAWP), has died aged 89 years.

Born in Woolwich in 1929, she was the daughter of a marine engineer and headmistress but was mainly brought up by her grandmother, who ran a boarding house on the East India Dock Road in Poplar in the East End of London.

At the outbreak of the war, Barbara was evacuated to Norfolk, but hated it and escaped, making her way back to the family home. Life in the Docklands during those years was often challenging, but she always talked fondly about her life there and was proud of her East End roots.

After the war she won a scholarship to Roedean and went on to study pharmacy in Brighton. After qualifying she met her future husband Cyril Maude, a fellow pharmacist, when they both worked for Boots in Piccadilly Circus. They were married in 1953. Barbara ran the pharmacy department at Long Grove psychiatric hospital where Spike Milligan was one of her patients.

Barbara and Cyril moved to Nuneaton in Warwickshire in the early 1960s, adopting their son Ian in 1965. Barbara worked as a locum pharmacist and put much of her energy into the RPS and NAWP, becoming regional secretary and president respectively.

She organised a number of conferences and events especially for women pharmacists. In 2002, she was awarded a long service certificate by the RPS for her work at branch and regional level over many years.

Barbara loved to travel and visited a huge number of countries both on official trips both as a pharmacist and for pleasure. Russia and India were particular favourites. She especially loved Moscow and was blown away by Delhi and the Ghats at Varanasi. In later life she learned to play golf, becoming ladies president at two golf clubs and winning several tournaments for seniors.

Her husband Cyril died in 2011. Not long after, she had a stroke and started to suffer from dementia. However, she continued to be active, making regular trips to the theatre in Stratford-on-Avon and to London and Yorkshire to see family and friends.

She died peacefully on 19 September 2018 and is survived by her son Ian. Her funeral will be held at the Heart of England Crematorium in Nuneaton on Saturday 29 September at 11am. Friends and ex-colleagues are welcome to attend.

Last updated
Citation
The Pharmaceutical Journal, PJ, October 2018, Vol 301, No 7918;301(7918)::DOI:10.1211/PJ.2018.20205500

You may also be interested in