Julie Boston Obituary

Julie Boston, my mother, passed away at the age of 88. She was not just an educator, but also an agitator and an organizer.

Julie spent her childhood in Edenbridge, Kent, on a farm with her parents, Janet (nee Vessey) and Frank Boston, who was an RAF pilot, dairy farmer, and school cook. Along with her younger brothers Christopher and Richard, she attended Ashford School for Girls and received her degree in English literature from Exeter University in the early 1950s. It was there that she became a campaigning socialist and met Will Fancy, whom she married in 1957 before settling in southeast London.

Despite being a dedicated mother and wife, Julie found that being confined to the lifestyle of a suburban housewife did not speak to her. In an article published in Peace News called "The Home As a Prison," she expressed her displeasure. Instead, she turned her home into an adventure playground filled with creativity for her family to enjoy. With other mothers, she set up nurseries and holiday play clubs. She was an active member of the Labour party but was expelled in the early 1960s for her stance on unilateral nuclear disarmament, which went against the party leadership’s interests.

As a teacher at various primary schools in Greenwich, including Sherington, she was actively involved in the National Union of Teachers and contributed to the Rank and File teacher group and magazine. The house was always buzzing with union activity, hosting meetings in the living room, striking miners, and even a family who had been evicted when their father was let go from a local dairy.

In the early 1980s, Julie decided to leave home and returned to being Julie Boston. She visited the Greenham women’s peace camp and supported Women Against Pit Closures, traveling the country to sing songs and share poetry.

Julie relocated to Bristol in the late 1980s and worked in the city’s nursery schools. After retiring in 1994, she learned Spanish and traveled alone to Bolivia, Nicaragua, Cuba, and Mexico, gaining inspiration from the countries’ social movements and public services.

In Bristol, she became involved in the live poetry scene. Upon observing the decline of the local railway branch line, Julie and Will, who had moved into the flat above hers, established the Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways. She proudly stood on the recent RMT picket lines and campaigned for better public libraries, public toilets, buses, and public footpaths, being an lover of walking.

Julie’s life partner, Will, died in 2009. She is survived by her three children, Stuart, Rachel, and myself, as well as 11 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and her brother Christopher.