Joan Frances Blacklocks (later Basden) was born in Kent on 30 March 1920 to Richard and Emily Blacklocks. She was educated at Southlands Grammar School and Folkestone County School and was head girl at both schools. She read Zoology at Queen Mary College [QMC], University of London from 1938, where she was also Vice-President of the Union Society. QMC students were evacuated to Cambridge in 1939: men to King’s and women to Girton. She gained a 1st class degree in 1941. Between 1941 and 1943/44 Joan was employed by the Agricultural Research Council on ‘war work’ in Cambridge concerning wireworms, a pest of potatoes. The work was directed by Dr George Salt and Dr F S J Hollick of the Department of Zoology, Cambridge. During this time she also completed her PhD as a student of QMC but resident in Cambridge. Her PhD supervisor was Dr A J Grove of QMC, who, like other male QMC staff during the War, was affiliated with King’s College, Cambridge. In 1945, Joan married Eric B Basden, who had worked as an assistant to George Salt and at the Advanced Laboratory in the Department of Zoology at Cambridge. Her published work includes: Blacklocks, Joan F, 'Larval Growth-Stages of Agriotes sputator’. Nature Vol 154, Nov 18 1944, p 641; and Blacklocks, Joan F, 'A Method of Distinguishing The Larval Stages of Agriotes Sputator (L.) (Col., Elaterid.)', Bulletin of Entomological Research, Vol 41 pt 2, Sept 1950 pp 395-413. In 1947, Joan and Eric moved to Edinburgh when Eric was offered a position in a team setting up a new Animal Genetics department at the university. They had four children to whom Joan was a full-time mother and remained resident in Scotland. Joan died on 1 March 2008. [Information supplied by Nick Basden 2018.]