Catherine Iris Pamela Louie Loveday was born in June 1938. She is the daughter of Stanley Frederick Chapman of East Barnet, who died on 20 May 1941 during the Second World War. He was the son of Frederick George and Emma Ada Chapman, and the husband of Alice May Chapman of New Barnet.
Catherine Loveday was educated at East Barnet Grammar School (1949-1954) where she was known as Iris Chapman.
Her work has resulted in the addition of names to the East Barnet, New Barnet, and Hendon war memorials. He was serving as a gunner with the 6/3 Maritime Regiment of the Royal Artillery. His name is recorded on the Chatham Naval Memorial.
She left school after completing her O levels and did not undertake further study at that time.
One of her jobs was as an educational adviser to science students at the Open University. She enrolled with the Open University and earned her Bachelor at the age of 50 and her Bachelor of Science (Honours) five years later.
As a child, the failure of East Barnet war memorial to mention her father puzzled Loveday so in later life she launched a campaign to have his name added to the memorial which it was in 1995. At that time, it was the only Second World War name to be included but Loveday later succeeded in having a further 35 men added.
She then moved on to the memorials at New Barnet and Hendon.
In 2011, Loveday succeeded in having the names of 136 men added to the New Barnet memorial on a new plaque made of Portland stone. In August 2015, she managed to have the names of 228 men added to the Hendon war memorial. In September 2015, the memorial was rededicated in a special service.
The new Hendon plaque was designed by John Tebb of High Barnet whose brother, Frederick George Tebb, is named on the memorial.
Loveday has identified a further 1000 names to be added to the Finchley memorial and 500 more for the Edgware memorial and is raising funds to pay for plaques for both. Loveday is a trustee of the Barnet War Memorials Association.
