Laburnum Terrace

Ethel Garn of 14 Gloucester Road, Thornbury

According to the electoral registers, between 1939 and 1960, the house was occupied by a widow, Ethel Garn shown in the photo on the left with Henry Smith and his brother. 

Ethel had been married to Albert Jesse Garn, who was born in Cheltenham in 1882, the son of Joseph Thomas Garn, a grocer's porter and his wife, Louisa.  By 1901 Albert had left home to live in Ystradyfodwg near Rhondda were he was working as an assistant to a coal hewer.

We haven't been able to trace any details of Ethel and Albert's marriage.  Not being able to find out her maiden name, we know nothing about her earlier life.  Henry Smith who as a young lad lived next door at number 16 believes that they moved to Thornbury from South Wales.  We had a suspicion she may have come from a place called Durley, near Southampton.  There was a fashion in the area of naming houses after the place where people came from.  Numbers 16, and 22 had been given names in this way.  We know that Ethel Garn named the house 'Durley' as there is no reference to that name being used by anyone in the house before or after Ethel.  We have been told that the name was written above the front door.

They had moved to Thornbury area by 1919, when their son, Douglas Grant Garn was born in April.  The family were living at Mumbleys at that time and Albert was working as a gardener at nearby Kyneton House.  Albert died in 1935 aged 52 years and Ethel and Douglas moved to Gloucester Road shortly after.

Douglas attended St Mary's School and in 1929 he gained a place at the Grammar School.  We also know that Douglas was keen on drama and he appeared as 'Giant Gorribuster' in the production of Jack and the Beanstalk that was performed in Thornbury in February 1938. 

In 1940, the Gazette reports that Douglas had joined the Thornbury Cricket Club and was considered a very promising wicketkeeper and was also proving himself useful as assistant secretary.  The annual report refers to the club's loss when in that year (1940) Douglas joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve and became a sergeant bomber pilot in the 77th Squadron. 

Henry Smith remembers the excitement caused when Ethel heard that Douglas would be flying over the house one day and all the neighbours were out in their gardens to watch a plane fly over and 'dip its wings'.  Tragically Ethel received a telegram a week later to tell her that Douglas had been killed.  He was shot down on a raid over North Germany on 2nd May 1941 and he is buried in Kiel War Cemetery.  He was aged only 22.   To see the obituary click here.

Ethel continued to live in Gloucester Road, taking in the occasional lodger from time to time.  Two of these are remembered as being Miss Gale and Miss Jones, both teachers at the Council School. 

Ethel died in June 1961 aged 81 years.  We know that the house was then sold to Cyril Williams in March 1963.   As far as we know Cyril never lived in the house and continued to let it out to tenants. 

This page was last updated: 31/05/2007