Ella Higgins formerly Burns nee Pegler
Ella Burns was associated with two houses in Horseshoe Lane. We’re not sure when this started. Ella came from Tortworth but following her marriage to William Henry Burns she lived for a few years at 7 Horseshoe Lane. He was tragically killed in the First World War and she married Nelson Higgins. They settled to live in 1 Horseshoe Lane.
Ella was born in Avening Green near Tortworth about 1896, the daughter of Ellen Lillian Pegler. In 1913 Ella married William Henry Burns in Bristol. He was born in Bristol in 1891, the second son of William Albert Burns, a postman and his wife, Mary.
William and Ella had three boys, Francis William Burns Pegler who was born on 16th April 1912 and baptised in Tortworth on 9th June 1912 before William and Ella married, Walter whose birth was registered in Pontypridd and born on 26th May 1914 and Mervyn Albert Thomas born in Thornbury on 25th July 1915. Walter went to Rendcomb, a private school near Cirencester, the other two went to Thornbury Grammar School.
William Burns was a dentist by profession, although he was unqualified according to his son’s school records. He had worked for a time as a conductor on the motor buses travelling between Filton and Thornbury. He had been working as a dentist in Wales when the War broke out and he enlisted with the 7th Battalion Kings Shropshire Light Infantry in September 1914. After a period of training he was sent to France. He was a Private serving as a stretcher bearer on the Somme when he was killed on 25th July 1916. He was aged 25. The Commonwealth War Graves website says that at the time of his death, his parents were living at 135 Lower Cheltenham Place, Ashley Hill, Bristol and Ella’s address was given as “Pullens Green”.
The 1916 Prewetts Directory lists Ella’s husband ‘W. H. Burns’ as living in Horseshoe Lane and we suspect that she was living in 7 Horseshoe Lane at that time.
When Mervyn, one of her sons, started in the Council Infants School in 1919 ‘Mrs Burns’ was living in Crossways but she must have returned to Horseshoe Lane by the 1921 Census which shows Ella, a widow aged 29 from Tortworth living there with her three sons, Francis William aged 9, Walter aged 7 and Mervyn aged 5.
In 1922 when her son Mervyn started at the Council Upper School Ella was living in ‘Rock Street’. We suspect this was the same house later known as 7 Horseshoe Lane which might easily be confused as being in Rock Street.
In June quarter 1923 Ella re-married, this time to Nelson Spencer Higgins, the son of Oliver Higgins, the blacksmith. Nelson had been born on 10th September 1896. At some time Ella and Nelson moved to live in 1 Horseshoe Lane. Click here to read more about them
The children of Ella and William Henry Burns
Having lost her first husband in the First World War, Ella lost two of her three sons in the Second World War.
Francis Burns
Francis William Pegler Burns – in 1923 he was admitted to Thornbury Grammar School having transferred there from the Council School. In 1939 he married Edna M Rudge in Derby. He was working in Derby as clerk for London Midland and Scottish Railways (LMS) in the Chief Operating Manager’s Office. The 1939 Special Census shows that Francis and Edna were living in Hadden Street, Derby, in the house of Edna’s parents. Edna was working as a clothing club agent. Her father was an insurance agent.
Francis joined the R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve in 1937. By 1942 Flight Sergeant (Observer) Francis William Pegler Burns 747886, RAF (VR) was serving with 72 Operational Training Unit, located at Wadi Gazouza, Sudan. The unit trained light bomber crews in desert and tropical conditions, operating a mix of Blenheim, Anson, and Boston aircraft. Frank was killed on 18 March 1942 in Boston Z2251 in an accident at RAF Gordons Tree, Sudan, where 71 Operational Training Unit (OTU) was operating. After the war this airfield eventually became Khartoum International Airport.
Mervyn Albert Thomas Burns – was admitted to Thornbury Council Infants School in 1915 and moved onto the Upper School in 1922. He left in 1926 to go to Thornbury Grammar School and stayed there until 1932. On leaving school he started working for Trayhurns, the butchers, and was secretary of Thornbury Football Club. He was one of the early volunteers in the Home Guard.
Prior to the War Mervyn had spent a short time as a police man in the Metropolitan Police Force. He joined them on 18th January and left on 24th October 1937.
In May 1940 Mervyn married Isobel Rose Jones, the youngest daughter of Mr & Mrs George Jones of the Anchor Inn, Oldbury.
Also in 1940 Mervyn joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve and was trained in Canada. He became a Flight Sergeant based at Thornaby on Tees in Yorkshire. Mervyn was the pilot of an operational training unit aircraft (Hudson T9355) when the aircraft crashed just after it had taken off from Thornaby airfield for a night flying exercise on 11th August 1942. The Yorkshire Aircraft website says that ‘the crash location stated in various documentations differs from “two miles south of the airfield”, “Thornaby Vale” and a location just of the south west end of the airfield’s perimeter. The three on board were killed in the crash and the aircraft was destroyed.’ Mervyn was brought back to Thornbury for burial in Thornbury Cemetery on 17th August 1942. According to the local paper, six members of Thornbury Home Guard served as bearers and at the graveside two Maritime AA buglers sounded ‘The Last Post’.
The article on the history of Thornbury A.F.C mentions that the Club’s minute books were lost at Mervyn’s death.
Isobel married Bernard Marden in 1948 and she died on 12 June 1997 aged 78 years.
Walter Burns – survived the war. In 1915 he was admitted to Thornbury Council School, but left in 1925 to go to Rendcomb, a private school near Cirencester.
The Gazette reported on 23rd January 1943 that Walter was a bomber pilot and had served in the Middle East where he had been awarded a D. F. M. The report adds that on leaving school Walter had turned down a position with London County Council to join the Royal Marines. He served with the Marines for about eight years, sailing on such ships as HMS Eagle, HMS Royal Oak and HMS Dorsetshire. At some time before the start of the War he was transferred to Singapore Naval Police, but soon after War commenced he applied to join the Royal Air Force and underwent his training in Canada. We believe that Walter married Ruth Simmons in the Isle of Wight in 1947. He appeared to be a police officer in Singapore in the late 1940s and early 1950s. We understand Walter lived a long life and died in 2002 aged 87 in the Isle of Wight.