Elsie Worsley

   Cause of her death was Breast cancer.

  General Notes:

Elsie had started at St. Mary's and St. John's Catholic School in 1927. However, on the death of her grandmother there was enough money left to send her to Notre Dame Convent High School at St. Helens, after which she did a secretarial course at Lorburn College. After completing her course she worked at Pilkington Glass and Newton Council Surveyors Department. She had been with the Council less than a year when it became clear that war was imminent. She therefore tried to join the WRAF and the WRENS as a secretary but they had no vacancies. Instead she went to work for the Fire Brigade from 2 September 1939.

Her National Fire Service Certificate of Service shows that she served part-time until 14 December 1941 and then full time until discharge on 1 July 1945. Her war service saw her based at St. Helens, Birkenhead, Warrington and Liverpool with a training break during August 1944 at Saltdean near Brighton. Her job was usually that of personal secretary to a Brigade officer but for a time she was also a tutor in map reading and hydrostatics.

Like Angus, Elsie too had previously had someone in her life, a fiancé. He had been Sergeant (Second Pilot) Albert James Hawkins of 408th (RCAF) Squadron, 6 Group, based in Leeming, nr Northallerton, North Yorkshire. Unfortunately he had been killed in a bombing raid over Essen on 4 April 1943. The raid, which caused widespread damage in the centre and western half of the town, comprised 348 aircraft with 21 lost over Germany. Having no known grave Albert's name is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. He was the son of Florence Jane Hawkins of Newport, Isle of Wight and “Auntie Flo” remained a close family friend the rest of her life. Only recently a memorial to the WWII dead of the Island has been erected in Newport and his name is on it.

Elsie had managed to cope on the maintenance Angus paid her until 1962 by which time both her children were at school at which point she then went back to work. She started as a part time secretary in a gown shop on Belle Vue Terrace and stayed on in that capacity when it became the “Pink Dalmation” Boutique. When the boutique closed in 1968 Elsie went to work as a personal secretary to Don Williams, then of Kendall Wadley, accountants in Malvern and she stayed with him until her official retirement in 1986.

Fortunately for Elsie and the children a close family friend, Gordon Rae (who at one stage used to go rallying with Angus) became her companion and a support for the children. 1968 also saw Elsie and the children move to a new house - 9 Ashdown Rise, Malvern, which she ultimately bought from the Council. Elsie became very attached to this three bedroomed semi. Her and Gordon later set up home together at 7 Oakfield Road, Malvern Link but Elsie could not adapt to living with someone and missed Ashdown Rise. Fortunately the house came quickly back into the housing stock and Elsie persuaded the Committee to let her move back. Gordon returned to live with his mother.

For many years Elsie had refused to divorce Angus but a change in the law permitted divorce by either party and not just the “wronged” one. Angus took advantage of this and obtained a divorce on 19 September 1973.

Elsie had suffered from cancer of the breast in the past and had undergone surgery. With her children now grown up and settled with families of their own she and Gordon had been able to spend several years holidaying together, visiting friends and generally getting out and enjoying themselves. They had planned that when Gordon retired there would be even more time to enjoy this sort of life. It was not to be. The cancer reappeared towards the end of 1987 and Elsie went into St. Michael's Hospice, at a place called Bartestree, which is near Hereford early in the New Year.

Elsie married Angus Bilbrough, son of William Bilbrough and Edith Emma Downing, on 9 Feb 1946 in Morpeth, Northumberland.¹ The marriage ended in Divorce on 19 Sep 1973. (Angus Bilbrough was born on 11 Oct 1917 in Grenoside, Ecclesfield, S. Yorks, baptised on 22 Apr 1918 in Ecclesfield, S. Yorks,⁴ died on 17 Apr 1993 in Worcester (while living in Malvern, Worcs) and was buried on 26 Apr 1993 in Malvern, Worcs (Cemetery).) The cause of his death was Cancer.