Elena Claire MILLS

Notes:

Birth:
Jun Q 1979 32 1277 Birmingham

Elena married John Robert Frederick ABELL on 15 May 2011 (After Banns) in St. Mary's Church, Batsford, Gloucestershire. John (son of Neil J ABELL and Catherine B FLEXMAN) was born on 30 Dec 1977 in Hounslow. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
Reception held at Bishop's Cleeve Tithe Barn.

1. Benjamin Richard James ABELL was born on 25 Jan 2012 in Gloucester Royal Hospital.
2. Jocelyn Iris Catherine ABELL was born on 16 Feb 2016 in Gloucester Royal Hospital.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Address: Address:
  36, Almshill Road, Eccleshall, Sheffield
• Address: Address:
  74, Alwyn Road, Old Bilton, Rugby, Warwickshire
• School Attendance: 1957, St. Marks Junior School, Old Bilton, Rugby, Warks.
• School Attendance: 1961, Lawrence Sheriff Grammar School, Rugby
• Employment: Oct 1967, Associated Electrical Industries (AEI) Rugby; Technician apprentice - 8 months. Resigned when I discovered AEI weren't employing their apprentices after qualification.
• Employment: Aug 1968, Bishop Wulstan RC High School, Rugby; Student Teacher to gain A level to enter College of Education.
• College: 1969, Sheffield City College of Education
• Address: 1972, 516, Bloxwich Road, Leamore, Walsall
• Address: 1975, 56, Redlock Field, Lichfield, Staffs
• Occupation: 1972 - 1981, Chasetown Comprehensive School, Staffs.; Handicraft Teacher. Studied for and gained an Open University B.A Degree whilst teaching.
• Business Startup: From Oct 1981 to 2001, Unit 7a & 8, Eagle Industrial Estate, Church Green, Witney, Oxon
• Retired: 22 May 2015

Notes:

Christened:
Apparently Ron & Joyce had their childrens names carved into the beams of the church.

Birth:
Jun Q 1950 9c 1462 Rugby

College:
Handicraft (Distinction) & P.E

Business Startup:
Tradewind. Domestic & Commercial Glazing Systems.

Corin married Lynne RUSHTON on 5 Aug 1972 in Coventry Registry Office. Lynne (daughter of John RUSHTON and Elsie WARD) was born on 11 Mar 1950. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth:
Mar Q 1950 9c 1373 Meriden

Other Events and Attributes:

• Cremated: 24 Jan 2007 ; Portchester Crematorium. The Service was conducted by Lance Blake, a Franciscan Friar from The Rowans Hospice. Celia read the following poem:- The words of this poem reflect how the family believes Daddy would be thinking now Death is nothing at all I have only slipped away into the next room I am I and you are you Whatever we were to each other That we are still Call me by my old familiar name Speak to me in the easy way you always used Put no difference into your tone Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow Laugh as we always laughed At the little jokes we always enjoyed together Play, smile, think of me, and talk to me Let my name be ever the household word that it always was Let it be spoken without effort Without the ghost of a shadow in it Life means all that it ever meant It is the same as it ever was There is absolute unbroken continuity What is death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind Because I am out of sight? I am waiting for you for an interval Somewhere very near Just around the corner All is well. Nothing is past; nothing is lost One brief moment and all will be as it was before How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again! by Canon Henry Scott Holland. Lance concluded with this:- Death is only an old door Set in a garden wall. On gentle hinges it gives at dusk, When the thrushes call. Along the lintel's green leaves beyond, The light lies still. Very willing and weary feet Go over that sill. There is nothing to trouble any heart, Nothing to hurt at all Death is only a quiet door In an old wall. Author Unknown

Notes:

Dec 1995 - Heart attack.
May 1996 - Incident 1
Jun 1996 - Ventricular aneurysm resected combined with bypass surgery.
May 1998 - Incident 2
Mar 2001 - Incident 3
Oct 2001 - Near Miss

17th Jun 2006 - Admitted with "community acquired pneumonia"
23rd Jun 2006 Discharged.
12th August 2006 - Readmitted with double pneumonia.
Whilst in hospital acquired C difficile infection.

* Incidents - Ambulance to A&E - Extreme shortness of breath and lungs filling with fluid inducing anxiety and panic.

Christened:
St. Matthews Church, Gosport

Cremated:
It was his wish that his ashes be scattered on the grave of his Grandmother Eva Annie in St.Mark's Church Cemetery, Alverstoke.

Died:
Cause of Death:-
Severe cardiac failure
Ischaemic heart disease

Ronald married Joyce Olive BILLSON on 24 Aug 1946 in the Parish Church, Rugby. Joyce (daughter of Leonard Sidney Henry BILLSON and Adelaide Victoria May WILSON) was born on 18 Nov 1924 in 227, Clifton Road, Rugby; died on 6 Aug 2018 in Gracewell Nursing Home, Fareham. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Cremated: 31 08 2018, Wessex Vale Crematorium; Bubb Lane, West End, Southampton SO30 2HL

Notes:

Cremated:
Joyce’s Wonderful Life, by Celia Walker nee Mills.


Joyce Olive Mills made her dramatic entry to the world on the 18th November 1924 in Rugby; by a difficult breach birth (she was very proud to tell this). She felt that this had set a marker for her, as, in those days, so many such births ended in tragedy for both mother and baby, and so lived her life with determination and endeavour . She was the eldest of three children born to Len and May Billson. By her own account, she was a serious child who seemed to have an adult head on her from the word GO! She loved her brothers, Fred and Ron but always thought their games were too babyish for her! They both emigrated to the States in their 20s so she saw very little of them or their families during her life.
Her greatest love as a child was being at school. She was a voracious learner, Maths was her favourite subject, and she was always top of the class - something which she remained fiercely proud of her whole life. She attended Rugby High School for Girls and whilst achieving academic excellence, also enjoyed sports and being in the school netball team as goal shooter and captain; and in the hockey team, playing at right back.
Her school days were cut short after gaining distinctions in all her School Certificate exams (the equivalent of A star GCSEs) when her father wouldn’t allow her to continue her education. So, at 17, she left school to work in the accountancy offices of the local council in order to contribute to the household. This was her biggest, but only, regret of her life as she would have dearly loved to have gone to university to continue her studies and achieve her potential.
However, this cloud had a silver lining! The mother of Joyce’s best friend had taken in a lodger. A young man of 19, Ron Mills, had moved from his home in Hampshire to work as an apprentice in the electrical engineering industry which was based in Rugby. By his account, as soon as he saw Joyce he knew he was going to marry her and so began their friendship soon blossoming into romance and their marriage in 1946.
They lived in rooms for nearly four years but in 1950 when they announced the imminent arrival of Corin, their landlady refused to have a baby in the house and they had to move out and live with the Joyce’s parents. They desperately wanted their own house but had no deposit. This is when their Indian Adventure idea began to take shape. Ron had been offered a job with BTH in Calcutta to help the heavy electrical engineering industry after India’s recent independence. It was the answer to their prayers as it would allow them to accrue enough money for that all important deposit. So together with Corin, an 18 month old toddler, in 1951 they embarked from Southampton on a three-week sea voyage to India, First Class, all paid for by the Company. Mum’s recollection of this voyage was not a happy one as she suffered badly with sea sickness but still had to attend to Corin’s needs! The next stage of the journey was a 3 day sleeper train ride across India from Bombay to Calcutta. Again, another very trying time!
Life in India was very different. She had servants for everything, even an Ayah (nanny) to look after Corin! Joyce’s days were mostly spent socialising with the other European ladies. It was a life of luxury, but she admitted to being very bored with it! Whilst there, I was born. It hadn’t been a good pregnancy as Joyce had contracted dysentery, which continued for months after the birth. Her health was poor, and Ron couldn’t afford to send her to the hills to escape the heat of Calcutta, so the company flew her home, whilst Ron had to stay and complete his contract.
The journey home on a Lockheed Super Constellation required three stops for refuelling. During the stop in Beirut, Joyce, being so accustomed to having servants do all the fetching and carrying, she left 3 month old Celia in her carrycot in the airport café, only realising when a request came over the tannoy for a certain Joyce Mills to return and collect her baby! They finally landed at Heathrow, which then was just a collection of corrugated sheds, and were met by Ron’s father.
Her memory of the flight included noting that as they flew from East to West, the sun in front of the plane never set.
After the best part of a year living with her in-laws in Gosport, Joyce’s beloved Ron returned, and they moved to Sheffield where he had secured a job. They were able to put a deposit on their first house using the ‘India’ money and this was where Brian was born. Her little family now complete, Joyce found herself, for the first time, with no support network of servants or family but her strength of character saw her through a hectic life with three small children.
After a couple of years spent in Sheffield, Joyce and Ron moved back to Rugby to another new house in Old Bilton where their young family grew up. During this time she was an active member of the local Townswomen’s Guild, and was Chairwoman several times. Once the children were all at school, and still relatively short of money, Joyce made the decision to pick up her education. At aged 40, she learnt to drive and then attended Coventry Teacher Training College, taking a two-year accelerated course to become a teacher. True to form, she gained a distinction for her Certificate in Education.
Joyce then worked as a junior school teacher and revisited her love of netball by coaching the school netball team. They were very successful and won lots of their matches – something which she was rightly proud of. Her teaching career spanned 20 + years and included specialising in special needs education in which she gained several promotions. She loved teaching and like everything she turned her hand to, made a great success of it. She said it had made up for just a little of her disappointment at not going to university!
As her children became adults, she welcomed their partners, Lynne, Paul, and a few years later, John and June with love and warmth, enfolding them into her family. They held a special place in her heart.
In 1977, Joyce became a grandmother first to Emma, and then quickly followed by Matthew, Elena, Zoe and finally, James. She and Ron absolutely loved this new role and were the most wonderful grandparents who doted on their grandchildren who loved them back in equal measure! Many happy times were spent at their house in Pratts Bottom..... a place name which still gives much amusement to everyone!
After retiring from teaching, Joyce and Ron enjoyed several happy years travelling abroad for holidays in Cyprus, going to the theatre, concerts, the opera and the ballet, visiting museums and galleries and generally enjoying the freedom to do what they liked when they liked!
Unfortunately, this lifestyle was cut short by Ron having a heart attack and his health deteriorated considerably. It hit Joyce hard and she suffered greatly with anxiety. The next 10 years were difficult for her but she showed her strength and managed to carry on, although it did take its toll. After her beloved Ron died, Joyce became very depressed and the next 5 years were her darkest, experiencing loneliness (she’d never been on her own) and never really recovering from her loss.
Over several years, Joyce once again warmly welcomed new members to the family, Emma’s partner, now husband, Chris, Matthews’s wife, Belle, Elena’s husband John, James’ wife Sarah and recently Zoe’s partner Darren.
2 years before Ron died, their first great grandchild, Daniel was born, closely followed by William! A source of great joy to them both. After Ron’s death, Joyce was blessed with more; Along came Poppy, Isabelle, Jenson, Benjamin, Keeka, Harriet, Josie, Edith, Joshua and Esmee. They have all brought new, untold joy and love into her life. She was so proud to boast that she had 12 beautiful great grandchildren!
Joyce was first and foremost a home maker, a family woman, a beloved wife, a caring and loving mother, a devoted grandmother and great grandmother. During the last years of her life, her greatest joy came from knowing that her children were happy and successful good hearted people who held the same ideals by which she lived her life and that they in turn have raised their children to be the same, who are also in the process of doing likewise with their children. We are her legacy, a family who love, care and support each other no matter what.
Rest in peace, our lovely Mummy, Nana, Great Nana. You may have gone from view but you’ll never leave our hearts. We all loved you very much and trust that you and your beloved Ronnie are together now for all eternity.
'Til we meet again …….



A Poem for my Nanna by Emma Bolton.

We had a wonderful Nanna
One who never really grew old
Her smile was made of sunshine
and her heart was solid gold.

We had a wonderful Nanna
In her cheeks pink roses you'd see
Her eyes were as bright as shining stars
And tha'ts the way she will always be.

We had a wonderful Nanna
We're all here to wave her goodbye
So Nanna, cuddle up with Grandpa
With that chocolate box in the sky!

Other Events and Attributes:

• Address: 1945; Address:
  10, Thornhill Road, Foleshill, Coventry
• Cremated: 23 Dec 2002, Canley Crematorium, Coventry

Notes:

In 1941 he co-founded Grey and Rushton Precision Tools Ltd., Far Gosford Street, Coventry. The company specialities included a range of vernier calipers, sine bars, go, no-go gauges etc. Many checking tools and gauges were made for Rolls-Royce. He once showed his son in law Corin a minute rod with a sphere on the end the size of a pinhead. He said it had been rejected because it wasn't quite spherical !!

They celebrated their Golden Wedding on 21st April 1995.

Eulogy read at Coventry Crematorium

1916-2002

John Rushton was born on the 13 August 1916 in Hillfields, Coventry. He had an elder sister Mary and brothers Harry and Jim.

He attended Frederick Bird Junior School. He was a member of the choir at his parish church of St Marks, (which is now the annex of the Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital), and was confirmed there.

After leaving school he gained an apprenticeship at the Coventry Gauge & Tool Co in Fletchamstead Highway. He was made a Freeman of the City after qualifying as a precision toolmaker.

From 1938 to 1941 he worked at the Standard Aero Co. With a colleague he formed a company - Grey & Rushton Ltd - in Far Gosford Street, producing precision engineering tools. The factory later moved to Leamington Spa, but has since closed. One of their "Vernier" measuring tools is now held in a museum in Australia.

During the Second World War he was a sergeant in 13th Battalion of the Home Guard. After a day's work in the factory he used to spend at least 4 hours on duty, protecting our streets and homes.

In 1939 he met the lady who was to become his wife, a dressmaker by the name of Elsie Ward. They met at an olde tyme dance at Courtaulds ballroom. They waited till the war was almost over, then they were married on 21 April 1945 in St Margaret's Church, Ball Hill. They bought a house in Brookside Avenue, Chapelfields, and had three children, Kay, Lynne and John Jnr. Later the family moved to Woodfield Road in Earlsdon.

Johns' hobby for many years was rifle shooting. He was a member of the Alvis Rifle Club and at one time he was president of the Coventry & District Rifle Association. He was also a natural musician, loved listening to music, played the piano by ear and could get a tune out of practically anything.

He and Elsie moved to Lawley Close after the children had grown up, and John became a regular at the Lime Tree Social Club. Many there will remember his spontaneous tunes on the mouth organ.

John was a gentleman who had great respect for "old fashioned" values of truth, honesty, and good manners. His word was his bond.

He died on 16th December 2002 aged 86 after being hit by a car on his way to the Lime Tree club. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Died:
Description: (injuries received after being hit by a car)

John married Elsie WARD on 21 Apr 1945 in St. Margarets Church, Walsgrave Road, Coventry. Elsie (daughter of Thomas William WARD and Elsie TAYLOR) was born on 5 Feb 1917 in Coventry; died on 24 Apr 2005. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Address: 1931; Address:
  "Ryton" 46, Barton Road, Branksome, Bournemouth
• Address: 1945; Address:
  40, Kingsway, Stoke, Coventry

Notes:

Elsie was born in Coventry, but her family moved down to Bournemouth, where she was apprenticed to a dressmaker. She returned to Coventry in 1938.
During the war she worked for a while as a machinist at Hood and Sidescreen, Union Street, Coventry.
Her dressmaking skills have been very useful over the years, both domestically and as a source of income. She did much alteration work in her later years for a shop in Earlsdon.

Notes:

Married:
Description: A Rushton & T W Ward

She was living at 40, Kingsway, Coventry.

Description: After they were married, this was their first home.

Description: 1963. This was a new house.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Baptism: 16 Jun 1898, St. Mary's Church, Alverstoke
• Census: 1901, 59, Coburg St. North Shields, Northumberland
• Census: 1911, 88, Clayhall Road, Alverstoke
• Military: 9 Jul 1943, Whitehall Cinema, East Grinstead ; The East Grinstead Incident. 9th July 1943 At the time he was the Military Assistance Officer at Great House Court, Fairfield Road, East Grinstead. Captain W.G. Mills was at a cinema in East Grinstead watching a film. An air raid started and the cinema took a direct hit. He organised the orderly evacuation of the cinema and was mentioned in despatches. See:- http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/sussex/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8829000/8829228.stm and:- http://spartacus-educational.com/2WWwhitehall.htm
• Cremated: 4 Feb 1971, Portsdown Crematorium

Notes:

According to Ron Mills, a relative, whom he thought may have been Jesse Mills, was prepared to pay the costs of sending William George Mills to Winchester College. George's mother Eva Annie insisted that he go straight into the Army instead.
He did so as a bugler.

Was this the reason behind a possible rift between the Mills and Williams families?.
It is clear that William George was prevented from knowing anything about his relatives apart from some very sketchy details.



Birth:
The copy of his birth certificate is dated 18th October 1901 and stamped
"Royal Commission Patriotic Fund". This is just five months after the death of Thomas William.
The assumption is that Eva Annie may have had a grant to pay for the burial of her husband.
Ron & I visited the offices of the Patriotic Fund in London during May 2003. They don't have any records of grants to individuals.

Baptism:
Page 312 No. 2490

Cremated:
Cremation Reference 34261

His ashes were scattered :-
North Border 13/14 posts, South of Chestnut

Died:
Description: Cerebral Thrombosis Ateriosclerosis Disseminated Sclerosis (MS)

William + Eileen Grace FRANCIS. Eileen (daughter of William John FRANCIS and Alice Maud Mary SAIT) was born on 10 Jan 1900 in 70, North Street, Gosport, Hants.; died on 28 Oct 1988 in Royal Naval Hospital, Haslar, Gosport. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Census: 1911, 67, North Street, Gosport, Hants
• Occupation: 1912, Priddy\'s Hard Ordnance Depot, Gosport; Work involved filling shell cases. Her Mother took out a Life Insurance policy at a penny per week as it was a dangerous occupation.
• Cremated: Nov 1988, Portsdown Crematorium

Notes:

Worked at Priddy's Hard (Ordnance) before she was married

Cremated:
Cremation Reference 99985

Her ashes were scattered :-

North Border 13/14 posts, South of Chestnut

Died:
Description: Cardio respiratory failure plus other causes

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Post War; Engineers draughtsman at BTH in Rugby (British Thompson Houston)
• Census: 1901, 68, Hydethorpe Road, Clapham
• Census: 1911, 68, Hydethorpe Road, Clapham
• Military: 1918, 68, Hydethorpe Road; Absent Voters Lists 1918 The voters details for the 1918 General Election were initially supplied by the next of kin of the household of the soldier to local voter registration officers. Once this process was completed, the names of those in the army were sent to the Adjutant General’s Department of the War Office, who then arranged to send voting cards to soldiers who were in the United Kingdom and ballot papers to men in France, Flanders and Italy. Men serving in more distant theatres of war were allowed to vote through use of a proxy voting form.

Notes:

Birth:
Description: 1901 Census - Born in Brixton Hill

Died:
Description: Cardiac arrest & Peripheral vascular disease

Just prior to his death he had to have a leg amputated.

Leonard married Adelaide Victoria May WILSON on 18 Aug 1923 in Streatham, Surrey, England. Adelaide (daughter of Joseph Frederick WILSON and Sarah Elizabeth WOOD) was born on 22 Oct 1897 in 1 Mary's Cottages, Eastcote Street, Stockwell, London.; died on 14 May 1965 in Rugby. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Address: 1901; Address:
  17, Paradise Road, Stockwell, London

Notes:

Died:
Jun Q 1965 9c 894 Rugby

Notes:

Married:
Sep Q 1923 1d 1167 Wandsworth

Other Events and Attributes:

• Census: 1901, 7, Melampus Street, Barrow in Furness
• Address: 1908; Address:
  2, Kitchener Street, Barrow-in-Furness
• Occupation: 1933; a machine miller in an engineering works

Notes:

Census:
Description: Shaping Machinist

Died:
Description: Hypernephroma of kidney

Buried:
Grave space number 45 in Square number 64

John married Alice PROCTER on 17 Oct 1908 in Walney Parish Church, Barrow-in-Furness. Alice (daughter of James Thomas PROCTER and Elizabeth Jane CRABTREE) was born on 1 Jun 1887 in 91, Windermere Road, Lancaster; died on 16 Jul 1961 in Coventry. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Address: 1908; Address:
  65 Powerful Street, Barrow-In-Furness
• Address: 1939; Address:
  10, Thornhill Road, Coventry

Notes:

Birth:
Jun Q 1887 8e 769 Lancaster

Notes:

Moved to Coventry from Barrow on the recommendation of his father who had moved in 1911

Other Events and Attributes:

• Address: Address:
  Devon Street, Birmingham ?
• Census: 1891, 60, New Street, Coventry
• Address: 1901; Address:
  196 Bloomsbury Street, Nechells, Aston
• Address: 1913; Address:
  34 Court, Spon Street, Coventry
• Occupation: 1913; a machinist
• Occupation: Abt 1925, Coventry Chain Company; an examiner (inspector)

Notes:

Had an aunt who was a housekeeper at "Queenswood" Nr. Coventry Station.
It is thought that the owners of this house fostered Thomas William Ward and brought him up as a "Gent".
He kept a shop in Coton Road, Nuneaton, catering for canary fanciers. He made wire cages, drinking bowls etc. He had an advert on the Safety Curtain at the cinema near St. Georges Hall, (Bond St. ?) Nuneaton. He gave up the shop for health reasons ( possibly a legacy of rheumatic fever contracted earlier in life which may have damaged his heart).
The family moved in with his wife Elsie's father at 7, Sunnyside, Nuneaton, who by this time was a widower.

Address:
Childhood

Census:
Living with his Grandmother - Louisa Dodwell - who was living with her daughter Annie B and husband William Kemp

Address:
Census

Thomas married Elsie TAYLOR on 26 Apr 1913 in St. Paul's Church, Stockingford, Nuneaton. Elsie (daughter of William TAYLOR and Sarah Ann COTTON) was born on 19 Mar 1894 in (no 15?) Sunnyside, Stockingford, Nuneaton; died in 1955 in Gulson Hospital, Coventry. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Address: 1913; Address:
  133 Croft Road, Stockingford, Nuneaton

Notes:

She had red hair and a lovely singing voice. When she was about 14 years old she won a gold medal in a competition held in a theatre in Nuneaton. She wore a dress made of crepe paper with a blue sash.

Died:
Sep Q 1955 9c 614 Coventry

Notes:

Married:
She was living at 133, Croft Road, Stockingford, Nuneaton before her marriage.