Sheffield Evening Telegraph – Wednesday 01 February 1939

His Future Bride Burned To Death on Her Birthday

How a prospective bride received fatal burns on her birthday while dressing the children of her future husband was described at the Barnsley inquest to-day on Miss Harriet Wellburn (19), of 38, Gower Street, Wombwell, who died in Beckett Hospital on Sunday.

John Lee, ripper, 38, Gower Street, Wombwell, said his step-daughter looked after Mr. George Mitchell’s children, leaving home at 9 a.m. on Saturday for that purpose.

Mrs. Doris Yates, 22, Foley Avenue, Wombwell, said she heard screams coming from Mitchell’s house at about 11 a.m. She saw a next door neighbour, Mr. Spencer, rush out of the house and over the fence, and she followed. When she arrived at Mitchell’s house she saw that Miss Wellburn’s clothes had been removed.

Miss Wellburn said she had been fastening the little girl’s jumper, but she couldn’t explain how her clothes caught fire. Avenue, and found Miss Wellburn running round the table, being all in flames.

The Coroner: What did you do then? —I picked up the rug and threw it round her.

Dr. J Ossip, resident surgical officer at Beckett Hospital, said Miss Wellburn was extensively burned and greatly shocked on admission.

The cause of death was shock following the burns.