Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Monday 30 January 1939

Bride-To-Be in Flames in Fiance’s Home

Wombwell Neighbours’ Dash to Save Frenzied Girl

A Wombwell girl who was to have been a bride within a fortnight is lying in Beckett Hospital, Barnsley, suffering from severe burns as the result of her clothing catching fire in the house of her fiance on Saturday—her 19th birthday.

She is Harriet Wellburn, whose parents live at 30, Gower Street, Wombwell, and her husband-to-be is Mr. George Mitchell, a miner, of 20, Foley Avenue, Copeland Road, Wombwell.

Mr. Mitchell is a widower, and the girl had gone to his house to look after his two children while he was at work. She was dressing four year-old Jean in front of the fire when her clothing caught fire. Hearing screams, Mrs. Martha Brookes, who lives next door, ran into the house. “At first I thought she was playing with the children,” said Mrs. Brookes, but when I heard the little boy Joe scream I threw my six-weeks-old baby into a chair and ran round

Mass Of Flames

I found her a mass of flames. I threw the hearthrug round her and then shouted for help.” Two miners, Glyn Chipchase (40), 34, Stubbs Road, and Douglas Spencer (40), 16, Foley Avenue, dashed into the house and took off all the girl’s clothing. It appeared that the girl, with her clothes alight, had been running about the house in a frenzy, as all the furniture was knocked over. One of the children said Harriet sat in bowl of water in an attempt to put out the flames. The girl’s body was burned all over, and her hair was singed. After being attended by Dr. Etches she was taken to Beckett Hospital in an ambulance.

Bought Wedding Ring

Mr. Mitchell’s brother, Mr. Joseph Mitchell (25), of 16, Bolton Road, Highgate, Goldthorpe, told the Telegraph and Independent” yesterday that the couple were devoted to each other. Harriet had been like a mother to Mitchell’s children. Only the day before the accident the couple had been to Barnsley together to buy the wedding ring, and Harriet had bought her wedding dress.

“My wife and I came over yesterday,” he said, to make arrangements for being best man and bridesmaid. We knew nothing of this until we arrived and it was a great shock to both of us. “Earlier in the day I had been a bearer at the funeral of a friend who was killed in the mine.” Neighbours in Gower Street said the girl had made all her plans for the wedding, and they were all looking forward to it.

Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Tuesday 31 January 1939

Miss Harriet Welburn, of Ship Croft, Wombwell, who burnt her clothes while dressing a young child before the fire, died yesterday. She was to have been married on Friday to a 26-year-old miner, George Mitchell, of The Avenue, Wombwell,