Charles Pugh (1887-1953)

Charles Pugh (1887 – 22 December 1953) spent most of his life working with telephones. In 1911 he was a boarder at Fairfield, Liverpool, working for Helsby Cable Company (details here) as a Telephone Instrument Maker. On the 18 September 1915 he married Elizabeth Henson (1892–1988). Charles and Elizabeth had three children Mabel, Winifred and Edward.

Two days before he died, Charles wrote a note to Elizabeth:

“Sunday 20.12.53

My Dear Bessie,
I am writing this in the event of anything happening to me, as I should pass along.
After the last few nights I have been afraid the time is not far away for the end to come about.
Well my dear I think we have enjoyed a happy & not eventful life together & on my side I say thank you my dear for all you have done for me & if as we are told there is another place then surely we shall be happy with one another again.
We my dear here is a list of things.
There is money in the Co-op Share also Sons of Temperance Prudential and ETV Club.
Beside the money in the bank there is 50 War Service Vouchers on the shelf in the hall. That is about all the money (?).
Now I should like to be cremated & would wish that neither you or Mabel or any other Lady should be there    “

(the letter ends there).

Charles died at home, two days later on the Tuesday. On the Wednesday, Bessie (Elizabeth Pugh) placed a noticed in Liverpool Echo costing 10 shillings which appeared on Thursday December 24th:

“PUGH – Dec. 22, at his residence, Onslow Road, CHARLES, beloved husband of Elizabeth Pugh and dear father of Mabel, Ted and Winnie. Interment at Anfield Cemetery, on Saturday next, at 11” (2nd January 1954).

On the 21st July 2010, I acquired his notebook and have digitised it’s contents with various pieces of ephemera.

His family history research is here (2):