Inseparable
Born within two days of each other and married for 71 years, Bert and Mary died exactly a week apart. Yesterday, they were buried side by side
THROUGHOUT their long and happy lives, Bert and Mary Barnsley did everything together.
Born just two days apart, they lived in the same marital home for 70 years and loved to hold hands right up until they died – exactly a week apart.
And yesterday, the devoted 93-year-olds were laid to rest side by side at the same church they married in on Christmas Day 1943.
In a poignant tribute, their coffins arrived to the sound of wedding bells.
This was to make up for the fact that when they married, the vicar refused to ring the bells because they were only to be used to alert residents to Nazi bombing raids.
Hundreds of family members and friends attended yesterday’s funeral at Holy Trinity Church in Cradley Heath, West Midlands.
Before the ceremony, Mr Barnsley’s cousin Margaret Martin, 76, said: ‘They were all about family. It’s so lovely to think that they are now together forever.’
Indeed, the couple’s l i ves seemed intertwined almost from the start.
Mr Barnsley – who went on to build casings for the bouncing bombs used in the Dambusters raid – was born on April 27, 1920, while his wife arrived two days later. At the age of 23, they married. Although their marriage produced no children, they were close to their cousins and other family members.
And despite being together for over seven decades, they kept their romance alive – kissing and hugging – right up until
‘They couldn’t live apart’
Mr Barnsley died of a heart attack at 9am on March 18.
Half an hour later, his wife also suffered a heart attack. She was rushed to hospital but died at 9am on March 25 – seven days to t he minute af t er her husband.
Yesterday, as they awaited the arrival of the coffins, carried by a horse- drawn cart, relatives paid tribute to the couple whose marriage stood the test of time.
Keith Arnold, 61, who is married to their niece, said: ‘As they got older they would sit together and they shared a bed right up until the end.
‘ They would always hold hands and if they were ever apart they would always greet each other with lots of kisses and hugs – they wouldn’t care who saw.’
Mr Arnold, an assistant manager of children’s homes, added: ‘She was planning his funeral right up until she died. She was concerned about getting his clothes and coffin right.
‘It was a bit spooky in the end with them passing away at exactly the same time a week apart.
‘They really couldn’t live without each other.’
Mr Arnold’s wife Elaine, 65, said: ‘Uncle Bert had a reserved occupation during the war, which meant having to sign the Official Secrets Act.
‘He made the casings for the “bouncing bomb” made famous by the Dambusters raid.
‘He also worked on D- day landing craft and scout cars – but he wouldn’t tell us anything.
‘It was only years later that we managed to drag anything out of him – and there are some things he still wouldn’t tell us about.’
Mrs Arnold, a retired care assistant, added: ‘During the war he was also an ARP warden and Aunty Mary was a roll thread operator.
‘They were a very close family and it was like open house at their home. Everyone gravitated around them.
‘Their death is like losing your parents all over again.’
Yet despite the family’s loss, there were smiles as well as tears. ‘This is a day of celebration really,’ said Mrs Martin.
‘You don’t get couples like them any more.’