Amelia Foyle was the sister of Tommy Foyle, who owned the Corner Shop from 1915 to 1945. Amelia came from Leeds. Her father Fred Foyle strangled her mother Jean to death and pleaded guilty to murder. After placing his sisters in the care of his aunts, Tommy joined the army and was left with a permanently ulcerated leg after being shot accidentally. In 1915 he took on the shop with Amelia helping out as a shop assistant. He was prevented from signing up because of his leg injury, so Amelia put off women who, starved of male attention, set their sights on Tommy. She died from flu in 1919.