Avis Buck (née Grundy) was a mill drawer who married Larry Buck in 1920. They took over the master bedroom of 9 Coronation Street, which had been Larry's family home since 1910. In 1921, Avis got a job as a barmaid at the Rovers Return. She gave birth to twins Lucy and Ian Buck two years later. The kids were often left alone while Avis worked and Larry drank. On one such occasion before their first birthday, a fire started at No.9 which Larry discovered in time to raise the alarm. Tommy Foyle managed to save Ian but in all the confusion, Lucy was forgotten.