Editing Doug Ellis (section)

==Early life and career==
Ellis was born on 3 January 1924 in [[Hooton, Cheshire|Hooton]], [[Cheshire]].<ref name=glanville/> When he was three years old, his father, also named Herbert, died. His mother Jane did not remarry but worked to support him and his younger sister, and paid his fares to attend secondary school in [[Chester]].<ref name=cheshire>{{cite news |last1=Young |first1=Graham |title=Tributes to legendary football club chairman who was born in Ellesmere Port |url=https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/tributes-legendary-football-club-chairman-15267173 |access-date=11 October 2018 |publisher=Cheshire Live |date=11 October 2018}}</ref>

According to Ellis, he attended trials for a football career with [[Tranmere Rovers F.C.|Tranmere Rovers]] as a child, but chose to pursue his business career rather than football.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2343299/Ellis-loved-being-centre-stage.html |title=Ellis loved being centre stage |author=Mihir Bose |work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London |date=15 August 2006}}</ref> During World War II, he was based with the [[Fleet Air Arm]] of the [[Royal Navy]] in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and the experience of his first trip abroad inspired him to provide low-cost foreign holidays to people of a similar economic background.<ref name=glanville/> Before he was 40, he had become a millionaire by pioneering [[package holiday]]s to Spain,<ref name="GuardianProfile">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/jul/21/football.comment |date=21 July 2006 |work=The Guardian |title=The Guardian profile: Doug Ellis}}</ref> with his company Sunflight.<ref name=cheshire/>

Ellis met his first wife Audrey Slater in Ceylon in 1946. They had a son together and later divorced.<ref name=cheshire/> He married his second wife Heidi Kroeger in 1963, with whom he had two sons. He met the German courier in [[Benidorm]] when she was working for a rival company, and persuaded her to join his corporation.<ref name=cheshire/>