Worker Killed in Fire Extinguisher Explosion

The Avenue, Flitwick c.1920 [Z50/50/41]

Tuesday 13th August 1918: Yesterday evening an employee of the George Kent Ltd. works at Chaul End was killed in an unfortunate accident. Wilfred Joy of The Ridgway, Flitwick, was employed as a fitter at the works, and at about 5.30pm he was apparently unscrewing or doing something with a large fire extinguisher. He was holding the extinguisher between his knees, when for some reason the bottom blew out and the point of the cylinder struck him over the left eye, rebounding between thirty and forty feet. Mr. Joy was taken to the Bute Hospital, where he died at about eight o’clock. A considerable amount of gas escaped in the explosion, and it is not clear whether the cause of death was the injury or the gas. Mr. Joy’s body was identified by his brother Charles Joy, a wheelwright of Leighton Road, Toddington. He told the inquest that his brother was 36 years old, single, and lived with their sister, Mrs. Cunningham. The inquest was adjourned to allow a post-mortem examination to be carried out.

Source: Luton News, 15th August 1918

A Tragic Boating Accident at Bedford

View from Bedford town bridge towards William H. Chetham, boatbuilders c.1925 [Z50/9/880]

Monday 6th May 1918: An inquest has been held at the Bedford Police Station into the tragic deaths of Cadet Malcolm Peter McLachlan of the Royal Engineers, and Winifred, the sixteen year old daughter of Mr. E. A. Gilbert of 7 Offa Road, Bedford. Thomas George Cox, waterman for Messrs Chetham, told the inquest that the young people had hired a three-seated canoe from him at 8.30pm on Saturday. Cadet McLachlan took the stern seat, the young lady the seat in front, and the front seat was empty. Both were paddling the canoe. The river was normal, perhaps a little faster than usual, but boats had been out all week. About twenty minutes later he heard that two people were in the water and took a boat out. He found the canoe had floated across to the opposite bank, the right way up but full of water. The paddles were floating some yards away, and the backboards and cushions had been picked up by a punt.

Mrs. Huckle of 10, Pilcroft Street stated that she was walking along the path through the Cattle Market when she saw the couple in a canoe. The lady leant forward as if reaching for something, the boat swayed and tipped over, and both occupants went into the water. The girl was not holding a paddle and the gentlemen was not paddling – they were just letting the canoe float. After the canoe capsized the young man first went for the canoe, but let go when he saw the girl go under. He brought the girl to the surface twice and tried to swim with her to the shore. She clung round his neck and they went down together. They surfaced one more time before disappearing. Four other boats were nearby. A sailor and two civilians in one laughed and passed on. Two soldiers in another boat could not swim, but tried to look for the couple. The other two boats rowed away.

Charles Hartwell, a waterman, saw the accident from the Cauldwell Road walk. As he entered the Bridge the young man was standing up in the canoe, which was going very slowly. and the young lady was sitting. He insisted that his recollection that the young man was standing was accurate, although it disagreed with the previous witness’s statement. He though the young man must have lost his balance, as he sat or slipped down on the side of the canoe, tipping it over. He said there were “ever so many” boats on the river at the time. The man made for the canoe, the canoe rolled over, and that was the last he saw of them. He shouted to some people in a boat to let him have it to go to the couple, but they moved off. He then sent a young man for the lifebuoy hanging near the bridge, but when he got to the spot with it the couple were gone. He believed if he had the use of a boat he could have saved them.

In his summing up the Coroner said it was clearly an accident. That anyone should be so callous as to be nearby and yet not try help was acutely painful; only Mr. Hartwell appeared to have made any effort. It was one of the most painful cases he had ever had to preside over. The Jury returned a verdict of “accidentally drowned”. The remains of Cadet McLachlan are to be taken home to Bootle in Lancashire by train, with full military honours. Miss Gilbert’s funeral is to be held at Bedford Cemetery on Thursday.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 10th May 1918

Boy Drowns in Leighton Buzzard Sand Pit

Men at work in Leighton Buzzard sand pit, early 20th century [Z1432/2]

Wednesday 15th August 1917: A verdict of accidental death has been given at an inquest into the death of Arthur George Watson, who fell into a sand pit and drowned while gathering wildflowers. The twelve year old London boy had arrived in Leighton Buzzard on Saturday with his mother to stay with her brother at 18 Stanbridge Road. After dinner on Sunday Arthur and another boy were sent to Page’s Park. His mother told the inquest that about half an hour later the second boy came home and said “Help, Sonny’s in the water”. When she rushed to the pit she could not see her son, only his cap lying on the bank near the bushes. He had brought her some flowers that morning and had said he would bring her some more. He had suffered from infantile paralysis [polio] which had affected his hands, but he had the use of his arms. They had come to Leighton Buzzard for a holiday because the bombs in London had upset her. The last thing her husband said to Arthur before they left was “Don’t go near the water”.

George Edward Charles, aged 8, who was also on holiday with his mother at 18 Stanbridge Road told the inquest that he, Arthur Watson and some other children went out for a walk and were told to go to Page’s Park. Sonny, as Arthur was known, had said “Don’t go there; it’s a rotten old place, and the bulls run after you; come to the sand pits.” When they got there Sonny left them sitting on the gate to go and get flowers for his mother. He fell near the water and called out “George”. The boy ran to him and found his friend in the water up to his waist. He got hold of him and dragged him onto the sand, then ran home to tell the boy’s mother. By the time he got back Arthur was in the water and could not be seen. There were boys on the other side of the pit but when he called to them for help they said they could not swim.

Due to the difficulty of dragging the pit Arthur’s body was not recovered until the following day. A police officer said that when they began dragging the pit there were no marks on the bank, but the middle of a big bush of flowers of the type the boy had been gathering had been broken down as though something had fallen through it. There was also a bush floating in the water to which the lad had apparently been clinging. The banks of the pit were treacherous due to running sand, and there was no proper path. It would be almost impossible to get out where the boy fell in because of the steep bank. The pits were fenced off from the road and the lads were really trespassing. Both the Coroner and the police thought it would be very difficult to keep boys away, as if they were prevented from reaching one pit they would go to another. P.C. Cheshire said that this year people had gone “fishing mad”, with even the munitions girls going fishing.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 21st August 1917

Hockliffe Soldier Dies After Fall From Car

Hockliffe c.1905 [Z1130/60/11]

Wednesday 8th August 1917: A minor car accident has caused the death of Sergeant Herbert Henry North, the landlord of the Bell Hotel at Hockliffe. Sergeant North had served with the Bedfords during the South African War and rejoined the regiment for the present war. On Friday he was given seven days’ leave and was offered a lift from Kempston Barracks to Hockliffe by two Leighton Buzzard men. Although the car was only a two-seater all three men squeezed into the front seat, with Sergeant North on the outside near the door. Near Milton Bryan some partridges flew into the front wheels; without waiting for the car to stop, Sergeant North jumped out, apparently intending to run back and fetch a bird. However, when he jumped he lost his balance and apparently hit his head on the road. A doctor was fetched from Aspley Guise and the sergeant was taken home in an army ambulance that happened to be passing. His wife, Lizzie North, was out shopping when her husband was brought home; she returned to find him on the bed unconscious. He recovered slightly on Saturday, but died on Sunday afternoon.

Mr Ernest Heady, a motor car proprietor of Bridge Street, Leighton Buzzard, gave evidence at the inquest that Sergeant North had said “There are some birds down; pull up and I’ll get them”. He had told him to wait until the car had stopped and  slowed; when the car was almost at a standstill Sergeant North opened the door and stepped off in the opposite direction  to that in which the car was going. Mr Heady saw him lying in the road. He spoke to him but could not get an answer so went for the doctor. He thought Sergeant North was in a hurry to get the birds as he thought they were only stunned and wanted to pick them up before they got away. He was known to most of the jury as a very excitable man. P.C. Racher of Eversholt said he was on duty on Woburn when Mr Heady drove up and told him of the accident. He returned to the spot with Mr Heady and found the soldier lying at the side of the road in a pool of blood. The doctor who attended Sergeant North at home said there had been an extensive haemorrhage from the injured man’s left ear and he concluded he was suffering from a fracture at the base of the skull in addition to concussion. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 14th August 1917

Schoolgirl Death - Inquest at Cardington

Z1306/24/6, Kings Arms, Cardington. View from Cople Road, 1922 (Bedfordshire Archives & Records Service)

Friday 20 April 1917: Today an inquest resumed into the death of schoolgirl Jennie Evans. It took place at the Kings Arms, Cardington, and was presided over by the Deputy Coroner for the County. Jennie attended Bedford Modern School and was reported missing from her home on George Street, Bedford, on 14^th February. Her body was found last Sunday in the river. Dr A.F. Goldsmith testified that no signs of violence were found on the body, though the body was decomposed from having been in the river for so long. Both hands were clenched and it was his opinion that the girl had died by drowning. It was likely that the girl did not suffer from melancholia, the clenched hands indicating that she had attempted to save herself.  

On the morning of the 14^th February, there were missed signs of Jennie’s fate. One witness stated that he had noticed a schoolgirl’s hat floating along the river at the foot of the weir. He reached it easily and plucked it from the water to see if there was a name in the hat. Having found none, he hung it on the fence, assuming it would be reclaimed. Another witness stated that he had seen what he thought was a horse rug floating in the river and had no inkling that it could have been a body.

The body was recently discovered at Fenlake Barns, wedged against a tree. Jennie was fully dressed, wearing gloves and had a ribbon in her hair. She was wearing a blanket overcoat, a gym suit and lace-up boots. Since 22^nd February, the river had been searched by police, but a school bag had not been found. 

The girls’ mother testified that Jennie was 17 years old, but looked younger. She was never melancholy or depressed and was fond of studying, particularly art. She used to admire the little island by the river and intended to paint it. She was happy at home, punctual at school and well-liked. On the 14^th February, Jennie left home at her usual time of 8.30am, as she liked to get to school ten minutes early, and she often took the route by the river. Jennie’s art mistress, Miss Jones, testified that Jennie was of above-average ability and that she had given her class homework that involved studying the river.

In summing-up, the Coroner said there was no doubt in his mind as to the verdict, that of ‘accidental death’, which the jury returned.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard 20/4/1917

Fatal Accident at Chaul End Works

George Kent munitions workers 1916 [Z1306/75/17/21]

Tuesday 9th January 1917: A serious accident took place at George Kent Ltd.’s munitions works at Chaul End at about 11 a.m. yesterday, in which two men were killed and a third seriously injured. They were taken immediately to the works hospital and given first-aid. The doctor was telephoned for and gave the men skilled attention before they were taken to the Bute Hospital by motor ambulance. However, Herbert Andrews, aged 17, of Cold Harbour, Harpenden died on the way to hospital. The second man, 45 year old Horace Crump of 90 Ash Road, Luton, succumbed to his injuries in the evening. Mr. H. Rowe of Toddington sustained severe injuries to one of his arms, but it is believed this will not result in permanent disablement. The works manager has expressed deep sympathy for the deceased workers’ relatives on behalf of the firm’s directors, and paid tribute to the courage with which the rest of the staff kept to their work despite this unnerving experience. An inquest is to be opened tomorrow afternoon, but it is thought likely that it will be adjourned until Mr. Rower is well enough to attend.

Source: Luton News 11th January 1917

Inquiry Following Bomb Explosion Death

Biscot Camp, 1916 [Z1306/75/16/15]

Saturday 23rd December 1916: An inquiry into the death of Gunner Ernest Victor Jackson has been opened at Luton Court House. Gunner Jackson succumbed to the injuries he received in Wednesday’s accidental explosion. The jury have heard that three soldiers at Biscot were preparing a signal bomb which exploded unexpectedly, causing injuries to all three. Gunner Jackson was the most seriously hurt and died yesterday. His body was identified by his sister Mrs W. S. Clarke of Bishops Stortford. Gunner Jackson was 21 years old and was serving with the Royal Field Artillery; he had previously been to the front and been wounded. The inquiry has been adjourned until January to allow communication to take place with the War Office and His Majesty’s Inspector of Explosives. Gunner Jackson’s funeral will be held with full military honours on Wednesday afternoon at the Church Cemetery.

Source: Luton News 28th December 1916

Soldier's Wife Drowned at Kempston

River and Mill at Kempston, c.1930 [Z205-56]

Tuesday 27th June 1916: An inquest has been held at the Kempston Council Room into the death of Mrs. Alice Maud Edginton, who was drowned at Kempston on Friday evening. Her husband Private John Edginton, a driver in the Motor Transport of the Army Service Corps billeted at Station Road, Bedford, gave evidence that he, another soldier, Private W. Forbes, and his wife had gone for a row to Kempston. As they started back between 8 and 8.30 p.m. Forbes got his oar caught in the weeds; as he leaned over to free it the boat capsized and Mrs. Edginton sank. When the two men got out on the Kempston side of the river the boat was upside down on the other side. A police constable said he had been called to Hill Grounds at about 10.30 p.m. The two soldiers were there wet through and told him what had happened. He informed Police Sergeant Church. and the river was dragged. The body was found at 1.30 a.m.  Sergeant Church told the court the boat was in order and trustworthy. The oars were found the next morning; Mrs. Edginton’s hand bag, a little black dog that was with the party, and Forbes’s tunic were still missing. The Coroner said there was no doubt that the men had done their best to recover Mrs. Edginton, which was no doubt why there was a lapse in time before the police were called. The jury found that the soldier’s wife was accidentally drowned, and great sympathy was expressed for her husband.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 30th June 1916

Inquest into Soldier Shot at Bedford Billet

Salisbury Street, Bedford, 1909

Wednesday 14th June 1916: An inquest has been held at Bedford in the case of Private Joseph O’Neil of the 2/6 Royal Welch Fusiliers who died at his billet at Gladstone Street on the evening of Friday 9th June. The soldier returned to the house at about 10 p.m. A little later the two soldiers billeted there with him heard the sound of a rifle and went upstairs. They found his body lying across a bedroom doorway with a bullet wound through the chest.

Dr. Guy Thornton Birks had been visiting a patient at 68 Gladstone Street when he was called next door to number 70. He found the soldier lying on his back at the point of death, to which he succumbed shortly after. Dr. Birks found a small bullet wound near the man’s breastbone. There were no signs of scorching on his clothing, so the shot could not have been fired close to the body. A rifle was lying parallel to the man’s left side. He believed the wound must have been inflicted while Private O’Neil was standing as some plaster had knocked out of the wall at chest height, possibly by a bullet. He thought it was possible the man had fired the rifle himself and had then moved a foot or two.

Private J. Davies of the 2/6 Royal Welch Fusiliers said he had known Private O’Neil for 18 years, and  they had been at school together. Private O’Neil had been a carter, was about 32 years old, and came from Liverppol. They were both billeted in Gladstone Street, together with Robert Owens. He had seen Private O’Neil on parade that day, then again at the Kent Arms in Salisbury Street at about 7.15 p.m. He appeared to be sober. He heard the rifle shot at 10.20 p.m. and found the dying man in the room he himself shared with Private Owens – Private O’Neil often used their room because his own had no gas. He did not notice the rifle at the time. He ran downstairs and told Robert Owens that O’Neil had shot himself, then went for the Military Police. Private O’Neil had been in the militia for three years but had been in the regular army for only a few weeks; O’Neil  had told him that he did not like the regiment, and would rather be in the regiment he had joined, the King’s Liverpools.. He had seemed very low spirited.

The landlady, Mrs. Jessie Higgins, said the soldiers had been with her for three weeks. She had heard Private O’Neil come in at 10 p.m. She passed him sitting in a chair at the door of Davies’ and Owens’ room as she went to let the other two soldiers in. Davies and Owens went to the kitchen to have their supper. She returned to her room and thought she heard voices from the adjoining room. She did not hear anyone come up the stairs. She heard some rushing about and thought she heard a door bang; then she heard the shot, followed by groans. She went into the room and saw Private O’Neil lying on his back and man standing at the head of the stairs. She said: “Oh, you’ve shot him”, and the man replied “He did it himself.” The man then went downstairs.

The Coroner stated that it was not an easy case. He was not convinced of the reliability of Mrs. Higgins’ evidence, and circumstantial evidence showed it was possible O’Neil fired the rifle himself. In view of the man’s low mood and morose disposition he thought the jury could only conclude that the man had shot himself. A juror suggested evidence should be heard from Owens, but the Coroner thought it would not be helpful. The jury considered Mrs. Higgins must have been mistaken and returned a verdict of suicide.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 16th June 1916

Soldier Drowns at Public Baths

Sketch of Waller Street public baths from Borough Engineer’s plan, 

December 1910 [X558/6/108/4]

Monday 1st May 1916: An inquest has been held this afternoon into a tragic drowning which took place at Luton Corporation Baths on Friday evening. The dead man was Charles William Fowler, aged 40, a Territorial Army driver at the Artillery Training School at Biscot. He was a single man who had been a clerk in a distillery for 26 years and lived at Clerkenwell with his father. A nervous man, who had suffered as a child from St. Vitus’ dance, he had a weak heart and also suffered from cold extremities. He had enlisted under the Derby scheme and had only been in the army for three weeks. His father had last received a letter from his son on the Wednesday after the Bank Holiday, thanking him for sending some money. He had heard nothing from his son to suggest that he was unhappy.

Dr John Birch told the Coroner that he had been called to the Public Baths at about 8.25pm on Friday evening and saw the body in the corridor. Artificial respiration was tried for an hour and a quarter but without success. All the symptoms pointed to the man having drowned. A large abrasion over the eye was probably caused by the man’s head catching on the tap as he was lifted out of the bath. Archibald Cooper, the baths manager, was there when Charles Fowler arrived at about twenty to eight. When he went round at about twenty past eight to announce closing time he received no reply, but saw a pair of boots under the door. He went to the next cubicle and looked over the partition; the man’s feet were where his head should have been and his head was drooping forward, partly under water. He burst open the door, pulled the body above the water and called for help. They took the man out of the bath, tried artificial respiration, and called for the doctor. His legs were tied together with string which had then been wound around a pipe above the man’s head, apparently so he could pull his legs out of the water.

There had never been another death at the baths in the 25 years Mr Cooper had worked there, and the rooms were of the latest type with nothing which could cause harm to a bather. The only conclusion it was possible to come to was that Charles Fowler had been the instigator of his own death. The Coroner suggested to the jury that the sudden change from his civilian occupation may have caused Fowler’s nervous temperament to give way. A verdict of suicide while temporarily insane was passed.

Source: Luton News, 4th May 1916

Woman Killed by Runaway Horse

Black Diamond PH, Cauldwell Street, Bedford [Z50-9-280]

Tuesday 18th April 1916: An inquest was held this morning at Bedford Police Station into the death of 59 year old Mrs. Emma Ellen Johnson on Saturday morning after she was knocked down by a runaway horse. Corporal Newcombe of the 2/3rd Welsh Field Artillery told the court that he was coming over the Britannia Bridge towards the town when he saw a pair of horses bolt out of the Midland Railway coalyard, attached to an empty goods trolley. The Band of the 2nd Bedfords had just passed by, playing recruits to the station and a small crowd had gathered at the side of Cauldwell Street, opposite the Black Diamond public house. The horses dashed across the road past the pub. He ran down the hill and saw Mrs. Johnson standing by the railings “in a state of collapse and moaning”. She was carried into a house by Private Turner, repeating “Oh, my back!” There was black mud on her apron.

Driver C. Cooper of the 2/1 Cheshire Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, said the horses became restive when the band came over the bridge. Corporal Price came to his aid and got hold of the other horse, but as soon as the band had passed the gate the horse he was holding jumped up into the air and made off. Corporal Price was hit in the chest by a pole and had to let go, leaving him with both horses. He held on as best he could, but had to let go in front of the rails to avoid running into them. The horses ran some way down the footpath, which was how they hit the woman. The horses stopped 150 yards down the street when one fell. He had done his very best.

Private W. J. Turner had been standing at the corner of the coal-wharf, and Mrs. Johnson was standing at the corner of Cauldwell Place when the band came along. The horses bolted across the street into a group of five or six women. Mrs. Johnson and three other women were knocked down. A military doctor was summoned and found her in a state of collapse. No bones were broken but there must have been internal injuries and he believed she died from shock as a consequence. There were bruises on her hip and thigh and he thought she had been run over. The Coroner praised Driver Cooper for his efforts and expressed great sympathy for Mrs. Johnson’s family. A verdict of accidental death was given.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 21st April 1916

Bedford Soldier Killed by a Train

Bedford County Hospital 1910 [Z1130/10/36/2]

Thursday 6th April 1916: An inquest has been held at the Bedford County Hospital into the death of Trooper Percy James Griffiths of the Bedfordshire Yeomanry, a married man aged 21. Major Pares told the inquest that Trooper Griffiths had joined the Yeomanry last September but only a few days later was kicked by a horse and was reported sick. From then onwards he never actually came on duty, and was sick more or less until he was discharged from hospital on 29th March. The effects of the injury had only lasted a short time, but he suffered from other health problems. On March 29 he appeared all right and looked fairly well. He was reported fit for duty but did not come on duty the next morning as he ought to have done. The Major did not think Trooper Griffiths cared for military work, and he suffered from hysteria.

On the morning of Friday 31st March Corporal A. F. Carnell was sent to find Trooper Griffiths and found him in bed at his home at 42 Greenhill Street. Griffiths said he was too ill to attend and asked for a doctor to be sent. He was told he was reported fit for duty and advised to get up. The Sergeant Major had asked Griffiths why he did not attend at the miniature range the day before as instructed; he claimed that he had been and found no one there, but this was contradicted by the Sergeant Major. On the Friday Griffiths again failed to turn up for parade and Corporal Carnell was sent to fetch him. He saw the man’s mother-in-law, who said Griffiths had told her he had to report himself to the doctor. He had appeared quite rational.

Another witness, Frank Gosling, told the inquest that he had been cycling from Wootton Pillinge to Bedford on Monday evening at about 9 p.m. As he passed under Cow Bridge he heard someone call for help from the railway bank. He got off his bicycle and called for some soldiers, who went to a nearby cottage to see if it had a telephone. Mr. Gosling found Trooper Griffiths at the bottom of the bank, with both his legs cut off by a train. The soldiers had managed to telephone the hospital, and he contacted both the signal box and the station master. Griffiths was taken to the hospital, where he died at about one o’clock the next morning.

Griffiths’ mother-in-law, Ellen Chambers of Biggleswade, said she was nursing Griffiths’ wife. She had last seen him on Friday morning; he had complained of his head and looked “wild in his eyes”. He had also complained about his head on Thursday night. He worried about his wife and children, but was a very steady man who never took too much drink. Griffiths’ mother said that she had three other sons in the Army who were all doing well. Percy was trying to do his bit, but could not manage it. When he was two years old he had a severe illness, and it was then considered that he had brain trouble. He worked as a warehouseman and his manager had told her that her son suffered from loss of memory.

The jury returned a verdict that Trooper Griffiths had committed suicide, but that there was insufficient evidence to show his state of mind at the time.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard 7th April 1916

Fatal Motor Accident at Turvey

Turvey Bridge, c.1905-1910 [X396/266]

Thursday 13th January 1916: An inquest has heard that Private Isaac Nelms, a 19 year old soldier from Stockport serving with the 2/6th Cheshires died following and accident with a motor-bus at Turvey on Sunday night. The driver of the bus, Frank Thomas James Edwards, told the inquest that he was passing over Turvey bridge at about 9.45pm when he saw a soldier on a cycle approaching from the opposite direction. The cyclist was going fairly straight until he was within a yard or so of the bus when he seemed to lose control of his machine and swerve. He missed the front of the bus, but he then heard a noise at the side and at the same time hit the bridge in trying to avoid him. The driver and conductor went back and found Private Nelms lying on the road about a yard from the wall on his proper side of the road. He could not see any marks to suggest he had run over the soldier. The man was got onto the bus and taken to hospital. Mr. Edwards stated that there was plenty of room for Private Nelms to pass and that his bus was lit by two paraffin lights at the front.

Police Constable Bradshaw of Turvey was informed of the accident and saw Private Nelms in the motorbus. He spoke to the soldier who said he was going to Bedford. His clothing was dirty as though he had rolled over, but there was no mark to show if the bus had run over him. The wheel marks of the bus were well onto the left side of the road and the bicycle was not damaged. Dr. Spence, a house surgeon at the County Hospital carried out a post mortem and found serious internal injuries which could only have been caused by great pressure. The Coroner said that although there was no evidence to account for these injuries, it seemed almost certain that the hind wheel of the bus must have run over him. It appeared a pure accident for which nobody was to blame. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

Source: Bedfordshire Times, 14th January 1916

Soldier Killed by Runaway Horses

Soldiers at Biscot Camp [Z1306/75/16/14]

Friday 3rd December 1915: The inquest has been held today at Luton Court House into the death of a soldier at Biscot Mill camp on Tuesday evening. Private William Griffith Williams of the 3/4th West Lancashire Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery, a 23 year old soldier from Southport (Lancashire), was standing with a group of men who had just been dismissed from the stables on the right hand side of the road close to the stables. It was a few minutes after 5 o’clock and was growing dark. He was standing with Driver John Edward Williams and another young man name Welch lighting up cigarettes. Driver Williams looked up and saw a pair of horses attached to a van just twenty yards away and galloping towards them at full speed. He shouted and jumped to the right with Private Williams while Welch ran left. When he got across the road he turned and saw Private Williams underneath one of the horses. Another soldier, Driver James Donoghue of the 3/1st Welsh Royal Field Artillery was also knocked down and was taken to Bute Hospital suffering from shock and bruising. The unconscious Private Williams was taken into the huts and the doctor sent for. By the time the doctor arrived the young man had died.

The horses had been standing outside the bread stores attached to a van in the charge of Driver Richard Gooch, who was standing at the horses’ heads while the van was being unloaded. A motor van on military work with the Army Service Corps passed by, startling the horses and causing them to bolt. Driver Gooch lost his hold on the horses and was knocked over by the wagon. He ran after the horses, managed to get onto the back of the wagon and tried to get hold of the reins. When he found this was not possible he jumped off. Unfortunately it was too dark for the group of men standing in the road to see the horses until they were almost upon them. The driver of the motor van, Corporal William Herbert Crowley, said he was driving very slowly at the time. The jury agreed with the Coroner that it was a tragic accident for which nobody was to blame and returned a verdict of accidental death.

Sources: Bedfordshire Standard, 10th December 1915; Luton Times 10th December 1915

Fatal Accident to Dispatch Rider

Swan Hotel, Leighton Buzzard c.1885 [Z1130/72]

Friday 17th September 1915: An inquest at Houghton Regis heard today of the death of Acting Sergeant Thomas J. W. Hubbard of the Royal Engineers following an accident at Leedon on Wednesday night. Sergeant Hubbard had attended a party at the Swan Hotel, Leighton Buzzard at which the Signals Section had been the guests of their commanding officer Captain Howe and his wife. As he returned to Houghton Regis a tyre came off his motorcycle and he was thrown onto his head, receiving fatal injuries. Dr. Kenneth John Aveling of the Royal Army Medical Corps said he was called to the V.A.D. Hospital at about 10.30pm on Wednesday and found Sergeant Hubbard in bed suffering from pressure on the brain resulting from a haemorrhage caused by a skull fracture. It was a hopeless case and the patient died the next morning.

Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor James Finmore, R.E. described how dinner at the Swan had been followed by a concert at which Sergeant Hubbard had sung “Cheery-O”. The men had been taken to and from the party on motor lorries, with the exception of those who had their own machines and the Sergeants. As he returned to Houghton Regis about a mile from Leighton he saw Sergeant Lefevre off his machine; he stopped and found Sergeant Hubbard lying unconscious beside the road. The injured man was placed on the second lorry which was standing by and taken to Houghton. Sergeant Hubbard knew the road quite well and was perfectly sober. Sergeant John Lefevre said Sergeant Hubbard had passed him on the way from Leighton; some way further on he came across the man and his bicycle in the road. He spoke to Hubbard and shook him gently but got no response, so he made him as comfortable as possible. He believed Sergeant Hubbard’s light went out as he was approaching the corner and with the thick dust of the road and the tyre coming off it was impossible to control the machine.

Police Inspector W. G. Purser had examined the road at the accident spot. In the thick dust he could see the track of a motor cycle which had lost a tyre. The bends in the road were not dangerous and Sergeant Hubbard had passed both. A verdict of “Accidental Death” was returned. The dead man was 31 years old and had previously  ridden professionally for the B.S.A. Co. He leaves a widow and three children at West Ham.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 21 September 1915

Young Welsh Soldier Killed by a Mule at Bedford

Pack Mules at Ypres, 1917 [Wikimedia]

Saturday 14th August 1915: The Coroner’s Court at Bedford heard today how one of the Welsh soldiers billeted at Bedford lost his life in a tragic accident. Driver John Rice Jones of the Welsh Divisional Ammunition Column was badly kicked while grooming a mule on Friday August 6th and was admitted to the Bedford County Hospital. The House Surgeon, Dr. Spense, was away when Jones was admitted; when he first saw him on Sunday night the young man was suffering from general peritonitis as a consequence of a ruptured intestine. This led to the eighteen year old soldier's death on Thursday.

Lieutenant Godfrey Parsons of Driver Jones’ section was on duty on August 6th and watched  as his men groomed some of the mules. The mules were tied to trees due to their viciousness - or, he said, perhaps nervous would be a better term, it was the nature of mules which were far more difficult to manage than horses. Jones had been a groom and had considerable experience of horses. He saw the mule kick Jones, who staggered and fell down. Lieutenant Parsons examined him, found a wound over the abdomen and sent for a doctor.

Mary Jones, the young man’s mother, said that she last saw her son a fortnight ago, when he left home after a leave of absence. He had joined the Territorials because he was anxious to join the Army. She is a widow, and he was her only son. The Coroner said it was an extremely said case, and that the lad had joined the Army under age out of patriotism. The boy had done his duty, had died in a noble cause, and his life had not been lived in vain. The jury returned a verdict of “accidental death”. Driver Jones’ body was conveyed from the Hospital to the railway station on a gun-carriage this morning and sent by train to Newport, Monmouthshire for burial. 

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 20th August 1915

Sleepwalker Dies at Luton

Inkerman Street, Luton c.1890 [Z50/75/185]

Thursday 5th August 1915: An inquest has been held into a tragic accident which took place at 17 Inkerman Street, Luton where Charles Hollingsworth Reading lived with his wife and her parents. A visit from relative had caused the occupants to arrange makeshift sleeping arrangements, with Reading sleeping by himself on a mattress in the back bedroom. A loud crash was heard during the night and Reading was found to have fallen downstairs. No doctor was called until the morning as his injuries did not seem serious. Grace Reading gave evidence that her husband was in very good health. A couple of weeks ago she had found him walking round the bedroom while apparently still asleep. He tried to open the bedroom door but failed and went back to bed. He had also walked in his sleep once last year. On Sunday night they all went to bed about 10.30pm. She was not called when the accident happened as she had not been well.

Mrs. Reading’s father, George Summerfield, had slept downstairs on the couch that night. At about 11.45pm he heard a thud, went to the stairs and called up to ask what was the matter. He did not at first notice Mr. Reading lying on his back at the foot of the stairs. When he saw him he called one of the guests, Horace Inwards, and they put Mr. Reading on the couch. He appeared to be sound asleep and snoring heavily. Just before seven Mr. Summerfield went for the doctor, at which time Mr. Reading was still alive and still appeared asleep. Someone was with Mr. Reading at all times and he believed he had come round.

Horace Inwards agreed that Mr. Reading was snoring heavily when put on the couch. He could find no broken bones and did not think there was any serious injury. They had bathed the man’s head with cold water, but he never regained consciousness. When Dr. Harmer arrived at the house early on Monday morning he found Mr. Reading dead. There were no marks on his body but there was a haemorrhage from his right ear. He believed Mr. Reading died from a fracture to the base of the skull. The Coroner thought there could be no doubt that sleepwalking was the cause of the accident and the jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

Source: Luton Times, 6 August 1915

Inquest into Motorcycle Death at Houghton Regis

Army lorries at Houghton Regis, 1915 [Z1130/63/39]

Tuesday 27th July 1915: The adjourned inquest into the death of Second-Lieutenant Hugh Anthony Bertlin at Houghton Regis resumed today. It had been hoped Lieutenant Smith, who was also injured in the motorcycle accident which killed his fellow officer, would be able to attend but the court heard that he could not do so as he was in London to undergo an operation. Lieutenant John Aveling of the Royal Army Medical Corps stationed at the Dunstable Signalling Depot, Houghton Regis, said that he was called to attend Lieutenant Berlin after the accident. He found him unconscious and seriously injured and took him by ambulance to the military hospital at Luton. The resident medical officer at Warden Military Hospital stated the Berlin never rallied or recovered consciousness before he died at 2 a.m. on Monday 12th July. A post-mortem examination showed extensive head injuries. A motor horn battered beyond recognition was produced and the witness stated that these injuries could have been caused by coming into contact with the motor horn.

Frederick Percival Jones, an automobile engineer of Montserrat House, High Street North, Dunstable, said he was driving a 16-20 h.p. Sunbeam car from Luton to Houghton Regis. He knew the road well and was fully aware of the dangerous turning at Houghton. He sounded the horn several times and also used a siren. On rounding the corner he saw the motorcycle about 2 feet 6 inches from the path on the wrong side of the road. He immediately turned his car off the road onto the gravel frontage of the Chequers Inn on the near side of the road, hitting the palings in front of the inn. The motorcyclist appeared to lose control and ran straight into the off side of the car. The horn was at Mr. Jones’ right shoulder, which was where the dead man collided with the car, and he assumed this caused the injury. With the help of some soldiers he took the injured officer to Houghton Hall. Mr Jones said he was travelling at about 10 or 12 mph but eased his pace at the bend, a necessity for a car of that size. He had owned the car for five years and it was in good order. Measurements of the road showed that the car was half on the road and half on the gravel in front of the inn, leaving plenty of space for the motorcycle to pass through.

William Hamson, the landlord of the Chequers was in the taproom when the accident occurred. Going outside he saw two men and a motor bicycle lying in the road. He called out three soldiers who had been playing bagatelle in the public house; they helped him to get Lieutenant Berlin into a car to be taken to Houghton Hall. He took the other injured man into his house. The road was very wide at that point and the car was on its proper side, but he had not heard a hooter or horn. Lieutenant George Harold Williamson of the 2/5th Sherwood Foresters told the Court that the car had passed him going towards Houghton Regis and was travelling very fast round the bend. He estimated the speed at 30mph. After the accident he examined the car’s tracks and said they were in the centre of the road as they came round the bend and continued there for some way before swerving into the near side. He also heard no horn or hooter. Lance-Corporal George Linstead of the Royal Engineers saw the accident from the Chequers and said both the motorcycle and the car were travelling very fast, with the car in the centre of the road. In his opinion anything over 10mph was too fast for that bend.

Police Inspector Frederick Janes went to Houghton Regis on 14th July and saw William Hamson who pointed out three large bloodstains in the centre of the road. The road was 77 feet wide at that point between the fence of Chancery Farm and the Chequers Inn. It was an extremely dangerous corner as drivers of vehicles could not see each other until almost “on top of each other” due to the bends in the road. There was no warning post at the bend. He believed safety would be much improved if a 9 foot tall hedge was cut down to improve visibility. The municipal engineer and borough surveyor of Dunstable, William Fawcett Wilkins, had also taken measurements. Opposite the Chequers outbuilding there were 11 feet clear between the marks of the car’s offside wheel and the grass at the side of the road and 13 feet 9 inches of roadway. Mr. Jones’ counsel pointed out that there was no doubt that the motorcycle was on the wrong side of the road, and that Mr Jones could not have been driving at a very fast speed or the accident would have been even worse and would probably have killed both the motorcycle passenger and the car driver. After considering the matter for quarter of an hour the jury returned a verdict of “accidental death”. The jurors also noted that the hedge which impeded visibility should be cut and a warning post erected.

Source: Luton News 29th July 1915

Leighton Buzzard Inquest Verdict of Wilful Murder

The Stag, Leighton Buzzard c.1906 [Z1306/72]

Thursday 22nd July 1915: The inquest into the death of Mrs. Harriet Reeve of Leighton Buzzard, which was adjourned on 6th July [LINK] was resumed yesterday in the Church Room at Leighton Buzzard. Thomas Major, a labourer of Chapel Path, Leighton Buzzard, said he had seen the victim’s husband on the day of the tragedy. They went together to Hockliffe to return a stray dog to Mr. Richardson, the owner of the White Hart. Reeve had told him that he had his double-barrelled gun loaded and standing in the corner of the house. Major told him “You --- fool, why don’t you go back and empty the gun, or do something with it; or else the children will get playing about with it, and shoot one another”. Reeve replied, “That’s all right; I’ve got that for something else”. When they returned the dog Mr. Richardson gave them two shillings and a pint of beer each; Mrs. Richardson gave them another two pints. On the way back to Leighton they stopped at the Plough in Eggington for a pint each, then at the Falcon in Stanbridge Road where they each had two more pints. After that they visited the Roebuck for half a pint each, followed later by another two pints between them. Nothing in Reeve’s manner seemed unusual to Major; when he left him Reeve was sober and could walk all right.

Annie Elizabeth Peasegood, the daughter of the licensee of the Stag Inn at Leighton, gave evidence that Reeve had been drinking and was not quite sober, but was not drunk. He had stayed in the Stag playing dominoes from about 4 to 6 o’clock, but drank only a half pint. David Chandler, age 18, a baker of Hockliffe Street had seen Reeve in the bar at the Stag and also thought that Reeve was not drunk; he was in control of himself and able to light a cigarette, which he felt a drunk man would be unable to do. Reeve’s 16 year old son, William Benjamin Reeve junior, stated that on July 5th he was living at home with his parents. His mother came home from work at about 6.30pm, and soon afterwards his father came home drunk. His mother whispered to him and another boy who was with him that they had better go away and gave them three pence each to go to the Picture Palace. He identified the gun as belonging to his father. He had not heard his father threaten his mother, but his mother had told him she had been threatened by him on several occasions. The boy’s friend, George Flemming described Reeve as looking very white; he looked “funny” ground his teeth and made a hissing noise between his teeth – he usually did this when drunk. He had heard Reeve threaten his wife several times.

Reeve’s neighbour, Eliza Barker, said Mrs Reeve left for work at Wing in the morning and was out all day. She herself had gone out in the afternoon taking Reeve’s four year old son with her. When she returned she saw the door open and Reeve sitting in a chair. A few minutes later she went to the North Street Fish Shop with the little boy. When she returned Mrs Reeve’s door was open and went in to speak to her, but found her dead and bleeding. Eliza Barker’s invalid sister, Martha Baines, had heard Reeve and his wife talking very loudly and thought they were quarrelling. It went quiet for a few minutes but then she heard a gun go off. She then heard Reeve in the yard making a groaning noise and heard someone tell him to wash himself. Other witnesses described how they found Reeve in the street, covered in blood. Harriet Reeve’s niece, Annie Toms saw him with his neck, hands and arms all red and thought at first he had put his arms into some paint. Reeve’s father, William Benjamin Reeve senior, said he had seen his son in the Stag Inn and asked him for half a pint of beer but Reeve refused. When he got home his son was there bleeding profusely, with several people around him. He recognised the double barrelled gun as an old one of his own which his son had had for 20 years. Dr. Percy Stedman of North Street said he had attended Reeve, who had cut his throat. He testified that the cause of Mrs. Reeve’s death was shock due to loss of blood and injury to the nerve in the neck. Her wounds were of a type which would have been caused by a gun at close quarters. The jury returned a verdict of “wilful murder” against William Benjamin Reeve.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer 27th July 1915; Bedfordshire Standard 23rd July 1915

Tragic Death of a Young Officer at Houghton Regis

Houghton Hall, c.1905 [Z1130/63/49]

Tuesday 13th July 1915:  An inquest opened this morning into the death of Lieutenant Hugh Anthony Bertlin in a terrible motor accident at Houghton Regis on Saturday. Second-Lieutenant Berlin was riding a motorcycle to Luton but just outside the village he collided with a motor car driven by Mr. P. Jones of Dunstable. Second-Lieutenant J. R. Smith who was riding pillion on the motorcycle was seriously injured. After the crash the two officers were taken to Wardown Military Hospital. Lieutenant Bertlin was diagnosed as a hopeless case and his parents were summoned to come at once; he died at 2 a.m. yesterday morning without ever recovering consciousness. He had suffered a fracture of the base of the skull, severe scalp wounds, and cuts and bruises to the face and body. Lieutenant Smith suffered a fractured wrist, cuts and bruises, but is making good progress. Mr. Jones was not hurt in the accident.

The dead officer’s father gave evidence of identification at the officer. Anthony Bertlin, a civil engineer living at Ealing Green, said that his son was aged 24 and had been living in Canada at the outbreak of the war. He joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in October and came to Britain in March. He was gazetted lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 10th April and had been stationed at Houghton Regis for ten days. He reported that his son’s sight was good - he was able to read flag-signalling at a distance of two miles - and he was used to riding a motorcycle. The Coroner adjourned the inquest for two weeks, by which time he expected Lieutenant Smith to be sufficiently recovered to give evidence. Lieutenant Bertlin’s funeral is to take place tomorrow afternoon. He will be buried in the village churchyard at Houghton Regis with full military honours. 

Source: Luton News, 15th July 1915