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
