paul.pengelly Posted 21 September , 2019 Share Posted 21 September , 2019 Years ago when searching for a relative who supposedly was in the Canadian 2nd Field Ambulance (according to his number group) came across this in their war diaries. Dec 11th .Major Hardy reported from Lavington that Pte Charles Matthews 33217 fell down an unused well during the discharge of his duties in this region Dec 12th ...Pte Charles Matthews body recovered from the well,which was 226 feet deep.Cabled father and Telegraphed Aunt Dec 14th ....mass for late Charles Matthews Dec 15th ....funeral for late Charles Matthews to English Church Tilshead at 2pm. Saw this thread and had a look at his service file and found these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul.pengelly Posted 21 September , 2019 Share Posted 21 September , 2019 Another from the Canadian war diaries,even sooner after they had landed in England 21/10/1914 .Bustard Camp ,Wiltshire. 40016 Pte Percy Sawyer was killed after being dragged to his death by a horse he was minding. At the internal inquiry it was ruled ..”..he appears to have wound the rope from the horses neck around his hand in his endeavour to hold the horse,which was a most dangerous procedure..” He was alive when somebody eventually stopped the horse but succumbed to his injuries soon after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghazala Posted 21 September , 2019 Share Posted 21 September , 2019 27 November 1918 'The Nottingham Journal' reported CAMP TRAGEDY - A Soldier Found Shot in Sentry-box. “Thomas, who was a former dock labourer, had had an impediment in his speech, and left this note:- 'Here ends the life of Joseph Thomas. It has been the hardest life that ever any man had, all through his speech. I have been a coward from the cradle: £5 10s to bury me with.' This sum was found on h im...." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ServiceRumDiluted Posted 24 September , 2019 Share Posted 24 September , 2019 One incident I heard of recently which is GW related is the death of a small boy at the Victory Baths in Renfrew. Apparently just after the war he jumped in whilst wearing a German helmet his father had bought back from France. The helmet hitting the water created so much drag that he snapped his neck and died instantly. A quick google brings up the basic story, along with numerous alleged sightings of his ghost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPT Posted 24 September , 2019 Share Posted 24 September , 2019 19 minutes ago, ServiceRumDiluted said: One incident I heard of recently which is GW related is the death of a small boy at the Victory Baths in Renfrew. Apparently just after the war he jumped in whilst wearing a German helmet his father had bought back from France. The helmet hitting the water created so much drag that he snapped his neck and died instantly. A quick google brings up the basic story, along with numerous alleged sightings of his ghost. Good story but i'm skeptical. Lots of mentions of these baths in the newspaper archives, but they neglect to mention this incident! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyboy83 Posted 2 October , 2019 Share Posted 2 October , 2019 Does any body know if there’s details of Suicides and Mental Health from the Great War ? ( In the trench’s/ while in service) ect thanks in advance 👍 Danny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandy hall Posted 11 May , 2020 Share Posted 11 May , 2020 I was looking at the pension cards on the WFA site, when I came across the death of Samuel Henry Hawes. The card records he was “killed on shore whilst proceeding on leave during hostile air raid”. Very unlucky. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/3057557/hawes,-/ Mandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt-Sags Posted 7 December , 2020 Share Posted 7 December , 2020 Looking for news reports on someone else and came across this bizarre/unlucky death of Captain Sir Robert Marcus Filmer M.C. in the Dundee Evening Telegraph 21st of February 1916. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/538869/ https://www.masonicgreatwarproject.org.uk/legend.php?id=1030 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david murdoch Posted 13 December , 2020 Share Posted 13 December , 2020 Gunner Alexander Coleman Michael 80183 MGC (Motors) survived the war but was shot and wounded by a "careless" American soldier 8th January 1919. He died on 13th March 1919 https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/4026486/ALEXANDER COLEMAN MICHAEL/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 14 December , 2020 Share Posted 14 December , 2020 On 21/09/2019 at 08:29, paul.pengelly said: Years ago when searching for a relative who supposedly was in the Canadian 2nd Field Ambulance (according to his number group) came across this in their war diaries. Dec 11th .Major Hardy reported from Lavington that Pte Charles Matthews 33217 fell down an unused well during the discharge of his duties in this region Dec 12th ...Pte Charles Matthews body recovered from the well,which was 226 feet deep.Cabled father and Telegraphed Aunt Dec 14th ....mass for late Charles Matthews Dec 15th ....funeral for late Charles Matthews to English Church Tilshead at 2pm. Saw this thread and had a look at his service file and found these. Only just noticed this. I know the road well. It will be of interest to @Moonraker I think. I wonder if the stone house still stands, or what’s there now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knittinganddeath Posted 28 December , 2020 Share Posted 28 December , 2020 Wilhelm Engel died in 1916 after being hit by lightning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHJ Posted 8 January , 2021 Share Posted 8 January , 2021 On 23/12/2015 at 22:40, Kitchener's Bugle said: Surely this has to be one of the most Bizarre .................... Yes! I saw this one today in the Belfast Times. I think their headline is better though: "Killed By False Teeth" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitchener's Bugle Posted 9 January , 2021 Share Posted 9 January , 2021 Indeed, he still had his CWGC Headstone of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegHannay Posted 9 January , 2021 Share Posted 9 January , 2021 81534 Private Joseph Cunningham 134th FA. In a drunken brawl was struck on chin, falling backwards on pavement, cerebral haemorrhage. Bethune. 142805 Private J Cullen `134th FA, faced Court martial, cleared on manslaughter charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyersey1234 Posted 16 January , 2021 Share Posted 16 January , 2021 (edited) I suppose my Grans uncle, Stephen Foster would come under this category. In 1916 he was in one of the support trenches just back from the front line when a shell went off prematurely and as he was closest to it he was killed. Not a bizarre death but an unlucky one. Edited 16 January , 2021 by Eyersey1234 Adding information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BullerTurner Posted 18 January , 2021 Share Posted 18 January , 2021 On 08/01/2021 at 22:06, SHJ said: Yes! I saw this one today in the Belfast Times. I think their headline is better though: "Killed By False Teeth" Could have been worse, he could have been blowing an important bugle call! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHJ Posted 19 January , 2021 Share Posted 19 January , 2021 (edited) Saw this one about Captain Tinne who suffocated himself wearing nothing but a wig and a rubber knee band in March 1918: .... ... ... Images of the Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald Saturday 9th March 1918 courtesy britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk Edited 29 March , 2021 by SHJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 27 March , 2021 Share Posted 27 March , 2021 I was searching through the Royal Navy registers of death yesterday and found "Killed by the explosion of a compass." Unfortunately I took no notes at the time, but if at any time I come across it again, I shall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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