My Old Rented Flat

[Dick Turpin]

Back in the mid 90’s I lived in a converted Victorian flat, in which a 12 year old boy hung himself in the 1940’s – I have to say that I did not see, hear or feel anything in the three years I lived there, so not fortean but interesting none the less.
According to an elderly neighbour who still remembered the case, the inquest returned a verdict of death by misadventure, which I guess means accidental…?
Does anyone know how I would find out anything online about this, I did have a quick browse, but couldn’t find anything related, admittedly I’m not great at this sort of stuff, but I do know that some of members of this site are wizards when it comes to this sort of thing.
Cheers

 

[ramonmercado]

Back in the mid 90’s I lived in a converted Victorian flat, in which a 12 year old boy hung himself in the 1940’s – I have to say that I did not see, hear or feel anything in the three years I lived there, so not fortean but interesting none the less.
According to an elderly neighbour who still remembered the case, the inquest returned a verdict of death by misadventure, which I guess means accidental…?
Does anyone know how I would find out anything online about this, I did have a quick browse, but couldn’t find anything related, admittedly I’m not great at this sort of stuff, but I do know that some of members of this site are wizards when it comes to this sort of thing.
Cheers

What city/district did this take place in?

Local newspapers might be available in libraries on microfilm if not digitised.

It would be difficult to find information about the case online without address details.

 

[Dick Turpin]

What city/district did this take place in?

Local newspapers might be available in libraries on microfilm if not digitised.

It would be difficult to find information about the case online without address details.

Thanks for that Ram.
This happened in what is now the London Borough of Newham, although I don’t believe the borough was formed until the mid 60’s, and the postcode that the Road now has ( E13 ) may also not existed until that time.
A trip to the local library is out, as I live miles away from London these days, and I really don’t fancy a trip to the “old Manor”
It wouldn’t be fair to give the actual address, but the road in question is Walton Road, which is in the district of Upton Park.

 

[EnolaGaia]

Back in the mid 90’s I lived in a converted Victorian flat, in which a 12 year old boy hung himself in the 1940’s – I have to say that I did not see, hear or feel anything in the three years I lived there, so not fortean but interesting none the less.
According to an elderly neighbour who still remembered the case, the inquest returned a verdict of death by misadventure, which I guess means accidental…? ...

Without additional details (most particularly the boy's name), and given the 1940's timeframe, there's little chance the story can be tracked down online. This sounds like one of those cases that would require delving into the newspaper archives.

 

[oldrover]

There are archives on line which'd cover this period. Unfortunately they're pay to access, and frankly don't seem that good.

https://www.britishnewspaperarchive...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CJzr2pzb1t0CFUfg1QodCR0INA

Go there, type in the name and see if there appear to be any relevant articles. It may be worth pursuing, it may not. Experience with the Australian archives (much better) suggests to me the case will have been covered several times.

Good luck.

 

[Dick Turpin]

Thank you Oldrover
I ploughed through the first 20 pages with no luck so far, interesting though how so many residents of upton park either got run over by trams or busses, or fell off trains – must be due to the amount of pubs there was in the area back then.
I’ll go through the rest a bit later on.
Cheers

 

[cycleboy2]

Thank you Oldrover
I ploughed through the first 20 pages with no luck so far, interesting though how so many residents of upton park either got run over by trams or busses, or fell off trains – must be due to the amount of pubs there was in the area back then.
I’ll go through the rest a bit later on.
Cheers

Wartime also meant a lot of transport was travelling using very little light and streets with, I'm guessing, no street lighting. Combine that with alcohol and you have accidents – literally – waiting to happen. Not sure about falling off trains, but even when I was younger in the 1970s it was possible to open train doors while moving. Again this combines dangerously with poor illumination on the trains and stations.

 

[Dick Turpin]

Wartime also meant a lot of transport was travelling using very little light and streets with, I'm guessing, no street lighting. Combine that with alcohol and you have accidents – literally – waiting to happen. Not sure about falling off trains, but even when I was younger in the 1970s it was possible to open train doors while moving. Again this combines dangerously with poor illumination on the trains and stations.

That’s exactly what happened cycleboy.

One Upton Park resident was waiting for a train at Liverpool Street station, and as the train came in to the station, someone opened a door from the inside of the train, knocking the poor chap flying - later died of his injuries.

Still no luck in my search btw, i’ll Probably never find out the details sadly

 

[escargot]

That’s exactly what happened cycleboy.

One Upton Park resident was waiting for a train at Liverpool Street station, and as the train came in to the station, someone opened a door from the inside of the train, knocking the poor chap flying - later died of his injuries.

Indeed. There used to be posters at railway stations warning people to stand back from the edge of the platform in case a door was opened while the train was still travelling at speed.

The illustration was of a young woman wearing, I seem to remember, a skirt and yellow top being dramatically splattered by a door.

Some train doors such as on Merseyrail still open the same way, by opening the window on the door and reaching out to the handle.


While most passengers use the doors sensible, there are still accidents. A man was killed a few years ago in Cornwall after climbing out of a train door window. He'd placed his coffee on top of the carriage and chased after the departing train for it, falling onto the track and suffering head injuries.

 

[escargot]

What city/district did this take place in?

Local newspapers might be available in libraries on microfilm if not digitised.

It would be difficult to find information about the case online without address details.

A few years ago I spent a delightful afternoon searching local papers on microfiche for an article on a family event. Didn't find it, but did come across some other, quite fantastic items.

One was about a forgotten (UK) Civil War era tunnel that was uncovered by accident under an old pub in the next town. It's now the beer cellar!

There were plenty of sad stories of misfortune and death. A young couple gassed themselves together in the downstairs flat of a converted terraced house in a quiet street. I'd never heard of the incident and wondered if people living there now know about it.
If any house should be haunted it's that one.

So yeah, I'd advise spending a full day browsing any newspaper microfilm archives as it's a fascinating thing to do whether or not you find what you're looking for.

 

[Mythopoeika]

While most passengers use the doors sensible, there are still accidents. A man was killed a few years ago in Cornwall after climbing out of a train door window. He'd placed his coffee on top of the carriage and chased after the departing train for it, falling onto the track and suffering head injuries.

On top of the carriage? Must have been a very tall man.

 

[escargot]

On top of the carriage? Must have been a very tall man.

He climbed out of the carriage door window while holding his coffee. One assumes he stood up on the open window frame at some point to place the cup on top while he repositioned himself to climb down, and being drugged up forgot about it until the train moved off.

His name was Kyle Kusano-Puffett. I'm refraining from posting a link in the vain hope of keeping our board legal.

 

[Tribble]

Indeed. There used to be posters at railway stations warning people to stand back from the edge of the platform in case a door was opened while the train was still travelling at speed.

The illustration was of a young woman wearing, I seem to remember, a skirt and yellow top being dramatically splattered by a door.

This unfortunate young lady?

 

[escargot]

This unfortunate young lady?

Thank you, I like how she catches the viewer's eye as if to say 'Oh, GREAT... '

 

[PeteS]

Thank you, I like how she catches the viewer's eye as if to say 'Oh, GREAT... '

Bit like the look and the sentiment from Ms PeteS when I jump into bed with a gleam in my eye.

 

[escargot]

Bit like the look and the sentiment from Ms PeteS when I jump into bed with a gleam in my eye.

Bet you don't have to twat her with a train door first!

 

[Mythopoeika]

Bet you don't have to twat her with a train door first!

Getting hold of a spare train door might be a challenge.

 

[cycleboy2]

Bet you don't have to twat her with a train door first!

Consider yourself awarded a 1000 likes for that post!!!

 

[PeteS]

Getting hold of a spare train door might be a challenge.

Ah you can find anything if you look hard enough.

 

[Tribble]

Ah you can find anything if you look hard enough.

Mrs Tribble watches these Antiques Roadtrip shows. One had an old wooden train door in an antiques shop. Looked a bit rough though, not sure it would survive even the lightest bedroom antics.

 

[PeteS]

Mrs Tribble watches these Antiques Roadtrip shows. One had an old wooden train door in an antiques shop. Looked a bit rough though, not sure it would survive even the lightest bedroom antics.

But I'm very light on my feet, apart from arthritic knee, hip and bad back.