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Witnessed Eva Annie's Marriage in 1897 Medals 1914/15 Star British War Medal Long Service & Good Conduct Military Medal for "bravery in the field" Victory Medal Croix de Guerre - Belgium |
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General Peritonitis following wounds to the abdomen and peritoneal cavity brought about by the explosion of hydrostatic fuse which was being taken to .... for experimental purposes at the Naval .... .... HMS Vernon on the 21st March 1930 of the same month accidental death. Another sailor working with him was killed instantly. Inquest around 30th April 1930 |
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From the Hampshire Telegraph 2nd May 1930 The Explosion in H.M.S. VERNON. Inquest on two victims Handling of Hydrostatic Fuses The explosion in HMS Vernon on March 19, 1930 which resulted in the deaths of Gilbert Hutchinson (46) of 39 Wadham Road, North End and William George Williams (54) of 94 Clayhalll Road Gosport was the subject of an exhaustive inquiry by the Portsmouth Coroner (Sir Thomas Bramsdom, JP) at the Guildhall on Wednesday afternoon. The City Coroner sat with a jury, and Mr S. Brutton represented the Admiralty, Mr E J Bechervause was for the Mining School in HMS Vernon, Mr F A Maxwell-Wells represented the two widows, and Captain Pedlar, the Factory Inspector, was present on behalf of the Home Office. Harold Charles Shotter, a School Teacher, identified the body of the late Mr Hutchinson as that of his Uncle. The next witness was James Smith a clerk in the Dockyard who identified the body of the late Mr Williams as that of his father-in-law. Lieut-Commander Douglas Geo. Wilberforce Curry, second assistant to the Superintendent of Design at Woolwich, said that last October he received the issue of two Hydrostatic Fuses. They were forwarded to the Superintendent of Mines in HMS Vernon. He understood that the Vernon tests would be carried out in deep water and not in a tank. Percy Ernest Masters, the shop manager at Woolwich Arsenal spoke to the labelling of the fuses as being loaded when they left Woolwich for the Vernon, via Priddy's Hard. At Woolwich a fuse was always assumed to be loaded unless it was labeled otherwise. William Neal, a storehouseman at Priddy's Hard said that the case (produced) arrived at the store on February 11. An "Experimental" label was on the box, but it did not show that the fuse was filled. Commissioned Gunner Anthony Beard of HMS Vernon said that when the fuses were received by him he pointed out to Mr Pickford that there was a possibility of the fuses being loaded. Mr. Pickford, however, thought that they were unloaded. The fuses were delivered to the witness from Priddy's Hard in a box marked "Loaded" and the witness treated them as such. P O Charles Crook of the Vernon, said that he received instructions from Mr Beard to issue the explosives to the late Mr Williams. The word "filled" did not appear on the box label. THE EXPLOSION A fitter named William Samuel, employed in the Mines School, said that on March 19 he saw the two deceased men and Mr Pickford. Mr Williams had a fuse in his hand, and he asked the witness for a spanner, shortly afterwards be heard a sharp report and saw Mr Pickford with his hand covered in blood. Mr Hutchinson was lying on the floor and in the other end of the workshop Mr. Williams was lying in great pain. Mr Jessie Ward, a fitter in the School said that the heard the report and saw Mr Williams and Mr Pickford staggering about. He also saw Mr Hutchinson suffering from severe head injuries. A FINGER BLOWN AWAY The chief witness was Mr. Frederick Pickford, the principal technical officer in the Mines School, who appeared with his right hand heavily bandaged. He became distressed when he came to describe the accident. He said that he never thought that the fuse was filled, and he proceeded to take down the fuse. He went across to the test shop and asked the deceased man, Williams, to unscrew the detonator. Unfortunately for the late Mr Hutchinson, his was the first bench they came to and the operations were carried out on this bench. The explosion then occurred and the witness saw that a finger had gone from his right hand. He also saw Mr Hutchinson and Mr Williams collapse. The witness was discharged from Haslar Hospital on Monday. He never saw the box in which the fuses arrived from Woolwich via Priddy's Hard. Had he seen the box he would have expected to find the fuses loaded. He agreed with the Coroner that in future it would be wise to distinctly mark a loaded fuse. Replying to Captain Pedlar, the witness said that had he known that the fuses were loaded he would have sent them back to be emptied. He saw none of the correspondence accompanying the fuses. Surgeon Commander Cory, Dr. R. H. Hodges, and Surgeon Commander O'Flynn gave medical evidence as to the cause of death in each case, and in his address to the jury, Sir Thomas Bramsdon said that the case emphasized the need for loaded fuses being marked as such. VERDICT AND RIDER The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental Death." and added a rider to the effect that the fuses should be clearly marked. |