RICE, Andrew Joseph Spring

75337, Chief Cook, Naval Auxiliary Personnel, (MN), H.M.S. Mersey

Born 1885, Limerick

Died 17/06/1941, Age 56, at Cleethorpes from injuries sustained

Buried 21/06/1941

Son of Mr and Mrs Cecil Spring-Rice

Husband of Sarah Jane Rice of Cleethorpes

Address: 8 Chapman Road, Cleethorpes

Merchant Navy record describes him as 5 foot 8 inches tall, with blue eyes, grey hair and a fresh complexion

A report in the Cornishman on 24 July 1941 reveals the unfortunate details of Andrew Joseph Spring Rice’s death and shows that, despite there being a war on, sadly for Rice the enemy turned out to be much closer to home.

REDRUTH SAILOR ON MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE

JUDGE ON “BAD RECORD”

A merchant sailor, Percy Leonard Wetherhead, a native of Redruth, was bound over for three years at Birmingham Assizes on Tuesday, when Mr Justice Stable remarked of Wetherhead’s record “about as bad as anything I have seen”.

Wetherhead pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter against Andrew Joseph Spring Rice, a chief petty officer steward in the Royal Navy.

On June 17, defendant and Rice had gone into a café at Cleethorpes, both the worse for drink. The proprietress had asked Rice to take his companion off the premises. When Rice attempted to do so, Wetherhead caught Rice by the throat and struck him. It was not a heavy blow, but owing to the manner in which deceased fell, his spine was dislocated, the spinal cord being ruptured.

Wetherhead’s record showed that he had appeared before courts no less than five times on charges of assault on females. He had only been out of prison for two days, for a common assault on two females, when he was arrested for the present offence.