Poison-gas bomb?(1917)

Post date: Apr 22, 2014 8:47:53 PM

Neil Hanson in his book First Blitz records (page 308; no sources cited) the following story:

"...an inquest was held at Wateringbury police station on a ten week old baby, Lilian Alice Trower, 'who died in a hop-pickers hut' at Green Farm, Nettlestead. She had been sheltering with her parents in a Shoreditch flour mill when 'several bombs were dropped..and gas and sulphur fumes penetrated into the building.' The baby died the following night. The coroners' jury returned a verdict that 'death was caused by irritant gases caused by bombs dropped from enemy aircraft at Shoreditch', but the Metropolitan Police dismissed the suggestion.

Extract from Kent Messenger of 13th October 1917:

AIR RAID VICTIM.—A child died Nettlestead on Wednesday last week under circumstances which called for a Coroner’s inquiry this being, held by Mr. A. H. Neve on Thursday at the Railway Hotel, Wateringbury:

The subject of the inquest was Lilian Alice Trower, aged 10 weeks, son of James Trower, costermonger, of Barton Court, Shoreditch. The evidence showed that on Monday last week the family, with others, took shelter, during the raid on London, in some flour mills. Bombs fell close by, which emitted nauseous fumes. These penetrated the building and caused coughing, smarting of the eyes, pain in the head and dryness of the lips. Next day the Trower family removed to Nettlestead and took up their abode in hopper huts on Green Farm. On Wednesday morning the wife found the baby dead. Dr. Southwell Sander examined the body and came to the conclusion that death was due to some irritant which had been inhaled. The jury, of whom Mr. H. Milstead was foreman, found that “Death was due to inflammation of the lungs, apparently caused .by the inhaling of irritant gas, and that such gas came from an exploded enemy bomb.” The Coroner and jury expressed sympathy with the parents.

Extract from South Eastern Gazette of 6th October 1917:

The County Coroner (Mr. A. H. Neve) held an enquiry at the Railway Hotel, Wateringbury , on Thursday evening, touching the death, of Lilian Alice Trower, aged 10 weeks, a victim of the poisonous fumes of a bomb dropped in London during the air raid on the previous Monday.

The father, James Trower, costermonger of 6, Barton Court, Shoreditch, said the child had had "good health" since she was born. Witness with his wife and two children, came from London to Green Farm, Nettlestead, on Tuesday evening, in order to get out of the raids. Deceased did not seem quite so well as usual, but was not ill enough, he thought, to need a doctor. On Monday last witness and his family took cover in a public shelter, with others, in some flour mills. One or more bombs fell nearby, and they had to put handkerchiefs to their mouths in consequence of the fumes from the bombs, which smelt like gas. The fumes made witness cough, and his eyes smarted. When witness got home after about three hours he had pains in the head, and his lips were dry. On reaching Nettlestead on Tuesday he proceeded with his wife and children to a hopper hut on Green Farm. His wife and the two children slept in one hut and witness in another. In the morning his wife came round to his hut and told him the baby was dead. Witness spoke to the farmer, who advised him to call a doctor, which he did.

Lily Alice Trower, the mother, corrobor­ated her husbands story. She said they had to push in order to get in to the air raid shelter. She had the child in her arms, but could not say, whether it was crushed or not. It did not cry out. The bomb or bombs fell near by, and the fumes from them penetrated into the building. The baby slept with her that night, it had not taken food well. In the hopper hut on Green Farm she slept with the child by her.

Dr. Southwell Sanders of Wateringbury stated he had examined the body.The child was very healthy and well developed. There was no sign of violence or any ­obstruction to the windpipe, etc.; nor any signs of partial flattening of the body. The tongue was very dry, and a browny colour. There might, have been some irritant from the fumes of the bombs which the child had breathed in. He found a certain amount of frothy fluid was coming from the nostrils, while the lungs showed signs of acute inflammation, resembling a sort of pneumonia. The heart showed signs of death by suffocation. The child had partially digested milk in its stomach, as if it had been fed recently. He was of opinion that death was due to suffocation, apparently by some irritant inhaled.”'

The jury of whom Mr. H. Milstead was foreman, found that “Death was due local inflammation of the lungs, apparently caused by the inhaling of irritant gas, and that, such gas came from an exploded enemy bomb".

The Foreman said that the jury wished to express sympathy with the parents, and the Coroner said he was sure all would agree in that.