The Mysterious Death of Edith Webster Regent Court Flats, Bradfield Road, Sheffield - October 1939
Sheffield's Regent Court Flats on Bradfield Road in the Hillsborough district of Sheffield was the site in October 1939 of a death of a 44 year old woman named Edith Webster.
The circumstances surrounding her death led the Coroner to remark "the circumstances are more curious than anything he had before him for a long time."
Sheffield Evening Telegraph dated 20th October 1939
Sheffield Evening Telegraph dated 2nd November 1939
Sheffield Evening Telegraph dated 22nd November 1939
Mistakes. errors of judgment and a failure to adhere to standard procedures by both the police and the medical profession all figure prominently in Edith's death and its aftermath. The Coroner was correct when he stated that no criminal offence had been committed but apathy and negligence feature prominently in the narrative. In fact the "irregularities" are quite stunning. Reading the report in the Sheffield Evening Telegraph dated 22nd November 1939 the Coroner stipulated that he should have been informed at once Edith was found but Dr. Hudson and the police were convinced that the death was a natural one and so did not refer it. But it was not a natural one - Edith had taken poisonous drugs and it was these that led to her death. Letters left by Edith that were viewed by the Coroner intimated that Edith took her own life.
A lonely life and a lonely death - I believe Edith deserved better.
Sources
Sheffield Evening Telegraph dated 20th October 1939
Sheffield Evening Telegraph dated 2nd November 1939
Sheffield Evening Telegraph dated 22nd November 1939
This page was last updated on 10/06/26 10:46