Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 12 July 1941
Playmate’s Call for Help
Wombwell Drowning Tragedy
Look sharp, mister, a little lad is in the lock drowning.” This appeal by a lad of nine for his playmate, who had fallen into the canal was repeated at inquest at the Methodist Cemetery Road. Wombwell. On Satuyrday, on Melbourne Wooding (8), son of Harry Wooding. 6 York Street, Wombwell. The lad fell into a lock at Aldham Bridge, Barnsley Road, Wombwell, on Thursday night and, despite desperate efforts at rescue by a number of young miners, the body was not recovered until 90 minutes later.
One of the rescuers, Fred Smith (18), son of a widow, of 74, Hammerton Street, Wombwell, was diving Into the lock when he struck a sunken beam and his head was cut so badly that he had to have nine stitches put in the wound. His face covered with blood, he would have entered the water again but bystanders restrained him.
Others who tried to get the boy out were Thomas Mason (30), miner, Myers Street. Wombwell, Robert Moore (28), miner, 91. Hammerton Street, Wombwell, and Charles Beasley (18), trammer, 9, George Street, Wombwell. The parents of the boy were anguished witnesses of the rescue efforts.
At the inquest, the Coroner (Mr. C. Haworth) said all the would-be rescuers had done their best. The body was eventually recovered by drags.
Roy Shields (9). 216, Barnsley Road, Wombwell, told the Coroner how, armed with bent pins and pieces of string, they went to the canal to fish. Melbourne dropped his rod ” into the lock and was dangling his pin and string in an effort to ” hook ” it out when he fell into the water. He immediately ran off to ” tell someone.” Roy said they had previously been fishing at the same spot and the Coroner remarked, I have seen children there as I have come along the road.” Sergeant Moran said, ” This is only one place sir and it is the most dangerous of the lot”
Charles Beasley, 9, George Street, Wombwell, said that at 9 o’clock on Thursday night he was on the canal bank about 100 yards below the lock when the little boy, Shields, came up shouting, ” Look sharp mister, a little boy is in the lock, he is drowning.” Together they ran to the lock and Roy showed him the place where his playmate had fallen in. Witness said he could see nothing of the boy but he took three head dives and searched the bottom. The water was ten feet deep in the lock and the surface ten feet below the level of the embankment. Others also joined in the same efforts. The body was recovered by drags ninety minutes later. Witness said he had previously seen children fishing at the spot.
Police War Reserve Arthur Houlden said he and several others recovered the body. There were no marks on the body except slight bruises. These could have been caused by the drags or the lad could have caught the wall of the lock as he lilt. The body was fully clothed.
Roy Shield’s mother said the last she saw of the children was when they were playing in the yard at 6-30 p.m. She heard they had gone fishing.
The Coroner said it was clear that the boy accidentally fell into the lock while playing and returned a verdict of “Death by Misadventure.” The funeral took place at Wombwell on Monday, the service being conducted by Mr. J. Rowe, of Darfield. There were wreaths from numerous friends, and also floral tokens from teachers and scholars of John Street Council School, neighbours of New Scarborough and neighbours of York Street and Barnsley Road, Wombwell.
Funeral arrangements were in the hands of Messrs. M. Charlesworth and Son, funeral directors and undertakers, 3. York Street, Wombwell (Phone Wombwell 208).