29 January: County Coroner,
Sidney Hacker
Resumed an inquest continued in
Torquay,
With regard to the murders of two
officers -
Lieutenant Arthur Ernest Simpson,
of the
Army Service Corps – a London
Solicitor
And Sub-Lieutenant Bertram Welby
Hart,
Of the Royal Naval Air Service.
Both men
On Sunday 24 January, arrived in
Torquay:
Under strange conditions they
were killed.
The two men were travelling in a
car from
Plymouth to Torquay - the car
being driven
By Mr Harold Murton, a Marconi
wireless
Engineer of St John’s Wood – it
was dark
As they drove onto Torquay’s sea
front
Road, to be halted by sentries’ -
Territorial
Cyclists, Private Harris and
Private Pullman.
This action resulted in sudden
altercation
With the sentries - a rifle held
by one man
Was fired - Lieutenant Hart was
shot dead;
As Lieutenant Simpson gained a
fatal wound.
Private Harris was consequently
charged
With causing their death -
Private Pullman
Adding and abetting – the driver
though
Disputed this - to give evidence
that a shot
Came alone from the rifle of
Private Pullman,
With whom Lieutenant Hart had
argued.
Viewpoint one: the driver of the motor;
Murton
Being recalled on 29 January the
driver,
Mr Murton, confirmed his belief
how Pullman
And Hart were standing around 6
feet apart,
As a shot was fired. With the car
stopped,
No words of ill language was then
used.
But as the encounter became
heated, both
Witness and officers used
specific words.
While a shot was fired
Lieutenant Simpson
Did not attempt to add to the
argument.
The wound that Simpson gained was
a bullet
To the left armpit - he later
died within a few
Minutes of reaching the nearest
hospital.
Viewpoint two: a Policeman
arrives; Muridge
A crowd had gathered as Police
Constable
Mugridge arrived – with the naval
officer
And Private Pullman arguing, the
police
Officer pushed into the crowd -
there was
A shot and Lieutenant Hart fell
down dead.
Private Harris was arrested and
taken away
To the police station, confessing
to his rifle
Being fired - but he stated it
was an accident.
The people who stood behind him
had then
Knocked his arm and gun went off
- about
The car were up to 200 people,
some of
Them stood right next to the two
sentries.
Viewpoint three:soldier beside sentries;Botterill
A Private Botterill, who had
stood between
The sentries, said a disagreement
ensued
Between Private Harris and
Lieutenant Hart -
Both of the sentries held their
rifles at ready -
LH said to H 'Cant you see, I am
a British
Naval officer. Here is my number
- I have
Letters to prove I am
Sub-Lieutenant Hart.’
P H replied discourteous, 'I
don’t want
To see any letters. Stand there
and wait
Till my Colour sergeant comes.’ P
H later
Added ‘Shut up your yarn.’ L H
replied
‘Don’t talk to me like that. Do
you know
To whom you are talking? That you
are
Talking to your superior
officer.'
Two Seconds later the rifle was
fired –
A spark came from P H rifle L H
fell dead -
Private Botterill asked why
he had done
That - PH replayed, 'I wont stand
arguing
The point.’ The crowd moved in
and P H
Was heard to claim, it was an accident.
Viewpoint four: a civilian in the
crowd: Lowe
Charles William
Lowe, an electrician, saw
That as the sentries stopped
the car the
Two officers asked, 'on whose
orders?'
The sentries said that their
orders were
To stop all cars on the road
between times
Of seven and eleven p.m. - L H
asked for
The name of the captain giving
orders -
Which sentries had then supplied
him.
Walking to the back of the halted
car,
L H Commented, 'fine thin to be
stopped
On the highway when one is
fighting for
The country.' – the naval officer
was heard
To state, ‘I am Lieutenant
Thompson and
This is my friend Lieutenant
Simpson.’
Searching the car, the sentries
examined
Their numbers, but remained
unsatisfied,
As car number was written on
cardboard.
Officers asked if they were to be
there
All night – Private Pullman said
they had
To wait for their colour sergeant
to arrive.
Getting back in the car and then
out again
Lieutenant Hart was agitated and
moved
Towards Pullman, standing before
the car.
Then the rifle was fired -
Lieutenant Hart
Fell -was heard to say, 'my
God, I’m shot.'
The inquiry was to
continue on weds next.
by Jamie Mann.
Anon.,1915. Torquay Tragedy – two
Officers Shot - Resumed Inquest. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 30 Jan. P.3. Col.6. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11372896/Daily-Telegraph-January-30-1915.html
[Accessed: 30 January 2015].
Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication,
30 January 2015).
#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary
#worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered
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