| Notes: | MMP. Formerly 5 Dragoon Guards, 1/10/85 transferred to MMP. 16/12/1881 Died.
Extract from the Dundee Evening Telegraph 17 December 1895.
The remains of the soldier found upon the railway yesterday near Portsmouth are believed to be those of Sergeant John Daintith, of the Military Mounted Police stationed at Portsmouth.
Extract from the Hampshire Telegraph, 21/12/1885. MILITARY POLICE SERGEANT CUT TO PIECES.
GHASTLY DISCOVERY AT COPNOR.
About 6.30 on Monday evening Henry Mack, of 11, Copnor Cottages, reported at Buckland Police station that a soldier had bee killed on the line at Copnor. Inspector Parrett and Constables Penfold and Chapman went off immediately with the ambulance litter. Walking up the line about 300 yards from Copnor Crossing they found the mutilated corpse of a soldier, who had been literally cut to pieces by a train. The remains were collected as completely as possible and conveyed to the mortuary. Some portions of the body were missing, and it is believed that they must have become entangled with the locomotive and carried up the line.
The body has since been identified as that of John Daintith, a sergeant in the Mounted Military Police stationed at Colewort Barracks, Portsmouth.
A comrade of the deceased described him to our reporter as a very decent, sober fellow, with a good word for everyone and very popular with the members of his corps. His untimely end is deeply deplored by his comrades. He was 42 years of age and leaves a widow and two children, the elder boy being 4 1/2 years old and the younger a baby of twelve months. He had been in the Service some 19 years, and up to April last was stationed at Shorncliffe, where he held the rank of mounted corporal. He was then promoted to the rank of sergeant and transferred to Portsmouth. Deceased left the barracks about two o'clock on Monday afternoon, telling his wife and the corporal in charge he was going to the Town Station to inquire about a parcel that should have come from Aldershot on Saturday. He was last seen at the station making inquiries as to the parcel but from that point onward his movements cannot at present be traced. The deceased was well acquainted with the Copnor district, as it was part of his duty to visit the mounted patrols out there between two and six o'clock in the afternoon. As the patrol did not go out on Monday afternoon, however, his presence on the spot cannot be accounted for.
The train which killed the unfortunate man was the 5.30 pm train from Portsmouth to Netley.
The driver of the train felt his engine pass over some obstacle, and on arriving at Cosham he telegraphed back to the signalman at the Copnor Box asking him to find out what it was. Just at the time there is a great deal of railway traffic to and fro, and the signalman was, therefore, unable to leave th box but sent for Mack, a plate-layer, engaged on the line and asked him to act. Mack found the body and at once went and gave information at the Buckland Police Station. The scene of the sergeant's tragic death presented a most sickening sight, parts of the body being strewn along the line. The trunk had been carried some 34 yards from the legs. Appearances indicated that the deceased was killed on the outside rail on the Kingston side of the crossing, some 100 yards from the gates. Opposite this spot there is a gap in the hedge, and footsteps leading from the gap to the spot where it is assumed the accident took placer, could be easily traced.
INQUEST AND VERDICT
Mr T A Bramsdon, JP, the Portsmouth Coroner, held an inquest on Wednesday, at the Town Hall, relative to the death.
Mr S Holmes watched the proceedings on behalf of the South Coast Railway Company, and Mr J Woods for the South Western Company, and Mr Simpson represented the Engineers' Department, Portsmouth.
Deceased was identified by his wife Elizabeth, who resides in the "A" block of the married quarters at Colewort Barracks. He was a sergeant in the military mounted police, and enjoyed good health. For two days last week he was slightly depressed, but she did not know why. There were no home troubles or anything wrong with is duties to make him miserable or which would lead to him taking his life. Early on Monday morning deceased complained that he felt ill, and said, "I think I'll lied down and die." Witness did not treat the remark as serious. After a good dinner deceased left to go to the railway station to inquire about a parcel from Aldershot. The parcel was afterwards delivered at the quarters. Witness knew of nothing that would take her husband to Copnor.
Corporal Thomas Coyle of the Military Mounted Police said that deceased was his sergeant. He had known him four years. Deceased was a cheerful man. They were together on Monday morning, and deceased was then, as usual, in good health and spirits. It was part of deceased's duty to visit the military patrol at Copnor, day or night, but witness knew nothing which would take him there at five or thereabouts in the afternoon, and deceased's horse was in the stable at the time.
William Griffin, employed at the parcels' office at the town station, said that deceased inquired at the office on Monday afternoon, about a parcel from Aldershot. He was then quite sober. Witness travelled to Cosham in the Guard's van of the Netley train from Portsmouth at 5.30 on Monday afternoon. A short distance beyond Copnor crossing the van seemed to pass over something.
Miss Kate Simmonds, of the Harvest Home beer house, Copnor, deposed that Sergeant Daintith visited the house on Monday afternoon about five o'clock, and had a glass of ale. There was a public lane of footpath at the bottom of the garden of the Harvest Home leading to the railway at Moneyfield crossing.
Mrs Broster, wife of a prison warder, living at 1, Clive road said that deceased, whom she knew well, paid her a visit on Monday afternoon, staying from three o'clock till ten minutes to four. he was very cheerful, and said he was going by train to Cosham, but did not day for what purpose.
William Charles Strickland, of 76, Carlisle road, Southsea, an engine driver on the London and South Western Railway, said he was driver of the train from Netley to Portsmouth at 5.30 on Monday afternoon. It was very dark then, and rained hard. After passing Copnor crossing he felt a jolt and heard a thud under the engine. Te thought something had broken. At Cosham he examined the engine, but found nothing wrong an no signs of it having run over anything.
Thomas Elkins, of 75 Carlisle road, Southsea, a railway porter, stated that whilst cleaning the windows of the carriages of the Netley train, on Tuesday morning, he found the belt produced twisted twice round the brake-rod of the rear of the front guard's van, immediately behind the engine. The belt had been identified as deceased's.
Henry Mack, a plate layer living at the Railway cottages, Cosham, deposed that on the receipt of information from the Copnor signalman he went along the line. About 230 yards from Copnor crossing, and between that tn Money Field Crossing, he found a body lying between the metals of the up-line across the four-foot way. It was mangled, and the legs were gone. The limbs, as well as pieces of flesh, were 38 yards nearer to crossing, by the side of the line. There was no way of getting on to the railway between Copnor and Moneyfield. The line between those crossings was on a curve, and a person on the line could not see a train coming until he was 400 yards from the Copnor crossing.
Constable Penfold said that 15 yards from the body he found part of deceased's trousers. Other portions of the body were strewn along the line towards Copnor, and the deceased's whip was lying severed across the metals. Opposite where the whip was, together with brains and blood, there was a gap in the hedge, over which anyone might easily get. There was a brick field there, to which anyone had access from Copnor road.
In summing up the Coroner pointed out that the case was not one of suicide. This was the second death on the railway within a months, and terrible deaths they were. He thought it was the duty of the Railway Companies to see that there was no ordinary probability of such accidents happening, and they ought to suggest that something should be done to make the district even more secure than it probably now was. The Copnor crossing was well protected, but the Moneyfield one had no one in charge or on the look-out. As the town was growing rapidly in that neighbourhood, something should be done.
The Jury returned an open verdict, and added a rider, calling the Railway Companies' attention to the spot.
A Juryman, who had not appeared till late, was cautioned and the officer was told to summon him for the next Jury. |
