My Maternal Grandfather is Clifford William Willis b. 1899 Cowes IoW d. 1967 Cowes.
( He sounds boring when put like that but he had a full and interesting life ).
Clifford had a brother Bernard Weston Willis b. 1893 Cowes d. 1939 Southampton.
I had Bernard on the 1901 and 1911 Census , his WW1 Territorial Army record , he worked at J Samuel Whites shipyard in Cowes , no marriage found , and the death in 1939 in Southampton.
Then I spotted in the Probate register that he had left a Will.
Died 29 Oct 1939 at Southampton Police Headquarters .
This is when I became curious.
So off to Southampton library and searched the Southern Daily Echo for late October 1939.
He was arrested on 28 Oct 1939 and charged with “ Gross indecency in a public place , Southampton Cattle Market “ ( fill in your own thoughts ) , he was put in the cells to appear in court on Monday 30 October.
About 7pm Sunday he was found hanged in his cell , he had made a rope out of his clothing , stood on the toilet , tied his rope round the pipe to the cistern and when found his toes were dangling in the water in cistern.
There was an inquest and the Jury returned a verdict of Suicide .
Bernard Weston Willis was given a memorial service at St Marys Church West Cowes and was then buried with his parents and siblings in Northwood Cemetery. RIP.
Ken
( He sounds boring when put like that but he had a full and interesting life ).
Clifford had a brother Bernard Weston Willis b. 1893 Cowes d. 1939 Southampton.
I had Bernard on the 1901 and 1911 Census , his WW1 Territorial Army record , he worked at J Samuel Whites shipyard in Cowes , no marriage found , and the death in 1939 in Southampton.
Then I spotted in the Probate register that he had left a Will.
Died 29 Oct 1939 at Southampton Police Headquarters .
This is when I became curious.
So off to Southampton library and searched the Southern Daily Echo for late October 1939.
He was arrested on 28 Oct 1939 and charged with “ Gross indecency in a public place , Southampton Cattle Market “ ( fill in your own thoughts ) , he was put in the cells to appear in court on Monday 30 October.
About 7pm Sunday he was found hanged in his cell , he had made a rope out of his clothing , stood on the toilet , tied his rope round the pipe to the cistern and when found his toes were dangling in the water in cistern.
There was an inquest and the Jury returned a verdict of Suicide .
Bernard Weston Willis was given a memorial service at St Marys Church West Cowes and was then buried with his parents and siblings in Northwood Cemetery. RIP.
Ken
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