Mexborough and Swinton Times January 16, 1915
Suicide after Rejection
Denaby Man who could not Enlist
The tragic circumstances surrounding the death of Ernest Haigh (41) body was recovered from the fish pond at Denaby, on Friday, were the subject of an inquest conducted in the Fullerton Hospital, Denaby Men on Saturday afternoon by Mr F Allen (district coroner).
Mrs Lawley, 11 Cliff View, Denaby, identified the body lying at the Reresby Arms, Denaby, as that of Ernest Haigh, who had lodged with her, and up to the last three weeks had worked at Denaby Main Colliery. He left there and try to enlist, but was rejected, so uniform witness, on account of his teeth. He seemed depressed about this, “and did a great deal of crying.”
On Wednesday morning he left her house saying he was going to Bentley to find work. She had never heard him threaten to commit suicide. He was a strong man, and could easily found work. It was 12 months that day since he came to her, and she had never seen him so depressed as he had been during the past two or three weeks
By the jury: He left his work because of some grievance at the pit
No Cause for Depression
Ernest Baddeley, 43, Helina Street, Mexborough, plate layer, stated that he was on duty between Mexborough and Denaby the previous morning. There was a pond known as Viners Pond near the line and between 9.00 and 9.30 he saw on the bank a jacket, hat, and bundle of clothes. He looked in the water and saw a body, and at once informed the police, subsequently pulling the body out with a boat hook. He was fully dressed, except for a hat, and the clothes on the bank were evidently his best suit
Summing up, the Coroner said he could not imagine a man be depressed because he was out of work, for the pits were simply craving for men. Then a man had to have very bad teeth before he was rejected for the Army, and more than that, you could get over the difficulty by having false teeth and nowadays there were more ways and means by which they could be obtained without payment. It seemed clear that it was a case of deliberate suicide.
The jury concurred, and added to their verdict the opinion that disease was temporarily insane