South Yorkshire Times August 2, 1958

Drinking Till 4 A.M.
Evidence at Inquest on Denaby Man

An inquest on Walter Harrison (55), a collier, of 70, Braithwell Street, Denabv, was opened and adjourned by the District Coroner (Mr. W. H. Carlile) at Conisbrough on Wednesday.

Comparison with another man, and we are drinking on the Saturday evening before he died on the Sunday.

The two men and then gone to Harrison’s home, taking a bottle of rum with them, and been drinking until 4 a.m. on Sunday.

Gordon Harrison, a son of 45, Old Mill Road, Conisbrough, a process operator for British Nylon Spinners at Doncaster, and identified his father and said he had worked at Denaby Main Colliery for 34 years he had not had good health for four years and had been examined for pneumoconiosis about six times.

Coroner: Was he heavy drinker?

Witness: He went drinking’ every night and average about 2 pints but only let himself go on special occasions.

Witness said he last saw his father alive in July 19 and he seemed his normal self. Witness said his mother went away on holiday on Friday last Dover and his followers left on his own at home.

PC John Boyle of Denaby said that he had been called on Sunday afternoon found Harrison line on the kitchen floor near the sink. He said he had been told that Harrison and Joseph Myers had been drinking rum until 4 a.m. on Sunday. Myers then felt dizzy and fell asleep. When he woke up about lunchtime on Sunday he saw Harrison, whom he thought was asleep. My stretcher riles Harrison, but could not do so.

The Coroner said that a post-mortem examination had been held and it was found necessary to send away certain organs to a forensic science laboratory for further examination.