Last Letter Home Came Two Days after Word of Man’s Death (picture)

March 1950

South Yorkshire Times March 4, 1950

Last Letter Home

Came Two Days after Word of Conisbro’ Man’s Death

Two days after a cable had notified her of the death of her husband in a Malay hospital 5,000 miles away, Mrs. Charlotte Moss, of Doncaster Road, Mexborough, received a letter from him, in which he wrote that he was recoverIng. The letter was posted nearly a week before.

Mr. Leonard Moss died a few minutes after midnight on Sunday, aged 41. He was buried the next day.

Mr. Boss went to Malaya in 1947, to become manager of Malayan Collieries, Ltd., at Batu Arang, in Selandor. For many years he had been deputy, overman          and under-manager at Denaby Main Colliery, and for ten months under-manager at Maltby Main Colliery.

Mrs. Moss followed him to Malaya shortly afterwards, but returned to England last July, bringing with her their three children, Geoffrey (12), Pamela(11) and Robin (14 months).

Her husband was to have left for home next September.

To Have Flown Out

He was taken ill towards the end of January, and a week later his wife was advised to fly out to him. A passage was booked on a plane from London Airport, and all the travelling arrangements made. The day before she was due to leave, Mrs Moss also became ill and was unable to go. Up to his death Mr. Moss did not know that his wife was to have joined him.

Two weeks ago, Mrs. Moss received a cable to say that her husband was much better, and was expected to be up soon afterwards. He was suffering from double pneumonia and a suspected rare tropical disease.

In his last letter, received in Mex-borough by his widow on Wednesday, Mr, Moss said that he had been ” almost beyond the river,” and would need a long convalescence, but was hoping to be recovered in time to come home.

Mr. Moss, who lived at Conisbrough for many years, lost his father, Mr. James Moss, a retired Denaby pit deputy, last. November, after an illness lasting many months.

Mr. Moss leaves a widow, three children, his mother and three sisters. Mrs. D. Sheldon (Huddersfield), Mrs. C. Milner (Crookhill Road, Conisbrough) and Mrs, G. W. Hepworth (March Vale Terrace, Conisbrough).