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Henry John Kill

Age: 39

Sex: male

Date: 12 Apr 1938

Place: London Road, Horndean

Henry John Kill was run over.

He had been walking down the London Road on 11 April 1938 when he was knocked down by a car. He was taken to the Royal Portsmouth Hospital where he died from a fractured skull.

Henry Kill had been in the Territorial Army and had at the time been walking back home, in uniform, from Horndean Drill Hall with two other men at 10.40pm. One of the men that had been with the group said that they were walking side by side towards Portsmouth on the green verge of the road by the side.

The man said that suddenly, without warning, a car came up from behind them and shot Henry Kill 15 to 20 yards in front. He said that he thought that the car had been travelling at between 45 to 50 miles an hour.

He said that the car then shot across the road and came back again and then went straight on.

The man said that the next car that came along was stopped and a doctor was summoned, and Henry Kill was then taken to the Royal Portsmouth Hospital. Henry Kill never regained consciousness after being taken to the hospital and later died from shock and laceration of the brain following a fracture of the skull.

The man said, however, that he could not describe the car at all and said that he heard no horn sounded.

The other man that had been in the group said that he thought that the car was of the Riley type, saying that it was dark in colour and a saloon car.

It was heard that the road where the incident took place was straight and about 27 feet wide with a good surface, and it was said to have been a bright moonlight night.

The police said that extensive enquiries were made including a broadcast by the BBC but said that the identity of the car and its driver could not be found.

Henry Kill had been a plumber and electrician and had lived in Rosemary, Lovedean Lane in Lovedean.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Portsmouth Evening News - Wednesday 18 May 1938

see Portsmouth Evening News - Wednesday 20 April 1938

see Hampshire Telegraph - Friday 22 April 1938

see Hampshire Telegraph - Friday 20 May 1938

see Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer - Friday 22 April 1938