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Henry Attfield

Age: unknown

Sex: male

Date: 30 Nov 1901

Place: Borrowcop Lane, Lichfield

Henry Attfield was found dead under very mysterious and suspicious circumstances near Lichfield.

He had been suffocated and had his mouth filled with dirt.

He had been a private in the South Staffordshire Regiment at Whittington Barracks.

A soldier said that he had been on duty with a piquet in Lichfield and around 9.30pm he saw a soldier who was identified but later discharged with another soldier. He said that the soldier appeared to be sober but that the other man (Henry Attfield) made a slight stumble turning a corner. He said however that when the other man saw the military police he pulled himself together and he let them pass together on up St John Street towards the barracks.

A woman who lived in Swynfyn Cottages, Lichfield said that on the Saturday evening whilst with her husband she had seen two soldiers in St John Street and said that one was helplessly drunk and fell but was picked up. She said that he fell down more than once and answered to the name of Attfield.

The coroner commented on the fact that the other soldier was found to have had a new half crown for 1901 on him and said that if he had had any hand in Henry Attfield's murder then his only motive could have been robbery, and then questioned whether a respectable man like him would have had a hand in the death of a comrade for 2s. 6d? He also pointed out that when other soldier was arrested his hands were clean.

Two other women had been seen near the scene at some point and the coroner reflected that it was more likely that they had been responsible for Henry Attfield's death than the other soldier.

The jury returned a verdict of suffocation by some person or persons unknown.


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

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Gloucestershire Echo - Wednesday 18 December 1901

see Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser - Saturday 21 December 1901