unsolved-murders.co.uk
Unsolved Murders
Tags

Lena Kilner

Age: 34

Sex: female

Date: 12 Nov 1928

Place: 44 Ellis Street, East Kirkby

Lena Kilner died from an illegal operation at her home at 44 Ellis Street, East Kirkby on 12 November 1928.

Lena Kilner's mother said that on Goose Fair Saturday Lena Kilner had been in Nottingham and on the Sunday brought home two women who visited her afterwards three times. The mother said that when she asked the women why they were there she was told to mind her own business.

She said that Lena Kilner had three children but added that she did not even know if she had had a miscarriage. She said to the Coroner 'I know nothing about this job'.

The Coroner's inquest heard that Lena Kilner had once been charged at the Nottingham Assizes with concealment of birth when she was 19 years old and that her eldest child was born out of wedlock.

The mother said that Lena Kilner and her husband used to fall out like cat and dog and admitted that she had heard Lena Kilner say at some point that she would never have any more children. However, her husband said that it was only when Lena Kilner was in a temper that she told him that she didn't want any more children. He said that he was not suspicious and never knew that she was pregnant.

Her husband and her mother said that they knew nothing of her weekly visits to Nottingham.

A woman from Hyson Green in Nottingham said that she had first got to know Lena Kilner on a Saturday night about seven weeks before she became ill. She said that she met her in an inn with two young men and were all together until about 10pm when Lena Kilner and the two men got on a bus. She said that they met every Saturday after. She said that she even went to see Lena Kilner after she became ill but said that Lena Kilner never told her about her condition. She said that on nearly every occasion when they went out Lena Kilner would be accompanied by the two young men.

The doctor that went to see her said that he did not realise the possibility of an illegal operation having been performed until the Sunday before she died. He said that there had been interference with her about two or three days before he first saw her and said that if Lena Kilner had told him the truth then he would have sent her to the hospital.

The Coroner returned the verdict that death was due to septicaemia as the result of the introduction of instruments for the purpose of an illegal operation 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 Nottingham Journal - Saturday 24 November 1928

see The National Library of Scotland