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Eric Peacock

Age: 6

Sex: male

Date: 14 May 1932

Place: Alfred Way, Barking

Eric Peacock was run over by a motorcycle.

Eric Peacock had been knocked down by a motorcyclist who had a pillion rider while he was riding his own toy fairy cycle along the East Ham and Barking Bypass Road.

Two witnesses said that the bike had been going at 50mph.

An identification parade was later held but none of the witnesses were able to identify any of the men in it.

The Coroner said 'It is evident that this little fellow was killed by two rascally persons on this motorcycle who ran away from their crime and so far, have not been traced. They were riding at a murderous pace along this public road and the child was thrown into the air and bumped off the ground.'.

It was heard that after the crash the two men had jumped into a car that had been going the same way as they had been going and were then driven away.

It was heard that the crowd had thought that they were going for a doctor or an ambulance, but they never came back. A motor car driver later called at Rayleigh police station on the Sunday and stated that he had been hailed by two men who had said that they had been involved in an accident and had asked for a lift as they wanted to call for an ambulance, but he said that after proceeding for about 500 yards they alighted and disappeared.

The police said that they thought that the motorcycle was stolen as the original lettering on the front number plate had been effaced and two new nuts were holding it to the machine. They said that the number represented the cycle to have been registered originally in Devonshire.

Eric Peacock had lived in Oban Road in Barking.

The jury returned an open verdict adding a rider that the motorcycle was ridden in a grossly careless manner by some person unknown.


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

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Nottingham Evening Post - Tuesday 28 June 1932

see Cornishman - Thursday 30 June 1932

see Chelmsford Chronicle - Friday 20 May 1932