Richard Youds

Richard Youds fell out of a train.

He was a private in the 12th King's Liverpool Regiment and had been discharged from his regiment the day before and was going home.

He fell out of the train between Leighton Buzzard and Bletchley on the Friday night, 15 January 1915.

He had been discharged because he was medically unfit through bad eyesight.

When he left he had had no money and was indebted to the regiment to the extent of £2.3.3.

The train was stopped when another soldier in the North Staffs Regiment who was on the corridor train travelling from Euston to Salford said that when the train was somewhere near Bletchley he had gone along the corridor and noticed that the carriage door of the compartment next to his was open. He said that no one was in the compartment but that there was a kit bag and a tin of sardines there. He said that he then closed the carriage door and informed other people and the train was stopped.

Another soldier said that he had seen Richard Youds in the corridor and said that he was wearing civilian clothes and that he didn't seem at all depressed.

A railway inspector and a train examiner later inspected the handle, lock and door of the compartment and stated that they were in working order.

Richard Youds's body was later found about three quarters of a mile beyond the signal box on its right side on the six-foot way between the down and up fast lines. His face and head were bleeding.

His death was stated as having been due to a skull fracture.

When he was searched he was found to have had a ticket from Aldershot to Liverpool, an Army discharge certificate, 2 1/2d in money and a musketry drill book.

An open verdict was returned.