Walter Ash

Walter Ash was found in the road with injuries on Friday 4 October 1940.

He was found in the roadway outside the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary where he had later been due for certain medical treatment. He was found by two railwaymen lying unconscious on the side of the road near Holy Trinity Vicarage at about 2am.

Walter Ash had been a sapper in the Royal Engineers and had lived at 3 Bath Street in Derby. It was said that he had left home between 11.30pm on the Thursday, and 12.50am in the early Friday morning.

At the time of his death he had been under treatment as an out-patient at the infirmary for a broken collar-bone that he had previously sustained in a cycling accident.

He had been due to attend the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary on the Friday morning but six hours before his appointment he was found lying unconscious in the London Road near to the infirmary. He was taken inside but died shortly after.

His post-mortem revealed that he had suffered from violence and that his liver had been ruptured and two of his ribs and his right arm were broken.

It was thought that he might had received his injuries as a result of a collision with some obstacle.

However, it was heard that there were no indications as to how his injuries were caused.

Walter Ash had been on home leave from his unit at the time, being stationed in Nottinghamshire.