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George Edward Jackson

Age: 18

Sex: male

Date: 13 Jan 1944

Place: 2 Boscombe Villas, Greenwood Road, Worle

George Edward Jackson died from arsenic poisoning.

He was a chemistry student and was found dead in his bed on 13 January 1944.

He had died from acute arsenical poisoning and his clothes were saturated with sea water.

His inquest stated that there was not sufficient evidence to show how the poison was obtained or how it was administered, and an open verdict was returned.

His sister said that she last saw George Jackson on the evening of 12 January 1944. She said that he appeared quite normal and in the best of spirits and told her that he was going to the library and then on to the chemistry class at the School of Science and Art, but that that was the last time that she saw him alive. She added that they were a perfectly happy family and that as far as she knew George Jackson had no worries.

The police said that when they search George Jackson's pockets, they found a notebook containing notes on chemistry, but that they were unable to find any note or message expressing his intention to take his own life. They added that they had neither been able to find any poisonous substances.

The police further said that they had inspected the poison registers kept by chemists in the town but said that nothing came up to show that George Jackson had bought any arsenic locally.

They also said that they had been unable to trace his movements on the night of his death and had found that he apparently had no acquaintances whatsoever.

When the coroner summed up he said, 'I think a startling feature of this inquiry is that students at the school, who I assume are not of very mature age, have free access to all the drugs in the laboratory, including arsenical compounds. I cannot suggest how any further check can be kept and it does not come within your ambit to do so, but I think it is an extraordinary state of circumstances to exist'.

An open verdict was returned.


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

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Western Daily Press - Wednesday 02 February 1944

see Western Daily Press - Monday 17 January 1944