Evelyn Mair Griffiths

Evelyn Mair Griffiths died from a fractured skull.

She was found lying seriously injured in a secluded lane, Weston Park in Bath, on 21 August 1945 and died two days later on 23 August.

Her cause of death was due to a fracture of the skull and laceration of the brain.

The doctor that carried out the post-mortem said that her injuries could have been caused by being knocked down by a motor vehicle, or by a blow, but not by a fall, adding that obviously a great deal of force had caused her injuries. The doctor added that there were no signs of a struggle or of Evelyn Griffiths having been attacked by an individual.

A stolen Ministry of Works van was found crashed in a hedge about 40 yards away from where Evelyn Griffiths was found, but the police were unable to trace the driver. The van had been reported missing earlier the same day from Queen Square in Bath. At the inquest, the police said that the hunt for the driver of the van was being continued.

However, there was nothing conclusive to connect the van with her injuries.

Evelyn Griffiths had been living in Hockley Hostel near to where she was found.

During their investigation the police appealed for the driver of a car to come forward as he might have seen something that would help with the investigation after it was said that a car had stopped in Weston at about 10.20pm and the driver asked a woman for directions to Lansdown.

At her inquest, the verdict into her death ruled out any idea that she had been attacked. An open verdict was returned stating that there was not sufficient evidence to determine how she had sustained her injuries.

Evelyn Griffiths had been a temporary Admiralty clerk.

It was later reported that a raven had alighted on Evelyn Griffiths's bedroom windowsill a few days before she died and observed that ravens were sometimes regarded by superstitious people as a portent of death.

It was noted that before her death, other girls at the hostel had been afraid to go out into the dark stony lane that led to the hostel and often avoided going out along it alone, often ringing up companions to meet them. It was also said that on occasions, girls had even got out of bed in order to meet friends going back to the hostel alone.

Following Evelyn Griffiths's death, the lights in the lane were put back.