James Doocey

James Doocey was found drowned in a pit near Ince, Thornton-le-Moors.

He was from Crogane in Ballymacabery, Clonmeiles, Waterford, Eire and had enlisted in Belfast in April 1945.

He had been working with a party of 20 members of the Pioneer Corp on 2 August 1945 at the refinery at Ince, Thornton-le-Moors near Ellesmere Port and his body was later found in a cutting about three quarters of a mile away.

He was later missed on 2 August 1945 when he failed to show up at a pay parade.

He was found on 5 August 1945 in a fir-fenced disused cutting in which there was shallow water.

The pathologist said that he had a number of superficial wounds about his face and a serious bruise to the base of his tongue that was due to a contusion on the right side of his neck. The pathologist said that that was mainly responsible for the state of asphyxia that had preceded the drowning which was the cause of his death.

James Doocey was described as a very nervous man who worried over small things, but it was observed that he had never threatened to do himself injury.

Over 30 witnesses were called at his inquest, mostly from the Pioneer Corp, who all said that there had been no quarrels or trouble of any kind with James Doocey.

When the coroner summed up he said that there was no evidence that James Doocey had intended to take his own life or any evidence to show how he came by his injuries. He said that it was difficult to understand how James Doocey could have caused the injury described by the pathologist and said that one could not exclude the possibility that his injuries had been caused by foul play.

He noted that the injury that he could not understand was the one to the base of James Doocey's tongue that had been caused by external pressure on the side of his neck without any abrasion to his skin.

He said that under the circumstances that he could do no other than to return an open verdict.

James Doocey was married with two children.