James MCracken

James MCracken was found semi-conscious and bleeding in Clepington Road between Johnston Avenue and Kingsway West at about 10pm on Saturday 7 October 1950.

It was thought that he had been the victim of a hit-and-run.

He was taken to the Dundee Infirmary but died on the evening of Monday 9 October 1950.

He had been a night watchman with the Corporation Works Department and had lived at 31 Rosebank Road.

His brother, who was also a night watchman and who lived in Hospital Street said that he had met James MCracken earlier on 7 October 1950 when he had told him that he was not due to take his duty until 10pm but that he was going to go up at 8.30pm to relieve the day watchman who wanted to go to the pictures.

He said that he promised to take him his supper at about 10.30pm, but said that when he got to Clepington Road at about 10.45pm be found that James MCracken had been injured.

His brother noted that James MCracken was at times very deaf and was crippled in one leg but that he was a teetotaller.

A doctor that examined his body said that he thought that James MCracken's injuries were the result of him having probably been struck by a vehicle and then thrown heavily without actually being run over onto heap of earth and stones that had been excavated.

When he was found he was lying face down and seriously injured about the head.

James MCracken's brother said that when he found James MCracken he turned him over and asked him if anyone had hit him and said that he replied, 'No'. He said that he then asked him whether or not he had been knocked down and James MCracken said that he didn't know.

His cap was found lying on the road about five or six yards away.

The other night watchman that had been employed by the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board on another job further along Clepington Road said that he thought that James MCracken had been coming to visit him. James MCracken's body was found lying about 150 yards along from his hut.

A policeman that had escorted James MCracken to the hospital in an ambulance said that as they went James MCracken had given him a broken statement, saying, 'I see lights, a No 13. I don't know any more'.

A police sergeant who examined the scene said that he found some glass on the roadway that appeared to have come from a headlamp of a motor car. The police said that they later visited the Corporation garage in Lochee Road and examined all the buses that had been used in Clepington Road that evening, but said that they found no marks on any of the busses or any busses with missing or broken lamps.

The police said that they also made extensive inquiries at garages and other establishments around the town, but found no reports of vehicles with broken lamps or of any car being submitted for repair as a result of anything from the night of Saturday 7 October 1950.

At the inquest the Sherriff said that whilst it was probable or possible that James MCracken's injuries were the result of a vehicular accident, he thought that the jury should leave all mention of that out of their verdict.

The jury then returned a verdict to the effect that James MCracken died following injuries that he received in Clepington Road whilst in the course of his employment by Dundee Corporation as a night watchman.