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Baby

Age: 0

Sex: male

Date: 16 Aug 1951

Place: West Beach, Littlehampton, West Sussex

The body of a baby was found buried in the sand at West Beach by a London visitor.

The man had been at the beach with his wife and family and had been digging in the sand when he found the body wrapped up in a flannelette sheet and brown paper.

After discovering the body, the police were informed and then came along and took it to Worthing Hospital for pathological examination during which two fibres and a hair found on the body were sent off to the police laboratory. However, after a police investigation no further developments were made in regard to identifying who the child's parents were or who might have deposited the child's body there.

It was heard that doctors, hospitals, midwives, and clinics throughout the country had been visited.

The police also visited mothers who were known to have been expectant and anticipating confinement around the time in the Littlehampton area.

The pathologist at Worthing Hospital said that the child had lived for about 24 hours and had been dead for about 72 hours before he had seen the body and concluded that death had been due to inattention at birth.


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

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see West Sussex Gazette - Thursday 27 September 1951

see West Sussex Gazette - Thursday 23 August 1951