Samuel George Thompson

Samuel George Thompson was found in a water butt.

He was a railway signalman and was found head first in the water butt at the rear of his signal box at Harling Road Station which was on the main Norwich to Cambridge railway line.

The police said that they thought that foul play was unlikely.

However, the police made inquiries and appealed for two Americans that were known to had got off an early train at Harling to come forward, stating that they might have been the last people to have seen Samuel Thompson alive.

A policeman that examined the scene said that he saw foot impressions in the loose cinders that were round the waterbutt and that he saw no sign of a scuffle. He said, 'There was no sign of scuffling in these cinders. I examined the tank very carefully for marks but could find none'. He added that he also saw no signs of violence on Samuel Thompson's body or clothing.

The police said that to the rear of the signal box there were two windows one of which would slide open sideways but that at the time it was shut and fastened by brass screws. He said that below the windows there was a tank which was full of water. He said that the tank was 46in high and 30in wide and that it stood on a concrete base that was 10in high. He said that the lid to the water butt lay on the ground about 9ft away.

The police said that there was a record book in the signal box in which the last entry was for 2.50am.

The inquest heard that his post mortem confirmed the police evidence in that there was no sign of violence and stated that Samuel Thompson died from asphyxia due to drowning.