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Baby

Age: 0

Sex: female

Date: 18 Aug 1959

Place: St Albans Terrace, Hammersmith, London

A newly-born female child was found in a disused drain in St Albans Terrace, Hammersmith on Tuesday 18 August 1959.

It had been wrapped up in brown paper and when it was first discovered it was thought that the child was dead.

After being discovered the child was taken to Hammersmith Hospital where it died eight hours later.

The child was found by a 47-year-old greengrocer in the drain as he was driving his cart. He said, 'I was driving my horse and cart out of my yard in St Alban's Terrace when I noticed the grille over a drain was not set properly. I couldn't drive the horse over it, so I got down to put it right. It was then I noticed the paper parcel. It was so neatly wrapped it aroused my curiosity, and I took it into my yard. I tore off the cellotape and paper, took out a frock and jumper and found what I first thought was a doll. It was the baby, a girl, naked but for a napkin. I thought it was dead. I found two policemen on the beat outside and called them in. As I showed them the baby, it seemed to move. One of the policemen told me that often happened after death. As he said it the baby started to cry. We rushed indoors. My wife told me to put the child on her ironing board, which was warm, and the officers called an ambulance. It upset us terribly. My 16-year-old daughter was crying all night, my wife couldn't sleep. I had to steady myself up Tuesday night with some Guinness and a sleeping pill. We felt so strongly about it that had the child lived we would have tried to adopt it'.

The child had been wrapped up in a brown frock and cardigan.

At the inquest the greengrocer said that he had thought that child was dead until he thought he heard it cry at which point he took it into his house and called the police.

When the police arrived they applied first aid and then took the child to Hammersmith Hospital.

It was noted that the greengrocer had been in the district for 23 years and had five grown up children and three grandchildren.

The child had weighed 2lb 10oz.

A doctor at the hospital, registrar in charge of prematurity cases at Hammersmith Hospital, said, 'The baby could easily appear dead, although not. It could have only one heartbeat a minute and its breathing could be imperceptible'. He noted that when the child was brought into the hospital that it was very cold and that its breathing was slow and abnormal. He added, 'A baby of this age is poorly fitted to withstand ordinary conditions'.

The pathologist said that the child had been a seven-months baby and gave its cause of death as prematurity and imperfect aeration of the lungs.

The police said that they had tried to trace the mother but without success.

When the Coroner summed up he said that the child must have been delivered a very few hours before it was found in the drain. He added, 'It is hard to believe that a woman who had recently had a baby would have been strong enough to lift this drain cover'.

An open verdict was returned.


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

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Kensington Post - Friday 02 October 1959

see Hammersmith & Shepherds Bush Gazette - Friday 21 August 1959