Scene of the Lake Farm Tragedy of 1910

Lake Farm Tragedy, 1910

Martin Hartnett 1901-1920, Houses, Streets & Shops Leave a Comment

Scene of the Lake Farm tragedy of June 20 1910

North Devon Journal, dated 23rd June 1910:

Lake Farm, Hatherleigh was the scene on Monday of a sad and shocking tragedy. Mr Wilson Sanders a farmer and his only son, a lad of about 15 years were engaged during the morning in demolishing the cob wall of a disused cottage with the object of mixing the material with some artificial manure. The wall was about two feet thick. A large mass of the cob fell without the slightest warning. This completely buried the father who was on the ground and caused his instant death. The son was climbing a ladder at the time of the accident. He was thrown over and so badly injured by portions of the debris that he died in about 10 minutes. Dr`s Whipham and Mitchell were called but could only pronounce life to be extinct. The bodies were removed to the farmhouse to await the inquest. Much sympathy is felt for Mrs Sanders in her heavy bereavement. Two of the other men who were engaged in the work of demolition had narrow escapes. Mr Sanders was a member of the C Company 4th VBDR for a great number of years and wore the long service medal. Accidental Death

The family name was actually Saunders, (James) Wilson was 66 years old and his son Alexander 15. There is a headstone for both men in St. James’ churchyard in Jacobstowe where they are buried.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *